A new home for SketchUp

solo

Rumor has it the next version will replace ex Google staff with a German shepard...just sayin...

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TIG

Ve hav vaze of makin you happy...

I'm sure the neue version will arrive very subtly ...

findthong

There're only 2 development suggestions I have:

1.) This is the tech from 50 years ago, Which Alan Kay presenting, that SketchUp should realized it to the mass in some way:
http://youtu.be/mOZqRJzE8xg

2.) There're many time that I need to draw wall line, extrude it to wall and floor. Add gable/hip/typical form roofing and structures by it surfaces. I want to draw just a close loop line and have everything done instantly.

After that there will be a lot iteration/moving things as design progress. So I want things auto-update just by modified these simple exterior wall line/interior wall line. Wall-windows-Roof should have some way to know relationship. Just surface/components relation, not BIM, easier flexible and freedom like mechanical assembly. Simpler, fast, a lot smarter. Quite Spaceclaim smartness. There're so many cases BIM is not the smart way to do it becuase it slow down things.

Quite like this combine with dynamic components, but very straight-forward, automated, fast and robust:
http://youtu.be/1SqVGIwNpxY

I'm not so sure what Trimble would think about BuildEdge. So I think I should write it here

dtrarch

What to say ?

IMO only.

Google is a free swinging entrepreneurial cash cow and could afford to play around with SketchUp which may have served uses apparent and unseen that just no longer are of need.
Not artists but full of imagination and energy.
Enter Trimble.
They are engineers and as an Architect I find them to be good fellows but for the most part just "technical bean counters".
Unless it computes it is not an answer.
IMO this is money deal and not an acquisition of passion and it would not be surprise at all to see a new price tag on every element of SU today.
Play to pay and download to get the latest and greatest.
Good chance that SU will in time just show as the engine for some engineering related application.
Just look hard at their website and know the face of the new girl in town.
For the nonce SU will probably stay as is so a good idea to buy the Pro version just to CYA.
As in the "Terminator" "la tormenta".
She responded "I know."

Cheers

dtr

Mike Lucey

A couple of articles flying around,

SketchUp buy adds to Trimble's dimension

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/27/oukin-uk-trimble-idUKBRE83Q1AL20120427

Google's SketchUp Acquired by Trimble

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/99-professional/4128-googles-sketchup-acquired-by-trimble.html

Trimble Snatches SketchUp from Google

http://www.pehub.com/147629/trimble-snatches-sketchup-from-google/

SketchUp Acquisition: The Big Picture

http://www.constructech.com/news/articles/article.aspx?article_id=9248&SECTION=1

rodrigonotor

There are a couple of things that make me take this news with a little bit of optimism (maybe I'm a little candid)

First, they have clear how and how many users have Sketchup

@unknownuser said:

Who uses SketchUp?
SketchUp is currently used by millions of users annually—ranging from architects to engineering and construction firms to building and design professionals—for designing, modeling and visualizing projects. The SketchUp product and its vision of “3D modeling for everyone” has allowed modelers worldwide, across a wide range of industries, to express design concepts easily, accurately and efficiently. Additionally, SketchUp users benefit from its extensive third-party developer community that provides industry-specific solutions for a variety of customers.

Second thing, I consider very important, the importance they give to SketchUp third-party developer

@unknownuser said:

What if I am a SketchUp third-party developer?
Trimble acknowledges the value of SketchUp developers and will continue to support SketchUp’s developer program.

and the last, I hope still that way “3D modeling for everyone”

@unknownuser said:

What if I am a SketchUp user and I am not in one of Trimble’s current vertical markets or concentrated industries?
From its inception, SketchUp has provided a wide range of industries with an innovative and easy way to model all things from A-Z. The SketchUp product and its vision of “3D modeling for everyone” has allowed modelers worldwide to express design concepts easily, accurately and efficiently. Trimble intends to continue to support the existing SketchUp customers and community and to continue to offer both the free and professional versions to a multitude of markets.

Taken from the FAQ of Trimble http://ww2.trimble.com/3d/Trimble_Customers_FAQ_SketchUp_pre-close_FINAL_20120426.pdf

sorgesu

So Trimble Stock closed up 2.5% today. I knew it, I knew it.

thomthom

Thanks for the chime-in Brad.

Daniel

It's 8:30 and I just finished a 12 hour day (but at least I ended it designing with SU!), and I find 22 pages on this out-of the-blue news; oy vey. BTW, is this a record for the most pages generated in such a short time? At last, I have something I can post in the gallery, but everyone is distracted so I'll wait . Anyhow, this reminds me of the time when Google bought SU, and there were predictions of it's eminent demise. So, I will take them at their word and believe/hope SU continues as the great program it is, and maybe will be improved in time. I find it optimistic that the SU team of developers is migrating to Trimble with the program, so it should be in good hands. At least it wasn't bought by Autodesk! Ciao!

SurfingAlien

oh my... I so love SketchUp the way it is now (I mean all round: cheap/free, tons of plugins you don't even need to install/uninstall, lots of 3rd party renderers, clean and "generalist" approach... etc) I am also worried as many of you

I am not afraid of the change itself but please don't make it another revit/archicad (for both price and complexity)

I just hope 8.x will still work with all my plugins for a long time in the worse scenario...

...and you should see what my 12yo students can do with it after a few lessons!

publied

@solo said:

Time to learn Blender.

Oh shit! and now?

raineysky

Just heard the news and read all of the previous posts. Thanks John and the other members of the Sketchup team for coming on this forum and easing some of the concerns many of us had/have. I have literally dropped everything (spare time wise) since discovering Sketchup one year ago and have been learning how to use it efficiently. My heart was in my throat when I first read the news.

Sketchup is the best thing since sliced bread.

It is the missing link I have yearned for. Visualization is made easy with Sketchup and that is something that's been needed since the Cave Man days. Please, Please Trimble, don't make us go back to the cave man days. Remove that ball & chain (Google Earth?) from John and the team and let them go full steam ahead. Best Wishes Guys!!!

bmike

So, just in case, how do we download, save and archive an install package (Mac) of Pro8 (SU and LO - I need them both) - and ensure they will run if reinstalled at a later date, assuming licensing goes awry?

Blender? What is this blender?
Easy to use?
Mac like?
Anything like LayOut out there... Ugh.

Sigh.

Here's to change. I guess.
Really hoping this turns out well. Time will tell, I guess.
I only open up AutoCAD every once in a great while, and would prefer to keep it that way.
Currently teaching a class on using SketchUp to do timber work, using various plugins, but also because its so damned accessible. Hope that doesn't change. Hope that we don't go from an approachable (if dated) interface and selection of tools, to something one would find on a Windows 95 machine. That Trimble website is obtuse to put it politely.

alexschreyer

Here's my five cents worth...

http://www.alexschreyer.net/cad/google-sketchup-sold-to-trimble/

I am quite excited by this. Maybe the second default exchange format will now be IFC in addition to DAE. Lots of possibilities. Also curious how point clouds will get implemented...

Cheers,
Alex

panixia

I wonder in what way this will affect the developement ov VFSU 1.5

Alan Fraser

There's some out-of-touch clown in the comments section of this article who's "kicked the tires" and deemed SU to be nothing more than a toy. Go sick 'em boys.
It was heartening to see how many people put him straight on the subject.

bmike

@alan fraser said:

There's some out-of-touch clown in the comments section of this article who's "kicked the tires" and deemed SU to be nothing more than a toy. Go sick 'em boys.
It was heartening to see how many people put him straight on the subject.

yeah, horrible posting over there.
good to see folks sorting it out.

its funny to see folks get so worked up about tools...
whatever did folks do when we only had pencils?

charly2008

Hi,

I note that this message still generated quite a stir. Maybe we should wait till it’s finally clear what Trimble intends with Sketchup. I can only hope that Trimble-Sketchup is retained as a separate program, possibly with some improvements. What I can think of so far is:

Of course, "Trimble" will integrate the program into its range of products. This assumes that Sketchup may receive a similar appearance. The menu structure may also be adapted to other programs in the product range. It will certainly also include interfaces to exchange BIM data with their programs.

I would hope that there are at the end two Pro versions, one version with BIM functionalities or BIM interfaces, and one Version without and of course a free version.

The most important thing is that the program continues to remain intuitive. That is the great advantage over all other 3D programs.

Mike Lucey

Some interesting comment there Alan.

Yeah, the retired 'tyre kicking' architect is getting a bit of a taking down because he is describing SketchUp as a toy. It seems that many users take great insult when their 3D design tool of choice is referred to as a toy. It was SketchUp toyish simplicity that attracted to be to it in the first place as I could find no other application with this built in fun appeal.

I had to laugh at the 'person' comments. I suppose his user name tells a lot! Anyway his comment was,

*%(#0000BF)[Oh BOY. I can't WAIT for Trimble SketchUp! Rude customer service, crappy activation codes and customer service portals..and of course we'll have SketchUp Standard for $500 and SketchUp Professional for $1200...and we can't forget about those extended maintenance certificates...paying for incremental updates is just awesome....it makes a SketchUp fan just GIDDY!

Looking forward to the renaming....Trimble WretchUp...]*

WretchUp! What a plonker

It seems that many feel the SketchUp name, then Google SketchUp will automatically change to TrimbleSketchUp! There is no evidence or apparent Trimble policy for this type of product naming that I can see so I imagine SketchUp will be reverting back to SketchUp with possibly a 'by Trimble' tagged on. I doubt they have the need to push the Trimble brand name the way GOOGLE does.

jeff hammond

@bmike said:

whatever did folks do when we only had pencils?

pencil fights..
of course.

[speaking of which, i haven't had a good pencil fight in a few years… anyone want to do battle? ]