SketchUp 2019 release

WEB

I was wondering: with all the dissatisfaction expressed here and elsewhere over SketchUp’s recent past performance and their apparent direction for the future, how many of you are seriously considering transitioning to different software?

As for me, after I took a quick look at several options, I decided to explore FormZ. The free version will do nicely while I am getting the feel of the program. Later? We’ll see. It doesn't necessarily mean that I am dropping SU.

After I made my own decision, an often-reliable source told me that architecture students in the U.S. have mostly abandoned SketchUp in favor of FormZ. If true, that does not bode well for SU’s future.

alpro

@web said:

I was wondering: with all the dissatisfaction expressed here and elsewhere over SketchUp’s recent past performance and their apparent direction for the future, how many of you are seriously considering transitioning to different software?

Yes I am, I've been mostly happy with SU except for the crap Digital Globe imagery and terrain, really pissed me off and this latest release was the final straw. I just can't get my head around Blender so it's going to be Cinema 4D or Rhino. Cinema 4D is more than I wanted to spend but have some familiarity with it as I've done some lite modeling in it with the version that comes with After Effects. Rhino is only a few dollars more than a SU license and maintenance. Watched a few youtube videos on modeling and drafting architectural. Both work with Enscape and Thea Render. Even though my maintenance is current I haven't even downloaded SU 2019.

greghile

Back in the day, I would jump into everything technical. My first computer was a Xerox dual floppy disk drive. Can't tell you how many hours were spent trying to squeeze a little more usable RAM in that gap between 640kb and 1mb. Had no problem jumping from MultiMate to WordPerfect to Microsoft Word. Nowadays, I'm just too old for this shit. I've played with Blender over the years and now a bit of Fusion 360, but my main go-to remains and, unless something REALLY drastic happens, will remain SU.

pbacot

@greghile said:

Back in the day, I would jump into everything technical. My first computer was a Xerox dual floppy disk drive. Can't tell you how many hours were spent trying to squeeze a little more usable RAM in that gap between 640kb and 1mb. Had no problem jumping from MultiMate to WordPerfect to Microsoft Word. Nowadays, I'm just too old for this shit. I've played with Blender over the years and now a bit of Fusion 360, but my main go-to remains and, unless something REALLY drastic happens, will remain SU.

My problem, something really drastic happens when I use SketchUp

Derek Edison

@web said:

I was wondering: with all the dissatisfaction expressed here and elsewhere over SketchUp’s recent past performance and their apparent direction for the future, how many of you are seriously considering transitioning to different software?

We'll ride out the perpetual licensing as long as we can but I'll start looking at alternatives soon so I have a plan before it goes subscription only. We'll make the call then.

function

when do you think they will end classic / perpetual licensing?

kaas

@function said:

when do you think they will end classic / perpetual licensing?

I wouldn't be surprised if v2019 would be the very last perpetual version.

On the official forum its almost business as usual.
The SU team doesn't address/respond to users concerns on this issue for a few days already
On the official website the old pro (classic) is still in fine print burried down the page.
When viewing on a mobile device, you won't see the classic version at all.

So 2 weeks after launch - nothing is changed and no signs something will. I'm not very hopeful..

chippwalters

I switched to Blender.

Mostly for the reasons outlined at:
https://forums.sketchup.com/t/sketchup-in-2019-where-great-ideas-get-to-work/87199/602?u=chippwalters

A couple of points folks might find interesting.

I typically stay away from OS software... especially Blender. What a PIA it has been to ever try and work with. I love developers, but they should never be in charge of GUI. Period. Ugh what a mess Blender has had to overcome.

On a related note, the same can be said for SU. The myriad of modalities, buttons, color palettes, and font faces on plugins has created a true hodge podge for GUI. The absence of any standards whatsoever is just sad. Blender has plugin APIs so things tend to look similar. SUs API UX/UI seems to only consider a single button and menu item.

The Blender group finally hired some world class interface designers, and man have they made a difference. Blender 2.8, besides being so great technically, is now very very usable. This, IMO, is huge. The 2.8 product is updated every single day. I and many others (largest installed base in the world) use the 2.8 beta with little to no problems.

And one thing they did get right. When I download a new .zip of Blender (Mac/PC/Linux) and then unzip it wherever-- it just works. It uses all the plugins I have installed and all the prefs and the current startup scene. One of the biggest hiccups with SU is trying to get all your plugins loaded each year with a new release. Argh. Not so much with Blender (and besides, you don't need 100 plugins for Blender either-- stuff like bevels, SubD, rendering, etc come with the program).

I was very lucky to have hired masterxeon1001 to my Augmented Reality team. The backstory:

@unknownuser said:

A couple of years ago, I ran across a very interesting tool, called Hard Ops by masterxeon1001. Up until that time, most all Boolean modeling was done in solid modelers, like Fusion 360, Onshape and MoI3D. His designs and workflows were impressive, and not something I'd ever seen in polygon modelers. So, I got on the phone and called one of my buddies, Rob Baldwin, who works in Hollywood doing FX there. I asked him, "Have you seen this Hard Ops product?"

Rob said, "Yep, it's a pretty fantastic workflow tool. And the guy who started it is right there in your backyard." He gave me masterxeon1001's contact info and we met. A friendship started and we ended up working together on some really interesting projects. Along the way, he convinced me to give Blender a try, and I haven't looked back!

I used to think Open Source was just a dollar short of going away. Not anymore. Adobe just left me high and dry with a bunch of MUSE and Bus Catalyst websites, so if they can do it, anyone can. Today I give to the Blender Foundation Development Fund each month.

This does not mean I advocate everybody switch. It's just what's right for me.

xtov

Hum....it is your choice, and you may have right at the end.
BUT...SU lovers, check this Blender QUICK References Card...
You may regret SU simplicity...event with some plugins loaded...

pbacot

Khai

@xtov said:

Hum....it is your choice, and you may have right at the end.
BUT...SU lovers, check this Blender QUICK References Card...
You may regret SU simplicity...event with some plugins loaded...

[attachment=0:eda2xh3i]blender-infographic-1280-SM.jpg[/attachment:eda2xh3i]

check the version.. thats for upto 2.79.

2.8 it's all changed. that chart is ... outdated.

pbacot

Yes, Blender's interface seems Rube Goldbergish. Chip's introduction makes it more understandable--though his current series is not about modeling, but rendering. I see right away that there are a ton of tweakings and settings I don't have to even think about in SU / Twilight. But on the other hand, everything works, and works fast, if not instantaneously, with real feedback. So if you want some added control and can train yourself the steps, MAYBE you have something.

andybot

Now do one for Sketchup with the same commands... Will it include the steps to load and install the plugins needed? Yes, it's nuts to see it all on one page like that, but in practice, it's honestly just muscle memory. Plus with 2.8, much of that is simplified.

@xtov said:

Hum....it is your choice, and you may have right at the end.
BUT...SU lovers, check this Blender QUICK References Card...
You may regret SU simplicity...event with some plugins loaded...

[attachment=0:2852r9xe]blender-infographic-1280-SM.jpg[/attachment:2852r9xe]

Glenn at home

@khai said:

check the version.. thats for upto 2.79.

2.8 it's all changed. that chart is ... outdated.

Oh man just printed it out at 11x17 and pinned on wall......(rips poster down)

Khai

ok I've been thinking after reading the thread over at the official forums and I've come to the conclusion.. the team want a certain portion of us to get lost.

to clarify - those of use that push the program, that model far far more than just a simple room or building that ignore layout totally.

we're not their market or target. we're an inconvenience. they just want the architects that use SU for a presentation then move to Autocad etc for the main work.

its the only reason I can see for the lack of upgrades, the attitude of "if you think you can do it better elsewhere go" (I'd fire an employee that told someone that. the whole point is to sell MY product, not someone else's) the lack of a plan (the excuse of we can't show you... is fake. other companies can do publish... I think they don't have a plan personally)

now the attack on Chip.. (and yes that was an attack) ... well.

thoughts?

david.

I think the attack on Chip over at the SU Community was irresponsible. It shows that SU management feels threatened. They should. 2019 was bait and switch.

I appreciate the objective insights that Chip has given.

sketch3d.de

www.reddit.com/r/cgiMemes/comments/aglozl/3d_artists_unite/

rv1974

They call it a pointrelease. Just feel the diffrence (the previous one was only 4 month ago)
https://forums.unrealengine.com/unreal-engine/announcements-and-releases/1583659-unreal-engine-4-22-preview

Pixero

@david. said:

I think the attack on Chip over at the SU Community was irresponsible. It shows that SU management feels threatened.

Do you have a direct link to it? I didn't find it when I searched through the thread.

kaas

@rv1974 said:

They call it a pointrelease. Just feel the difference (the previous one was only 4 month ago)

I use Unreal quite a lot. I note a big difference in my experience with UnrealEngine & Epic compared to SketchUp & Trimble;

Open communication at Epic. There's even a roadmap on Trello you can read.
A good bug reporting mechanism at Epic. You get a notification if a bug is reproduced and logged. You can even track if/when it will be fixed (target release).
Regular bug fixes at Epic. They have teams that develop the engine AND teams that make commercial products using the engine (games like RoboRecall, Fortnite etc). So they eat their own dogfood and nasty / annoying bugs get fixed quite fast. Compare that to SU.. its day & night
Exciting new features are added all the time at Epic. I think they can't afford not to in the games industry. SU is another thing. Still...at the time Trimble was proudly announcing !! we have dashed lines !! Unreal for instance relatively quietly released their first implementation of Real Time Raytracing - its a first step that could be big for archviz. So yeah .. dahsed lines were quite underwhelming to me...

It isn't always perfect at Epic though - features sometimes brake, the documentation is always outdated, and when using the latest build, you quite often have to look on the forums to solve problems. Still - I far more prefer the energy, ambition and communication over at Epic.

Using a software day after day with long time annoyances and stupid delays for basic operations wouldn't happen over at Epic. The devs would get slapped in the face by the teams that have to develop the games. Meanwhile over at Trimble...