SketchUp 2019 release
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@chippwalters said:
The biggest challenge for SU to Blender is you really have to think in a different modeling paradigm. At first, at least for me, it was difficult. But I started to 'get it' and now it's second nature and I'm now even faster than I was in SU-- which I think is saying something for me as I built the whole Alamo reconstruction in a few short months with historical accuracy for Experience Real History: The Alamo. I also created a full Hyperloop user concept for Elon Musk entirely in SU. There was an article about it at Fast Company.
I made the jump to Blender back in 2012 when I was running into a wall trying to get smooth walk-through animations rendered in Sketchup (not to mention poly-count limitations.) I think the one significant update to SU since then was going to 64-bit, everything else has been basically maintenance (for my needs. I don't use Layout. I'm a 20+ year veteran of ACAD, where I've always had control over lineweights and linetypes)
I am so glad I held off renewing my maintenance this year, as it looks like I will be staying with 2018 and older versions for the foreseeable future. I love using Sketchup and am immensely grateful for the plugin developers, but am done with giving Trimble my money.
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According to the features chart of the various 2019 Sketchup versions the only versions that allow extensibility with ruby are Sketchup Pro ($299/year), Studio ($1,999/year), and I can assume Classic ($695).
Am I reading this correctly? Sketchup Shop and their goofy browser based Sketchup Free are not checked off.
This will have an impact on creators of either free or pay plugins which you can read here:
Version 2019 "Failed to obtain License"
Already I have 2 long time users who installed SU 2019 and “Failed to obtain license” when they try to download my extensions. This seems similar to what new customers were experiencing in droves 2 months ago. As alway…
SketchUp Community (forums.sketchup.com)
I find the hoopla about dashed lines curious. I'm still using Autocad 2000 for my work and it has dozens of linetypes that have been available for over 20 years now.
It seems as though Trimble has for whatever reason decided to kill off the original Sketchup culture including both the free versions and the pay versions and have gone the way of subscriptions and a free version that requires an internet connection.
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Curerntly only the desktop version of SketchUp is capable of utilizing extensions however the team have indicated that they are working on ways to change that for the web-based versions. There are claims by people who don't have facts that this would create a huge cut in sales for commercial extensions because the users of the free version won't be able to buy them. What they fail to take into account are the statistics. The vast majority of Make users don't actually use any extensions and of those who do, most will only use free ones. At least one extension author is keeping track of who is using his extensions and sees this same sort of trend. It's the pro users who are the real customers of the "for pay" extensions.
Anecdotally, I had an e-mail from a guy the other day asking if I knew of an extension to do something. When I told him there is one available he whined because it was $5 and he wouldn't pay for it since he was already using SketchUp Make. If his time had any value at all, he wasted more that $5 of his time telling me he wouldn't pay for an extension and expects one for free.
As for dashed lines, people have been demanding dashed lines for years. Every year it shows up in the feature requests. They fulfill a feature request and everyone complains about it. Can't win for losing!
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Just a thought bubble, might it be a good idea for the Sketchucation executives to consider creating a new forum in sketchucation specialising in transitioning from Sketchup to Blender? This may reinvigorate Sketchucation which has taken a beating since Trimble took over Sketchup. And would be a great help for people transitioning or simply for Skethup users to use the qualities of both programs. It would certainly work for me. Anyway like I said just a though bubble.
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@l i am said:
Just a thought bubble, might it be a good idea for the Sketchucation executives to consider creating a new forum in sketchucation specialising in transitioning from Sketchup to Blender? This may reinvigorate Sketchucation which has taken a beating since Trimble took over Sketchup. And would be a great help for people transitioning or simply for Skethup users to use the qualities of both programs. It would certainly work for me. Anyway like I said just a though bubble.
Rich O'Brien is fluent in Blender, he'd be a good tutor as he comes from SU and understands the issues most SU users have in Blender, I vote he starts the revolution, even I will join.
Hats off and a huge thanks to the plugin authors, they have been keeping SU alive the last few years You know they are listening as a few new importers and poly reducers are on the horizon, too bad we need such tools due to SU's poly limitations.
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So Trimble is expecting plugin developers that have provided free plugins for free such as Fredo to continue to develop and make available for a product that carries a minimum price of $299/year for a subscription and is leaning towards $695 for the classic version.
Of course this will have an impact on the very nature of what created Sketchup and put it on the map. It wasn't as much Google or the original creators but it was in fact those plugin creators that made Sketchup a more usable software. Given the age of Sketchup it is nearing that time where it could quite possibly be eligible for becoming an open source program.
When I created the Barcelona chair which was featured in CatchUp it was created with a free version of Sketchup (Sketchup
and I used Artisan which was a pay add on. What happens to those future young users that may want to have a hand at such creations once they completely eliminate Sketchup 17 and given Trimble's nature the possibility of seeing DMCA challenges for their software all over the internet?People may disagree but it is quite obvious that Trimble has changed the entire makeup of the Sketchup community that took nearly 20 years to form and most of it was through people that did not charge for plugins or their work. Including the times I've uploaded free components until I saw things began to change under Trimble ownership.
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@solo said:
Rich O'Brien is fluent in Blender, he'd be a good tutor as he comes from SU and understands the issues most SU users have in Blender, I vote he starts the revolution, even I will join.
Hats off and a huge thanks to the plugin authors, they have been keeping SU alive the last few years You know they are listening as a few new importers and poly reducers are on the horizon, too bad we need such tools due to SU's poly limitations.
I'm glad to help out how I can. I love the SU community and have many longtime associated and friends here, Pete among them.
I just posted an open letter to Trimble over on their forum which may be of interest to some of you. I hope they consider becoming more transparent with their road map.
An open letter to Trimble
Dear Trimble, So, 14 months ago, I previewed much of this current scenario. My first ask was about how to implement plugins in the cloud to which I was told SU was actively pursuing a strategy. Didn’t happen (yet). At…
SketchUp Community (forums.sketchup.com)
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WOW that was a great post.
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Agreed. I would add a caveat to Trimble. "If you are not willing to treat the user/customer base with integrity, pass the product on to someone who can and will".
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@mike amos said:
Agreed. I would add a caveat to Trimble. "If you are not willing to treat the user/customer base with integrity, pass the product on to someone who can and will".
not sure how this could be ensured or by what / who's standards? yes, it could be a condition of sale, but not sure how enforceable it would be? not much point in debating this, if SU is making the umbrella corp a good profit then selling it wouldn't be much of a priority.
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All those in support of chippwalters solid letter to Trimble,
say 'Aye'...
https://forums.sketchup.com/t/an-open-letter-to-trimble/87510?u=chippwalters -
I agree with Chip completely... great letter Chip
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I am also very disappointed with this new version and I am even more peeved to see that the system goes nicely but surely slip to the monthly licenses to do like boyfriends, such revive, adobe etc. .. It is quite a shame because in addition to an ergonomics hitherto much appreciated, sketchup could position itself as an alternative to the behemoths of the CAD and their relentless financial logic (to see the conflict between the UNSFA and Autodesk on the increase of the prices of license of revit on captive customers!)
In short, we hope to be heard in doubt but I hope so!
Why is it that when something is good, it must be destroyed? the question remains whole!
and I do not think I'm the only one ...
https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=70183 -
What are they saying there, limited forum section?
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Someone here wondered why all the kvetching about dashed lines when that feature has long been on users’ wish lists. The problem is not with dashed lines. The problem is that by implementing only dashed lines, Trimble have shown that they are harvesting SketchUp, that they intend to milk it for all it’s worth while investing as little as possible.
Those of us who are doing the kvetching had high hopes for the future of SketchUp. (Surely the late release must mean big improvements, right?) but when this lackluster release is coupled with the new pricing scheme and with Trimble’s ongoing lack of enthusiastic communications with users about SketchUp’s future, the future of the software looks bleak indeed.
I hope my pessimism is not justified.
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The problem is not with dashed lines. The problem is that by implementing only dashed lines
this, a thousand times this.
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@solo said:
@l i am said:
Just a thought bubble, might it be a good idea for the Sketchucation executives to consider creating a new forum in sketchucation specialising in transitioning from Sketchup to Blender? This may reinvigorate Sketchucation which has taken a beating since Trimble took over Sketchup. And would be a great help for people transitioning or simply for Skethup users to use the qualities of both programs. It would certainly work for me. Anyway like I said just a though bubble.
Rich O'Brien is fluent in Blender, he'd be a good tutor as he comes from SU and understands the issues most SU users have in Blender, I vote he starts the revolution, even I will join.
Hats off and a huge thanks to the plugin authors, they have been keeping SU alive the last few years You know they are listening as a few new importers and poly reducers are on the horizon, too bad we need such tools due to SU's poly limitations.
I'm on board with Solo's remarks, specifically the plugin authors. I hate that I have to say it, but I've been digging into Blender and others more than ever before because of SU's lack of progress and attention.
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@chaours1 said:
and I do not think I'm the only one ...
https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=70183how is it that this link needs special privileges?
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@juju said:
@chaours1 said:
and I do not think I'm the only one ...
https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=70183how is it that this link needs special privileges?
It's in the french forum. If you're not registered for the french language you're not seeing it as long as you're logged in. Just log out and you can read it (a bit stupid but this is how it works...
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Subscription licensing usually means two things: there is not enough money coming in from new purchases which is usually caused by (2) there are no new features worth the development cost relative to new revenue, typically because the software does almost everything that people need. Take a look around... how many of us are still using old versions of MS Office and are perfectly happy with what we have?
This is the post-life stage of software, the time when vermin companies like Computer Associates (not Broadcom) sink their fungus tendrils into the corpse and suck out whatever nutrition (money) can be had by going to subscriptions and counting on companies not wanted to deal with the cost and loss of productivity that comes from moving over to new software..
Stick a form in it folks, SU (at least on the desktop) is done. Whether there is a
"new" cloud based product or not is up to Trimble -- and they're not telling, which usually means really bad news for the current product offering.
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