A new home for SketchUp

[Mark H.]

Hi everyone,

As you may have seen on our official blog, SketchUp is moving to a new home at Trimble. SketchUp’s user community has always been the heart and soul of our product, and I think you’ll agree that our time at Google has been exciting and fruitful. Looking forward, we think the needs of our users will be better served under the umbrella of Trimble.

Trimble is committed to investing in SketchUp and expanding its development in multiple directions. Those of us on the SketchUp team are looking forward to this change, and we hope you all are too. Our team creates design tools that are efficient, easy to learn, and fun to use -- and we believe that SketchUp will be all of those and more at Trimble.

We are looking forward to continuing this journey with all of you, and maintaining a strong relationship with our users that keeps us focused building a better SketchUp.

Please check out our blog post for more detail about this change. If you’re a ruby developer, look out for a post on the SketchUp API Blog as well.

Mark (on behalf of the whole SketchUp team).

[dale]

Just a little scarey.
I would be interested to know future plans for development (is existing Trimble software becoming more SketchUp like, or visa/versa), affordability, the future of ruby?
And does this mean no more Basecamps ?

[Paul Russam]

Could someone tell me what my response to this should be:
1. A-ha
2. Aggggh
3. Ummmmm
4. Wow!
5. Wow!

[Rich O Brien]

Best of luck in your new adventure

[thomthom]

The announcement talks about SketchUp as a platform - will the Ruby API get more features, maintenance?

Will the same SketchUp developers continue at Trimble?

And does this mean no more Basecamps ?

Ditto! I was hoping to finally get to catch the next Basecamp - as I missed the opportunity last time.

[thomthom]

and will there still be a free version?

The free version of SketchUp is an important part of our world as well, and that isn’t changing in the least.

[Marian]

This is what it says on the blog.

For those of you in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, the knowledge and experience Trimble will add to the SketchUp effort are obvious. Together with our new colleagues at Trimble, we plan to continue making our tools for the building professions as innovative, intuitive and (dare I say) fun to use as we always have.

If you’re one of the many, many people who use SketchUp for something else—from education to woodworking, geo-modeling to movie-making—rest assured that there will be a SketchUp for you, too. Our mission has always been to make 3D modeling tools that anyone can use. The free version of SketchUp is an important part of our world as well, and that isn’t changing in the least.

So SU free will still exist.

[thomthom]

Still don't know what to think of this... I don't understand what this means for the future and shape of SketchUp.

As a plugin developer who was starting to build commerical plugins I don't know what to make of it any more. Will it still be the platform I started with? Will the base base change?

[pbacot]

From Trimble:

SketchUp and the 3D Warehouse, together with other Trimble Tools from Accubid, HHK, Meridian, Plancal, QuickPen, Tekla, Trimble Business Center and the Trimble Connected Community will provide a stand-alone and enterprise solution that will enable an integrated and seamless workflow to reduce rework and improve productivity for the customer.

That explains... ?

Maybe we'll finally get full topographic tools.

[Marian]

Yeah, I'm worried too.

[Mark H.]

Hi all,

For some additional info beyond the blog, you can also check out Trimble's FAQ for this announcement.

Mark

PS @ Paul: Just so you know, on our end it's

[dale]

Perhaps Trimble could consider putting some of the top plugin developers on lucrative salaries, and cutting them loose.

[boofredlay]

Full speed ahead to wherever it takes us.

[Marian]

Full speed ahead to wherever it takes us.

Except down the drain

[pbacot]

Does this hiccup affect "#9"?

One Google tie-in that I have really liked is "Add Location" inside SU. Hoping that continues to develop.

At least now people can't opine about Google holding SU development hostage for purposes of populating Google Earth.

[HFM]

I'm going with worried...

Looks to me that this will make Sketchup too specific. Also, as this company is clearly invested with integrating its own software into Sketchup, what will happen to ruby scripts? Do they need to be 'checked' first?

A good time to start practicing with other software, just to be sure...

[dale]

Mark
I think my only knowledge of Trimble, is Trimble Oil, and I am not at all aware of any other mainstream software tools developed by Trimble, so in that sense, this is quite a surprise.
I do hope as is mentioned that the core SketchUp team is kept on and encouraged.

[thomthom]

Mark
I think my only knowledge of Trimble, is Trimble Oil, and I am not at all aware of any other mainstream software tools developed by Trimble, so in that sense, this is quite a surprise.
I do hope as is mentioned that the core SketchUp team is kept on and encouraged.

Yea - their description of their plans and what they do didn't make it clear to me of anything really. Felt a wee bit much corporate-speak in the announcements.

Trimble isn't a name I've heard of at all - not within any of the 3D modelling communities I've experiences. Therefor this all feels and sound very alien.

[pbacot]

"Trimble" is well known in the states for surveying equipment.

[Marian]

From the wiki page, Trible bought the following 3d related companies:
Acquisitions

2003 MENSI S.A. Terrestrial 3D scanning technology
2006 BitWyse Solutions, Inc 2D and 3D software applications for engineering and construction plant design
2006 XYZ Solutions, Inc Real-time, interactive 3D intelligence software
2009 Assets of Callidus Precision Systems GmbH 3D laser scanning for industrial market
2011 Tekla Corporation BIM Software
2012 StruCad and StruEngineer business from AceCad Software Software to extend BIM solutions
2012 Plancal of Horgen 3D CAD/CAE and ERP software provider

So at least they do have some 3d related expertise....how are those going to relate to SU's developement...who knows.

[dsmelcer1234]

Looking at their products they don't even seem to be a software developer as their primary focus. Why would they want to acquire sketchup? To me its like some random company acquires a product in another completely random category. Wal-mart buys Lumion. Ford buys word perfect.

[thomthom]

What worries me here is that I don't see the relevance of what they do with what I'm used with for SketchUp.
Will SU transform into a different type of solution? Will it fragment into specialized editions?

[dale]

What worries me here is that I don't see the relevance of what they do with what I'm used with for SketchUp.
Will SU transform into a different type of solution? Will it fragment into specialized editions?

+1

[pitrak]

I think developing sketchup in different directions might be interesting!
The fact that sketchup is still the 3D modeller of choice for many experienced modellers probably has more to do with all the great plugins around here than with the last upgrades we've seen.
The evolution of sketchup in the last years has been slow and not always successful (dynamic components anyone?)

My enthousiasm for this acquisition might have to do with Trimble's expertise in laserscanning as well. The holy grail of surveying in architecture would be an automated process from laserscan to a textured 3D model. If this would be possible with sketchup, I'ld be delighted!

So good luck guys, I hope you get all the freedom and support you need to take sketchup in new directions!

[tallbridgeguy]

from Trimble

Concurrently, the SketchUp engine will be integrated into Trimble's current solutions in its Engineering and Construction, Field Solutions and Mobile Solutions segments.

I think this is a bad idea....what software should I start learning?

[Marian]

That's wouldn't be a bad idea if that means that it would make more stuff compatible with SU and SU remains intact.

[solo]

Time to learn Blender.

[Glenn at home]

What worries me here is that I don't see the relevance of what they do with what I'm used with for SketchUp.
Will SU transform into a different type of solution? Will it fragment into specialized editions?

My feelings as well

[tomasz]

My enthousiasm for this acquisition might have to do with Trimble's expertise in laserscanning as well. The holy grail of surveying in architecture would be an automated process from laserscan to a textured 3D model. If this would be possible with sketchup, I'ld be delighted!

It is the direction it will go and will stop there. This is my impression.

Acquisition by Google didn't improve a lot what SU is all about. They wanted something for modelling the Google Earth content and that was all. Trimble wants to reach broad market with their tools. I expect multiple plugins for their products.

I doubt they will create a 64bit version. There is too much work they would have to do.

[tallbridgeguy]

Google was as close to open source as you can get. Now a private company owns it, which means profit. Whether that means banners, user fees, extra stuff we don't need. All Google needed to do was make the software 64 bit compatible with multiple cores and it was done.

I wonder why Google did it?