I haven't posted in a while but I thought I would give my two cents on the discussion about the future of SketchUp. The three questions that seem to come up again and again are:

1. How do you keep SU as the world's best and easiest 3D modeling program?

2. How do you let users continue to push the envelope with what you can do with SU? (i.e. take advantage of the amazing Ruby Scripts that have been written)

3. How do you maintain a free version of the program AND get paid by users who want more features?

My solution? the SketchUp App Store. Here's how it works: anybody can download the base software at no cost with similar features to the current free version. Then you build a marketplace inside SketchUp (think Ruby Script Manager on steroids) that allows you to buy, sell and manage Apps that allow you to do more with SU. An App like Layout would be $100 to $200 while an App like SubdivideAndSmooth would be $10 to $20. This could work for the current Pro features (DWG Export/Import, Solids, etc.) as well as allowing Trimble to integrate it's construction software and tools without turning SU into a purely construction-oriented program.

A SketchUp App Store would take advantage of the current plugin development, encourage even more development, and allow people to CHOOSE how they use SketchUp, all while maintaining the basic FREE 3D modeling program that we all fell in love with when we started using it.

What do you think?

@chrisglasier said:

...Building and allied industries and consultants need a complete change of approach...

As I read through the entire thread I was thinking something similar. Rather than asking, "How can we use Sketchup like BIM to get 2D drawings out of our 3D models?," maybe we should be asking, "How can/should we use Sketchup to successfully document our design?"

In essence, CAD is digital drafting and BIM is 3D digital drafting. Neither of these tools really change the way we communicate our designs to contractors. Sketchup has changed the way many architects design and how they present that design to clients. I think the time has come for it to change the way we document our designs as well. As of today we are stuck with handing contractors our design in a 2d format (paper, PDF). However, what we put on that 2d page can make a huge difference.

Here is a real-world example to illustrate...

I was asked to design a small addition for a young couple near where I live. After the design was finalized, I created a detailed Sketchup model built the way it would actually be constructed in the field. From that Sketchup model I extracted categorized 3d views which relate directly to the sequence of construction (demolition, wall framing, interior trim, etc...). These 3d views include quantities and sizes which relate to that specific construction task for contractors to price. Furthermore, these tasks integrated directly with industry standard construction specifications. In the end, this work leverages the information in the 3d model into something which truly improves the way we deliver a design to a contractor. It makes the 3d model more useful and the designer a more integral part of construction. I can say from experience that this work was extremely well received by both the client and contractor. In the end pricing the project was much easier and the the finished product was exactly what the client expected.

So although the title for this thread is "Could SketchUp be transformed to a BIM or PEN System?" I think we should be asking ourselves if that is really the direction we want to go, or if Sketchup gives us the opportunity to do something even better.