@olishea said:

Yes, we totally need to rethink 3D. Currently you have to be of a very technical mind to approach complex model making. Sometimes even apparently simple models can become highly stressful to the point where it feels I need a phd in physics and maths. Now I know anything is possible in 3D, but at what cost?

This is where I believe current 3D apps are failing. 99% of people don't care about polygons, meshes, voxels, triangulation, quads etc. They just want to open an app and start modelling. Some of the jargon associated with 3D modelling makes it feel kinda old-school in the fact nothing has really changed.
[/quote]

I agreed. Architect don't think in term of polygons. They need tools that help them design better. Design first, drafting and modeling as needed to perfect their visions.

So I think procedural, generative and grammar based modeling would help a lot professionals to focus on designs and overview level better :

PushPull++

Generative designs:
Computer-Generated Residential Building Layouts

Interactive Furniture Layout Using Interior Design Guidelines

Carl Bass: "The Future of How Things are Made" - Solid 2014 @ 22.00

A Probabilistic Model for Component-Based Shape Synthesis

Procedural and grammar based designs:
Voxel Farm - Procedural Architecture Elements

An Algebraic Model for Parameterized Shape Editing

Also, next-gen modeling interfaces could be something like these:
MakeVR: 3D Modeling and Printing for Everyone

Control VR

Of course, SketchUp need true curves and improved performances/proxy in core

I've skimmed Siggraph 2012 to see what can benefit SketchUp and found these:

• Open subdiv from Pixar look very interesting and may help SketchUp performance and freeform modeling because user can do low poly and sub-div back and forth as needed, see 10:40
  http://youtu.be/Y-3L9BOTEtw

• 3ptools Lite - 3D Modeling plugin by 3Point Studios , Sketch for freeform modeling. Very smart tool.
  http://youtu.be/hAUSVwoUBiM

What do you think?

@mark h. said:

A bit more fodder for discussion, we just launched a new gallery of user projects. Notice anything new?

http://lumionautics.com/interview-with-ferry-marcellis/

@unknownuser said:

With Quest3D our development process is easy & fast… so there is a lot that can be done.

On the short term, our goals are to incorporate features you might find in other application you use daily too… Like the creation of normal maps using Crazybump or nD02, or video editing using Premiere and After Effects.

In the midterm we want to focus on what we do best and that is super quick end results. It is super important to us that our clients get their job done as quickly as possible and with high quality. This will allow them to do more work in less time or add more value to their own clients by providing much more revisions for example.

In the long run, maybe we might try to give modeling a shot.

It will continue like that I guess, but if it can replace Premiere and After Effects from my workflow. IThat's going to be interesting to me.
And it would be quite useful, if SketchUp or Lumion can do this:
http://youtu.be/Qhfl7dLs2fU
IMO it is positive for workflow in SketchUp, when one don' have to use rendering software for most task any more

I'm thinking about if the same thing going to happened with Trimble SketchUp. What people want to say

For some update:

After review FMX 2012. The world of film making is going up side down this year, they're moving to virtual production. And the best thing is...
After some proved successful inproduction. Most of the stage designers in film are converting to SketchUp! There're a lot of those film makers talked about SketchUp everywhere.
http://youtu.be/xD71XVbUWOY - at 0:18
http://area.autodesk.com/fmx2012#ooid=RxZDNvNDqppgJdMmwmZyVD3jxsnwiYg5&ootime=30m30s - FMX2012 Upside Down Worldbuilding for Independent movies @ 30:30 and many times.

I don't know what Trimble have in mind.
But please, Mr. John Bacus (I hope you're still monitoring this thread)... informed this to Trimble. There're a lot opportunities there too. I think they need to be informed a lot about SketchUp possibilities to widen the vision, SketchUp is not only useful for just GIS or AEC anymore.
Leave them now is like throw away money and a lot of exposure to software and Trimble

Trimble, let's buy this team it is a very nice companion with SketchUp!
I wish I can model a pretty decent rabbit in a few minutes for years.
Otherwise, I bet Autodesk or Pixology would get it pretty fast

RigMesh: putting the fun back into rigging
http://youtu.be/HbOXMuwQlyE
http://www.cgchannel.com/category/news/

Download for Free!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4964558/rigmesh_v1.01.zip
(official links, they're so new and even don't settled a website yet!)

I've find somewhere on the web that it's about 700USD/license for 5 license package.
And for one license, it's about 1,400 USD.

And yes, contact them for pricing is the best way to get the updated price.

Or the other way around ... work 1 hour a day, go to gym for couple of hours and learn more interesting things and get a life

I want to say technologies can empowered the users, at all level. Architects license still need for long time, there must be someone who do judgement and take resposibility, which computer can't do for sure.

Let's see this research, very interesting they use SketchUp also:
http://vladlen.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/architecture-video.mov
http://vladlen.org/projects/procedural-modeling/
http://vladlen.org/papers/architecture-slides.pdf - Slides

Rhino's grasshopper users may familiar with this. I see many generate 1,000+ schematic design to find the best planning, design that fit context, ROI, energy reservation, etc, all done with these AI. But at the end of the day, it's the architect who realized it.

Updated: From the slides, it seem the demo house use up to 100,000 iterations by the AI!!! I'm love my brain so much now

In theory, any thing that can systemetically explained can become procedural.
Do you noticed that there're patterns even our everyday life ?
It's good to have pattern, so we can focus our time on useful stuffs. These AI also.

@dale said:

@findthong said:

@mike lucey said:

@jgb said:

This thread can keep voicing speculation but I don't think it will achieve much.Mike

I agreed. So here is my best SketchUp wish:
http://youtu.be/TDqbbxwLq7E
An Algebraic Model for Parameterized Shape Editing
It's exactly what I think, Dynamic Components that play as a team. No BIM is needed.

For this feature, I could live with whatever issues for a few years

Woah! this works!

And later make this model talk to BIM package and make documents automatically with Tekla.

Few click architecture, with defined architectural library, is almost possible.
It's like architects define buiding elements using their preferred and defined language to get the look applied to buildings, whatver size it is. Remember those Richard Meier house?
So users can use parametric to get the design to meet the look they want faster, with less time on manual modeling.

I know one day we would get automation to the ultimate, when production time is 10X -100X better than at the moment.

@mike lucey said:

@jgb said:

This thread can keep voicing speculation but I don't think it will achieve much.Mike

I agreed. So here is my best SketchUp wish:
http://youtu.be/TDqbbxwLq7E
An Algebraic Model for Parameterized Shape Editing
It's exactly what I think, Dynamic Components that play as a team. No BIM is needed.

For this feature, I could live with whatever issues for a few years

@thomthom said:

@moghouse said:

The source code will now transform into whatever fit into Trimble's need - and that does NOT include an API or a useful free version,

Now, why would they announce that they will keep a free version - and use SketchUp as an platform?
Most of the comments in this thread is speculation - the very small concrete info we have from Trimble, contradict what you claim right there.

Maybe they want to build something tha look like this:
http://youtu.be/bwT8t_CHWjg
Something that can really make Google, SketchUp, Trimble smile. 3D for everyone that use GPS, 3D, mapm, making money and fun!

Update: This is interesting point of view from GIS professional:

Planning A Rabble of Geo-Techs
April 17 2012

" Dr Guy also posed the question: will the next Google Street View run capture the entire built environment in point-cloud form? This could put a lot of surveyors out of work, if the data is available, and could push through a revolution in 3d spatial planning of cities and forms. "
http://www.urbancircus.com.au/contact?id=228-news

Trimble and Google may dealing something, that's the best case I can speculate

@charly2008 said:

Hi,

And for the worse case, I just have to use Sketchup 8 with the plugins.
But I'm not a professional, I use SketchUp and other 3D programs only as a hobby.

Charly

I wish I could do that too! Too bad we need to keep up with things, which I dont' think current SketchUp 8 can hold it longer than 4-5 years at best, when we have to make money and compete

sketch3d.de,
Thanks for your infos! I've limited knowledge, that's why I love this place!

Sure, it's not free! And I doubt there'll be 'just enough' SketchUp free for professional uses anymore.

Spaceclaim may have a nice API:
http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/blog/2012/03/spaceclaims-api.html

For instance, you can:

• Look for all edges 2" or longer.
• Add custom panels that implement Windows forms.
• Create new tools.
• Add custom file types to dialog boxes.
• Generate temporary graphics.
• Implement tools for custom graphics
  I don't know about programming but many reviews said it's API is quite nice.

I see it do cool stuffs, but I'm not dev. It would be nice if devs could have a look:
http://www.spaceclaim.com/en/Mkting/SingleVideoPlayer.aspx?v=API_Webinar_2011-12-14.mp4

I'm convinced that I should plan for some options, just in case.

Rhino3d - very complete package for anything when considered plugins, got a lot of useful AEC function and plugins like grasshopper, visualarq, rhinoBIM and etc.
FormZ 7/Bonzai3d - powerful, not hard to grasp, have a lot potential for concept,presentations and BIM, which is to come. But it have small ecology, communications maybe a problem.
Moi3d - it's sketchup for nurb modeling. Again, small software ecology and plugins. But export really clean, working with other software is convenient.
SolidWorks Live Buildings - never know it would happened or not. But if it come, it's likely what Lumion do with tradition rendering technology.
Project vasari - far from easy to use, limited workflow.
edited: Blender - I still never looked into it much, but a lot of potential. IMHO still not sure how to use it for concept modeling.
Spaceclaim - SketchUp for solid modeling. Gosh ... it so smart and very SketchUp, I wish they would tap to AEC space too!

I want to use SketchUp 9,10,11 and so on. IMHO Price is not that big problem, it's about dev direction and API. And for the worse case, I just have to use 3DS Max, that's it. A lot of SketchUp plugins trained many aspected of 3DS Max to me already

Anyway, it's up to Trimble decision .

@unknownuser said:

basically, Moi is already that. I mean, it's not exactly sketchup like but at the same time, it does have a similar feel.

Interesting... I was try it long time ago and thought it just suitable for objects like furnitures.
Do you means Moi could also be use for doing full architectural modeling, with a lot of objects, in Moi3d ?

@ecuadorian said:

Still, Michael Gibson, who created Rhino as an employee for McNeel, has created a new modeler called MoI, completely rethinking the UI and way of working.

If something go wrong...
I ever think something like SketchUp ability + Moi curvy nurbs is ideal. Join force?
I bet they would gain a good amount from something like Kickstarter.com

@johnsenior1973 said:

SketchUp is an awesome program. It's my favourite program and I love it, but its strength isn't in its power, it is in its speed and simplicity. But in the future if models are going to be easily created automatically, one must question whether some other 3D program won't include these automated methods, and mean that SketchUp is as redundant as Jason thinks BM will be.

umm ... I don't think so. How some one could do that for new building?
I'm a bit worried about 3D Warehouse now. If there's any rushed attempt to sell something that equal to current free contents on that updated website, I think it will make a big negative feedbacks and fear enough for a lot of people. That would affected a lot to SketchUp free users and even pros. I really feel like to hear some words from authorities before the deal closed.

@jim said:

I have taken to not using Toolbars, or having a very minimal number open. I wrote a custom WebDialog (or 2) to replace Toolbars. One dialog is a general toolbar replacement, the other toggles the normal Toolbars visible/not visible. The dialogs are pretty rough around the edges since I am the only one who uses them; but they do show what can be done and how the WebDialogs can (and will) be an effective alternative to the built-in Toolbars.

There are a few other, similar plugins that are using webdialogs as toolbar alternatives.

My dialogs: the short texts are buttons, too.

(moved post from another topic)

This is quite nice. Everyone here having some problem with Toolbar, but my problem is Web Dialogs LOL.
I'm using Dual monitor set up. Sometime I work with SketchUp on my 1st monitor when SketchUp is being my top priority and many time I've to move it to 2nd monitor. And web dialogs not going to move with SketchUp. That's quite annoying and I need to do a lot workaround and get familier with it.

And I've just counted I've 112 shortcut combinations to get aroud these UI problem as much as possible! And I can remember 80 percent of them, but not much icons!. It need a lot brain power, when you want to have less moving around as possible while using a lot of scripts to prevent tedious tasks as much as possible. I can't imagine I can even work in SketchUp without my cheat sheet or on other computer .

We definitely need some UI love for extensive users, because there're so many advanced SketchUp user around!

SketchUp Free/viewer $0
SketchUp Pro $500 (raising price to some degree and help the software grow faster is acceptable. Think how luxology's Modo grow so aggressive and fast)
SketchUp Official Apps by Trimbles $xxx -$x,xxx
SketchUp partners/3rd parties Apps
SketchUp Free Apps

IMHO I think this App Store structures make sense and easy to get. And if Trimble softwares are already good, they don't need to fear for competitions. They have better insight for softwares and business anyway. And they can live on royalty fee too . Empowered users to do more things is better than keep thing for a few niches. And sales from those pro and apps would come from those free users when they fluented with the SketchUp, they would look nowhere else when need some 3D related stuffs and solve problems. And I feel cheaper prices for already potential 30 millions (and potentially more) is better than keep it expensive and limited to a lot less users. Some companies will actually do it anyway, sooner or later.

At least, even a big 'Desk' who love monopoly already 'get' that and give away a lot free stuff to students and casual users.
It's likely that the world move to personal fabrication in next decades, anyone can make physical stuffs from their idea easily, anyone can be designers to some degree. Just like last decades, when everyone can buy printers and start to published things themself.

Anyway, I don't know anything about Trimble strategy about this coming era.

I considered this place are mostly used by best SketchUp users.
A lot many may find they don't want to say much because when they want answers, they found it almost the time already.
At least I feel I don't know much, and feel I'm not good enough when look at those expert answers and resources
It's funny SketchUp have the same problem as many Open-source project contributions.
Those few user percents contributed most, the 'longtail' also applied here.
And there're a few chinese site that have very nice galleries, but it's quite pity that language is barrier.

I think the new SketchUp site should aim to make the other 96 percents get involved in some way. And make life easier for the 4 percents that are here/ Not aim competing with this forum, because I think no one can . Aiming to collected the scattered SketchUp infos from around the world and make it easy to see the big pictures and updates is nice, there're so many resources you have to dig into these day. SketchUp planet would be very nice

There're many local websites, forum, facebook, twitter and blogs that need loves. Trimble should make them able to work together, it would be synergy on the world scale we should take advantage.