Looking ahead to SU 8.

honoluludesktop

Good minimum list Solo. Would only add fixing the animation codec bug. Drawback is that then this is a Pro only feature (as advertised).

Btw, my workaround for flickering shadows is to export to MovieMaker, and edit out the bad frames. Compresses the file in the process.

paulside

So, is there ever going to be a Sketchup 8, Google - is it really asking to much of you to keep loyal users informed of future plans ?.

Chris Fullmer

Well, we are pretty sure there will be one.

And no, Google (and @Last before them) is not really fond of saying what they have planned.

paulside

Well I Know they wouldn't want to disclose details of any new features, thats fair enough, but surely wouldn't it make good business sense to at least give some indication to current and potential users as to when a future release could be expected?

MichaelG

I'd like to see some attention paid to the presentation of SketchUp models in 3D space. While I admire the skills needed to present photo-realistic renderings, the viewing and manipulation of the full model in 3D is really what most interests me. While the program can be freely downloaded for this purpose, I think the products of it could be presented on the web much more effectively with the proper interface. I'm thinking of something along the lines of the little 3D widget used to show models in the Warehouse. Since Google Earth already makes use of a similar interface, it doesn't seem like it would be all that difficult for Google to develop a 3D viewer with considerably more capabilities than the small one now in use.

Gaieus

This is indeed an interesting and exciting topic especially nowadays when 3D presentations on the Internet do not count for being very rare or needing exceptionally strong machines and unusually wide internet access.

I am not sure however that this has to be done inside SU but Google - generally speaking - seems to be interested in this stuff. Have you seen the O3D Plugin for instance?
http://code.google.com/apis/o3d/

MichaelG

Thanks for that link; I hadn't seen that before. The simple scene viewer was pretty much what I had in mind, though there are obviously a lot of other possibilities.

Gaieus

Ah, sure there are - this is just an example of the many-many new applications capable of running 3D in a fine (or at least bearable) quality on an average computer and bandwidth (of "nowadays" of course).

I am very optimistic about all this myself.

cadmunkey

Well I vote for "1" and "4". Would love better texture mapping tools and also a fully fledged 64bit version just for the increased memory allowance. Surely this is the way for sketchup to go.

McGyver

@solo said:

UV tools, real texture mapping, or at least better texture mapping.

YES! Please!

Pixero

@solo said:

UV tools, real texture mapping, or at least better texture mapping.

Yes please.

@solo said:

That shadow bug, I know it's more a legal issue than a software issue, but let's get a definitive answer.

I'm wondering if any of you have seen this bug in ANY other app? I haven't. If it's a legal thing the bug must be out there elswhere, right?

@solo said:

Toolbar control, as we are all sick of fixing toolbars every other day.

It's getting on my nerves re arranging them up to several times a day now. Sigh.

And better animation control. Talk to me Google! I have some insights in this area.

And a 64 bit version of cause.

Are any of you moderators speaking with SU developers? Are they alive? Do they finally understand our issues or are they simply ignoring us?
(I remember seeing an interview some years ago where John Bacus really didnt seem to understand the performance issues we are having.) End of rant.

MisterT

Id like to be able to mouse over a vertex and be able to read it's x,y,z coordinates and have the potential to edit them. If this is already possible then id like to know how

My pet hate is the tool menu fiasko Some sort of rules for nameing and sorting would be nice. Perhaps the index icon of the tools set could also provide properties and be the "placeholder/roleup" for the tool set. I need to be able to use more of my screen! And not have to play 52 icon pickup every time vista starts SU with a small window.

I am particularly happy to recently discover FAK which answers a question I asked a while ago about making threads. I would propose that it replace tha standard follow me which never made sence to me (adding incrementing angle to horizontal with rotation )unless someone could explain!

Thats my 2p worth.

Thanks Guys

sketch3d.de

@pixero said:

...Do they finally understand our issues or are they simply ignoring us?
(I remember seeing an interview some years ago where John Bacus really didnt seem to understand the performance issues we are having.)

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/sketchup/thread?tid=2d0ef22945dcff3c

Norbert

Pixero

@sketch3d.de said:

@pixero said:

...Do they finally understand our issues or are they simply ignoring us?
(I remember seeing an interview some years ago where John Bacus really didnt seem to understand the performance issues we are having.)

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/sketchup/thread?tid=2d0ef22945dcff3c

Norbert

I'm not sure I get why you posted that link to the support? What has that to do with the quote above?

My "rant" was more in the terms of the SU develpment team beeing almost invisible to it's users which in my opinion is a BAD thing.
I'm active at several other forums where developers are much more active answering questions and more (without revealing any secrets) which makes the users feel that the developers listen and care about its users. I have no idea how many developers SU have, what their names are and what part of SU they specialize in.
Building a good developer - user relationship is probably the best and cheapest way of having loyal customers. Attracting new (or even getting old users back) is much harder. So Google SU team please show that you are here and that you care about your users.
I understand that you are forbidden to reveal any secrets about future developments and even if you are forbidden to even speak to your users a official statement that you at least read and care about what we express here at the sketchucation forums would be a nice gesture. I also know that Sketchucation isnt a official SU forum but since it's the biggest and most active it deserves some kind of feedback IMHO.

sketch3d.de

@pixero said:

I'm not sure I get why you posted that link to the support? What has that to do with the quote above?

did you have read the linked thread?

@pixero said:

My "rant" was more in the terms of the SU develpment team beeing almost invisible to it's users which in my opinion is a BAD thing.

did you have visited the linked Feature Suggestions board?

if yes, you surely would have found this... appears, at last to me, that Google is listening to their SU customers.

@pixero said:

I'm active at several other forums where developers are much more active answering questions and more...

probably their own forums...

ranting is a good thing, but sometimes I get the impression that demanding a certain behaviour or functionality, especially for the GSU free version, is not really appropriate...

...but that's maybe me only.

Norbert

Pixero

@sketch3d.de said:

did you have read the linked thread?

Is it just me who gets redirected to this place http://www.google.com/support/forum/ when clicking on that link?

@sketch3d.de said:

did you have visited the linked Feature Suggestions board?

Yes, and I have suggested and voted for several things in the past.

@sketch3d.de said:

probably their own forums...

Yes but since the Google SU forum isnt a real "forum" like Sketchucation is (IMHO) it would be nice to see their presence where their users are, wouldnt it?

@sketch3d.de said:

ranting is a good thing, but sometimes I get the impression that demanding a certain behaviour or functionality, especially for the GSU free version, is not really appropriate...

I've never said anything about demands for the free version. I'm a SU Pro owner/user.

sketch3d.de

@pixero said:

Is it just me who gets redirected to...

Safari?

@pixero said:

Yes but since the Google SU forum isnt a real "forum" like Sketchucation is (IMHO) it would be nice to see their presence where their users are, wouldnt it?

'real' forum or not, running their own 'stuff' but using the SU forum instead of their own resources would probably devaluate them...

@pixero said:

I've never said anything about demands for the free version...

I've never said that you are a SU free user.

Norbert

pbacot

I think the issue users feel regarding "demands" for improvements is not so much the cost of the software. Users have invested much more in time, learning (and in the case of SU, developing rubies and other materials)and integrating the program into their work. They just hate to see a good thing languish and want to engage the powers that be.

I feel the same about other major software I use, much more expensive. It is not the big upgrade cost I think about. It is whether I can justify continuing the use of a software when it can't keep up with me or my needs. It is whether I can tell others they should try it, and be confident about the future. Sometimes you are disappointed.

I am not saying Google is not responsive. I have no opinion about that.

I did not find the same page you did Pixero. The page I saw seemed to be a Google response to various concerns.

Pixero

About the link, I tried it with both Internet explorer and Firefox. Same result, hmmm....

Gaieus

Try this link, Jan:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/sketchup/thread?tid=2d0ef22945dcff3c&hl=en

The "&hl=en" sniplet at the end makes you go there. Without that I can only see the adsense and webmaster tools forums (as if one who has a non-English OS and keeps being redirected all the time could not read forum topics in English)