Developer needed to maintain Visualizer for Sketchup !!
-
Hy,
I am sure most of you are acquainted with Visualizer for Sketchup [http://getvisualizer.com/ ] and I am sure that all those who used it are very sad that it doesn't have native implementation for SU2016 and above...
Well, this is about to change, if here in this great community will be someone with the skills, knowledge and will to make it happen. Unfortunately, that one won't be me, because my programming skills and knowledge are thin like a human hair...
So what is it all about? Well, I was writing to this guys to ask them to make it work for SU 2016 and 2017 ... and they replied! Below is the email I got from them... hopefully someone will be willing to take over. It would be great for all of us!
@unknownuser said:
Hi,
Your question to the getvisualizer.com website has come to my attention.
We had to discontinue the Visualizer for SketchUp product because we could not spend the engineering manpower for continued development at the $20 price tag. Unfortunately we can’t put the project out as open source either because it contains intellectual property that we are not allowed to release publicly.
But, we could partner with somebody who is interested in maintaining and publishing Visualizer. If you know somebody who might be interested in taking on that project, please let me know.
Thank you.
Please let me know if interested and i will give you the email of the guy who responded to me, so you can get in touch and see what can be done!
-
It's working yet for 2016 but not for 2017!
-
@pilou said:
It's working yet for 2016 but not for 2017!
Is working,but not native (it won't install properly, you have to manually copy a installation from 2015).
So, the point is: if there is anyone who would like to do it, I initiated the contact and I found the will of the developer to forward the project. They won't release it open due to proprietary code, but they seem willing to have a collaboration that protects their rights while continue to offer Visualiser to the users.
-
Seems that after all, Visualizer (even offered for free), will die due lack of interest...
More than 150 views and nobody yet interested in it... is kind of sad to see it go away. -
I suppose the question is: how do you get paid from something that has already been made free?
-
@juju said:
I suppose the question is: how do you get paid from something that has already been made free?
Paid for what? For making the program compatible with SU2017? Look around how many plugins are made for sketchup, all offered for free... and those plugins had to be made from scratch (come with the idea, figure out how to implement the idea, code the plugin, then maintain it over SU versions).
In this case, the original developers pulled a brake on their project, but they accept if anyone wants to maintain it, to offer that chance.So, again I am asking: paid for what, actually?
-
@derei said:
@juju said:
I suppose the question is: how do you get paid from something that has already been made free?
Paid for what? For making the program compatible with SU2017? Look around how many plugins are made for sketchup, all offered for free... and those plugins had to be made from scratch (come with the idea, figure out how to implement the idea, code the plugin, then maintain it over SU versions).
In this case, the original developers pulled a brake on their project, but they accept if anyone wants to maintain it, to offer that chance.So, again I am asking: paid for what, actually?
Just because so many extensions / plugins are offered for free, by their very generous authors, doesn't mean somebody shouldn't be paid for their efforts.
Ask yourself why the authors have not updated / fixed Visualizer if it was such a simple / quick job? Afterall, who would know the code best, them or someone else who first has to spend time to analyze what they have done and how to manipulate it.
Derei, I see your profile reads that you use SU2015 Make, surely it still works on it? I also noticed that you use SU for product design, surely this is a commercial application thus requiring the Pro version? Live and let live my friend...
-
The only reason why I made this topic was because I've seen how much people (here on sketchucation) tried to make this work and eventually when SU2017 came they had to let it go.
So, I thought to write to the original developers to see if they will make it compatible forward. And yes, seeing that people wanted it to work and now that they have the chance they aren't interested, makes me a bit disappointed. But I also believe that exactly by what I did I live and let others live too... don't you think? -
It's a great app. Ultimately I have to use a different renderer so I don't use all that much. Also there are a few bugs (for me anyway). Just as they don't want to put money into it for what they get, it's hard to put a lot of time into fussing with it for the output. Good for on the fly visualizing if that is what you need. But why do you really need that?
-
@pbacot said:
Good for on the fly visualizing if that is what you need. But why do you really need that?
Indeed, for architects, interior designers and some others, this software would be of little use... but for students, product designers or other fields where they are more focused on concept, this could be a great tool. It adds basic material properties, good enough to show a concept and much better than a native SU export.
-
SketchUp should bundle it in Stylebuilder for SketchUp Pro users.
Import textured models and crack out some money shots.
-
Trimble may already be working on some kind of render for Sketchup.
-
derei: did you ask them if they'd be interesting in open sourcing it?
For SU2017 the only change required should be to recompile the binary for Ruby 2.2. -
This is a good idea. If we would write all to the developer, this could be a solution.
-
@alpro where you can find any about render for Sketchup?
I can only find information about technology to optimize 3d data.
About Visualizer:
Oh yes i missing Visualizer in 2017 , too. This was so simple and easy to work with.
i would wish, sketchup would have an own render engine and a sketchup explorer, like the 3d warehouse page. -
@thomthom said:
derei: did you ask them if they'd be interesting in open sourcing it?
For SU2017 the only change required should be to recompile the binary for Ruby 2.2.They said they have proprietary code, so for that reason they wouldn't open source it. But from what I could understand, as long as their rights are preserved, they have no problem in letting someone to maintain the program (i guess an NDA or something will have to be signed)... so the one that would volunteer to make Visualizer work again should only release the compiled version, not the source.
-
@derei said:
@thomthom said:
derei: did you ask them if they'd be interesting in open sourcing it?
For SU2017 the only change required should be to recompile the binary for Ruby 2.2.They said they have proprietary code, so for that reason they wouldn't open source it. But from what I could understand, as long as their rights are preserved, they have no problem in letting someone to maintain the program (i guess an NDA or something will have to be signed)... so the one that would volunteer to make Visualizer work again should only release the compiled version, not the source.
Can you pass on the contact details?
-
@rich o brien said:
Can you pass on the contact details?
I will send the email address as private message to you.
Cheers!
-
Since I'm part of the SketchUp team I'm not sure if that complicates things legal-wise. Otherwise I'd offer to see how much it'd be to recompile.
-
I wonder if the proprietary part is confined to compiled code. Maybe that could be built as a static library and the Ruby code and Ruby C Extension layer could be open sourced?
Advertisement