Cooperative Modeling
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Does anyone here think that a plugin for cooperative modeling over the network or internet would be a good Idea? Even if It just updated the groups or components (if that makes things any easier for the programmer) after every change or a set number of changes or time. I like to make things with my friends, but trying to organize it is a challenge, and we can't see where each of our models fit into the overall scene. And maybe even being able to work on the same component or group would also be good later on...
Just some ideas, I'm not a programmer (I am trying to learn VB, but not good at it yet!) so I was wondering if anyone else thought this would be possible to make, because if sketchup had this feature it would really set it apart from most of the other modeling programs I've seen.
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Maybe a syncronize model button.
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yeh that kind of thing for sure!
but synchronize in a way that lets you add changes (contribute) rather than delete them... hmm how would that work? -
I'm no a coder but as a use I can see the merits of such a feature as I use multiple machines over a network and I model on one machine and render on another which is linked through a network to three others for network rendering.
It would be nice to just syncronize instead of exporting out with a differnt name only to have to delete the previous one on the network drive. -
I Agree with that.
It would also be great when people work in teams to do a building for instance, making life easier in terms of what goes where and what other people have made already. -
@l.frisken said:
I Agree with that.
It would also be great when people work in teams to do a building for instance, making life easier in terms of what goes where and what other people have made already.The development of namesets is intended precisely for that - visit NS website and let me know whether this matches what you have in mind.
Cheers
Chris
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@chrisglasier said:
The development of namesets is intended precisely for that - visit NS website and let me know whether this matches what you have in mind.
Cheers
Chris
Kind of but What I was thinking about was something much more simple so that it would be easy to set up and use(like the synchronise button)
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if the changes were viewed live (or almost live), that would be huge fun! one person could simply navigate through the model and look around, while three others are building it.
and now imagine there was a way to combine the live-updating with inglobe's 'augmented reality plugin'... you could look at a model interactively that is literally growing out of the floor. speed-modeling challenges could rise to a completely new level
(just dreaming here of course (cause you needed fast network connection and an even faster computer for that) -
Yes this is what i'm so excited about! The possibilities are really amazing, and models could become much more fun to make with other people! And if it is speed people are after then this would definitely speed things up in the an environment with more than one person working on the project. -
Online tutoring could be done in a whole new way.
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that too, I hadn't thought of that! That could actually be very useful.
there is a need out there... or at least a want!
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A little off the subject but we use Teamviewer at work. We use this for client interaction and review of designs with architectural firms we work with. There is a free version (if your ok with a few pop ups).
http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx
Scott
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@plot-paris said:
if the changes were viewed live (or almost live), that would be huge fun! one person could simply navigate through the model and look around, while three others are building it.
Something like what Onuma does at his BIMStorms perhaps?
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I just remembered, we had a similar discussion about seven months ago.
and Gaieus, in this thread you mentioned...
@unknownuser said:
You don't even know how close you are to REALITY
you still haven't told us, what you meant by this...
(you see, be careful of what to write on this forum, for it will never be forgotten
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Okay, check this application out for instance. My ID there is gaieus {at} sketchucation{dot} com and this is my webshare ID (PIN: 162622).
Of course I'm not at share mode at the moment but find out the app and once we "meet" online here, we can test it.
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that software is really cool Gaieus. and it will become even more powerful with internet bandwidth rising dramatically these times. that definitely goes into the direction of what we want, I think.
although it only give one person the control over SketchUp (or lets say it gives two people control over one mouse
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it is definitely heading in the right direction, though.but what we need now (well, not really need. but what we would love as a toy), is an option, that takes this Idea and incorporates it into SketchUp:
- two people (or more) working on the same model, but in two different windows, with independent camera views (so that each person can move around independently) and some sort of representation of the other users online in this model.
actually, I think this could be done really quickly. for there is no video information that has to be transferred. the only information that has to be exchanged is the changes made to the model (which are only a couple of lines unless you insert a big component or do copying processes of lots of geometry...
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This could be solved in a following or similar way:
- an user logs in into a 'server' and opens a 'workgroup' current model
- an user would have access to one group for editing so others won't have access to it
- the groups will be updated every .. 5s so every user will have fellow workers groups refreshed every 5 sec. I imagine it as a group(component) saved in the same folder as a master drawings and reloaded by co-workers
- when one will leave the group - will have to look for another 'job' or create new group..
For the time being it will work for relatively small models and probably in LAN only.
I have no clue how complicated it would be in terms of coding. The problem is, what we would do with components inside various groups?
Just an idea.
For a start we could just share transformations of same 'brick' between peers and the brick would be an only allowed building component.
So if users moves a brick script should let know others that a brick 'ID...' has changed its transformation. It would work even through internet
Wouldn't it?Chris, your Namesets could help? Isn't it? As an external database - accessible for all users?
Tomasz
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great, Tomasz.
you already put quite a bit of thought into how all this could work. as a start it is really a good idea to 'lock' a group or component for others, when one participant is editing it. and I imagine updating groups throughout the internet/network should definitely possible.to your question, what happens, if anyone is editing a component that is a copy of a component, that lies within a group/component, that is currently edited by someone else - well, this component is 'locked' for everyone.
(this sentence was probably too long and too confusing to be comprehensible. sorry)the big question is: is it possible to update only the changes, but not the whole group/component. because if you have nested groups, they can quickly become huge. and if you have to send all this data every 5 seconds - thats going to crash you broadband connection...
do you think it is time to make a ruby request?
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Plot, what I have outlined here is much more complex 'behind the scenes'. I am not sure it can be done with pure Ruby. I think it is should be rather a software request for a real developer. ... We've got few here!
Tomasz
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I believe this is technically possible to write such a plugin right now - at least to a limited degree. I don't know about real-time synchronization with mouse cursor, but perhaps near-real-time updates of some events could be broadcast to remote SketchUp's from a session leader.
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