What do you want to use it for outside of SU? If gaming, consider a PC. PCs are much easier to upgrade and add or remove components from with competitive pricing. If you want a good work computer, then get a Mac. They have good stability and usability, but you're generally going to be locked in to the hardware and Mac software (even though you can run Windows on a Mac, but for that matter you can create a mac clone and run OSX on a PC too).

Whatever works for you. I'm not a fanboy of either of them, they both have their place. My house has i-devices and PCs both. I just prefer the PC for the aforementioned reasons; I can multi-boot linux flavors and windows versions and replace any component as necessary for an upgrade within the limitations of the motherboard. You can make it as powerful or as efficient as you like. With a self-built PC, the upgrade costs decrease after the first build. The LCD monitor, CD/DVD, HDD drives and case can almost always be cannibalized for the next system. Often the sound card (if not built-in) and power supply can be as well (if a high quality one was purchased initially). That leaves only the CPU, motherboard, GPU and memory for each upgrade. A considerable savings. My last build for internal components was less than $1000 for an i7, 24 GB mem, 1TB HDD and a GTX570. The rest of the parts were salvage.

If I had to buy a pre-built system, I have also heard that ASUS is OK, and my folks have an HP that works very well. You'll likely need to go through and uninstall any pre-installed trial or other software by the manufacturer, there's usually plenty of it and it has nothing to do with making your computer work.

JMO.

Any way to post a concern for those unable to attend? Will the discussion be available to read later?

http://www-ui.is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~takeo/index.html

Interesting freebies:

Software

Movingsketch (2D paint and animation) [NEW]
Shape Manipulation / Curve Editing
Squirrel (Animatin Authoring)
SmoothTeddy (Teddy+Chameleon)
Sweater (3D clothing) / Chateau (3D modeling)
Teddy (3D Modeling) / Chameleon (3D Paint)
Pegasus (2D) / Automatic zooming
JumpGame (Game) / Solitaire

Sounds. Sound effects. Ambient sounds. Musical instruments. Animals.

All kinds of sounds. Maybe some folks can use them for animations or just relaxation.

Freesound

Freesound: collaborative database of creative-commons licensed sound for musicians and sound lovers. Have you freed your sound today?

(www.freesound.org)

Couple of items I posted a while back, but they're still available:

Nixie Tube:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=39122&p=345987&hilit=nixie#p345987

Antique Colt Gas Lamp:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=44437&p=396443&hilit=LED+lamp#p396443

Modernist Lamps:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=32030&p=282863&hilit=LED+lamp#p282701

Pretty cool. I wonder if you could use that for spherical IBL...

Doesn't count unless they have laser beams on their heads.

IF the most disastrous form of collapse were to occur, rest assured; the populace will be hung out to dry while the wealthy and corporations are propped up with the commoner's money.

Sound familiar?

Perhaps debtor's prisons and serfdom will come back into vogue.

I wonder when it will be 1778 again?

Only 5 items? There's so much more...

I've listed my uses on the original thread.

EVERYTHING.

Stained glass
Sun angle/shadow studies
Architectural visualization
Furniture
Art
Vehicles (scifi, aircraft, cars, military)
Random objects
Hopefully someday I can get a RepRap or MakerBot and use it for 3D prototyping as well.
Interior design
Fixtures

SketchUp does it all for me.

On the other hand, I do not specialize in anything in particular. Whatever the needs of the moment are.

I would agree with that. SU does not seem to have any direct competition with existing products at Trimble.

Fascinating. Nice find.

I would like to see the ball subdivided into fresh water and salt water. I think that would have more visual impact with reference to the limited resources on the planet.

It's a very fast generator.

@cjryan said:

Perhaps I'm not adept at "legalese", but does this mean that Trimble owns the rights to any models that are uploaded to the WH? Suppose they might start charging per download?

Then people stop sharing and 3DWH goes nowhere. Why would anyone want to upload for free and have to pay to download? I'd certainly stop using 3DWH if that were the case - unless I got paid when my work was downloaded.

Just tried the updated version. Very nice, considerably faster!

Successful troll is successful.

Nice pun. Hopefully the other Trimble will look as good with SU as yours does!

I must admit I have had a similar difficulty. It's always on a large and complex file and it causes no end of frustration, usually resulting in misaligned edges or verticies early in the project that aren't found until later in the project. By then the damage is done and the work takes forever to repair or redo. I wish I could blame some SU glitch, but I'm afraid it's likely my fault for the reasons Jean says.

I get around it by making the base geometry I'm working with a component. That way I can use it as a "work surface", and there is almost no risk that I will accidentally change the geometry while working on the rest of the project.

Don't know if this helps, but I feel your frustration!

Huh, must've hit the wrong button on a previous post, it's not here.

LOL @ the simplified SU, that's kind of what I'm fearing regarding the possible stark difference between the free and paid versions. And, even though it isn't proven, the rumor of pay-for-ruby is also a negative for the community (not for the ruby devs, though. If they get to make some $ in the end, great!). Trimble is also a corporation that has a definite clientele, whereas Google would at least give anything a try at least once. That means SU could be pushed in the direction of a Civil Design product with features that are meaningless to many SU users, and possibly loss of features that are useful.

Also, if there is a sharp divide everyone, I wonder about all of the render apps that have grown up around SU. If they are forced to change to meet a different platforms needs, what would happen to those of us who use the older software? Would we be left out of the newer versions that may not be backwards compatible? The same applies to rubies.

Anyway. This is all speculation and as of yet, unfounded worries. Hopefully there won't be any drastic changes. All of us will still have SCF ( or whatever it will be called) to call home and the community to be part of.

I've heard the WWIII argument before. It's usually presented by those that seek to get out from under all the debt incurred by bad government and business practices by simply bombing the heck out if the country that they owe money to. It does nothing to solve the issues that have created the problem in the first place, which can be boiled down to greed.