So, where is this heading?

Hi Mike,

I think @JQL 's original question was about the relevance of my.SketchUp to existing SketchUp Pro customers, so my answer was directed at that user group. For them, I think the notion of a companion app on the web seems pretty interesting. I think @ronenbekerman is on the right track thinking of it as a way to share works in progress with clients, for example.

But, as I said in the keynote yesterday, my.SketchUp is primarily focused on the 99% of computer users in the world who have not so far found a way to run SketchUp at all.

I think many iPad users (and users of Android tablets) would agree with you that a version of SketchUp that runs on mobile devices would also be quite useful. My.SketchUp may eventually evolve into such a thing, but if it did we wouldn’t likely deploy it through the device’s mobile browser.

It is interesting, however, that it runs there :wink:

john
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Yes John, Ronen’s point about letting clients have a play around is a definite plus.

I also take your point that MySU will introduce folks with basic machines to SketchUp. This is good especially for young kids. As they say, ‘Get em young’.

Yes, it does run on the iPad Pro so maybe not such a big job to bring it along further and as I said there is revenue to be made! It also appears that the 12.9 and 9.7 iPad Pros have decent power with the A9X chip with 64-bit architecture
M9 coprocessor.

Mike

It ran in my phone and it’s inferior to the ipad.

I agree with @ronenbekerman too, but I’m usually very sceptical at letting my clients edit my stuff. It always lead me to sorrow…

Very excited about this. I have noticed that performance is rather good. Shadows are a bit hairy still…

I for one, would use it in three ways:

  1. To let my clients view the model (I repeat, VIEW, not edit), by just sending a link. I think it could very sensibly replace the Sketchup Viewer app. No need to download.
  2. Take an iPad to site, discuss details with contractors over the model, check dimensions from real life against the model.
  3. VR headsets anyone? Shouldn’t be a major effort to get from a web-based viewer to Google Cardboard or similar, should it?

Also, I love the anti-aliased, smooth lines! When will we get this in the desktop version!?

2 Likes

Yes but how would you lock from editing on an editing app?

Dan talked about the possibility of a new skp locked format… I’d like that, but I’d also like it to have a locked model that was able to be insertable in another model.

Draw a building, lock it, insert it in an overall plan, but don’t let anyone edit it except the architect.

Draw a structure, lock it, insert it in the building and… I think you get it.

Trimble Connect has many features that will help you share design models with clients in non-editable formats. Since Connect is the platform that supports my.SketchUp, your login also grants you access at connect.trimble.com

john
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I haven’t paid much attention to TC, since I don’t need it myself. But would this mean that the client must have a TC account and learn to navigate the TC interface, in order to just view the model ?

Last time I tested Trimble connect wasn’t accepting hole cutting components… I will try it eventually, but only for a professional scenario where having a coordinated model is needed and that coordination isn’t being done by ourselves, but by a team contracted to do that.

If the work is being coordinated by my office, like it usually is, I prefer having my base model in sketchup and do everything there and then share it in the simplest fashion I can.

For smaller projects, the main thing for me is that the client can feel exactly the same thing at their place, that they experienced in my office.

I bet Trimble connect doesn’t:

  • Have the same good looking shadows sketchup has;
  • Keeps the same scenes;
  • The same styles;
  • Acts on sections animation as sketchup does;
  • Has a walk mode;
  • A dynamic component’s interact mode;

Most of these features are becoming available at my.sketchup and all would fit perfectly if the locking mechanism would exist. The sheer UI simplicity is great for my clients.

Ideally, Sketchup should integrate Trimble connect’s models, not the other way around. I see TC as a simplification of 3D communication that people hardly relate to, and sketchup as one of the most easy to communicate with 3D apps.

Would it be very difficult to have Sketchup or my.pro.sketchup check for clashes, have model revisions history, input 3D/2D files, output 2D and 3D, BIM files, and manage every Trimble Connect’s aspect of 3D modelling, and integrate itself with Trimble Connect as it’s main 3D platform?

That would make both my.SU and TC much more interesting for me…

Of course, probably you’ve thought about this already and if you didn’t do it is because it doesn’t make sense, but for me looking at this as an Architect, it feels only natural.

You’re absolutely correct that Connect’s 3D model presentation is different from SketchUp’s, and I agree that clients will best appreciate model presentations that are stylistically consistent.

But the power and capability of Connect’s collaboration features are without peer. When we add collaboration features to SketchUp (you mention clash, revision history, etc.), as we began to do last fall with the release of SU2016, they will continue to be based on technology under development in Connect.

john
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That integration of TC’s technology into Sketchup was exactly what I had in mind but dared nor write. I’m imagining this being exclusivelly on 3D side of things, of course, but I could easily see an inspector exactly like components, or outliner, or entity info for Trimble connect, where all that’s happening in TC webpage, could happen inside sketchup as you model.

Yesterday, as I was investigating Tekla Bimsight and TC, I also found that Bimsight is able to cope up with Huge amount of models and information even on a laptop.

That, of course, with all the bells and whistles, I imagine to be impossible inside sketchup. However at a smaller scale, having TC and Tekla’s 3D toolset readilly available in Sketchup via a plugin, even with limitations, would be unvaluable.

For instance, having clash and revision history information being displayed in a 2D Layout file, with colors, would be something of similar to a miracle. I’d use it in all my projects and dealing with consultants would be incredibly fast!

Tekla BIMsight is now Trimble Connect Desktop. You can download the latest version from the Connect web application. There is also a mobile app.

john
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Ah Hah! I was wondered what TCD was.

So BIM sight, and Ghery technologies have been merged into Trimble Connect, right?

And for what I understand, Ghery Technologies is now a service where you support architects, contractors or owners by implementing BIM technology, design parametrization and project management, right?

If that’s it, that’s very interesting.

Where does Sketchup fit there?

I’m preparing myself to shift my business into bigger buildings and competitions and the software I base my work in (I guess you know wich), seems to still have it’s… shortcomings…

However, it’s brilliant for design (concept and construction docs) and presentations wich is basically what I like. It’s not brilliant at parametrizing details on complex geometries, like Rhino/Grasshopper or Revit/Dynamo (wich I don’t use and I’d rather avoid) , or on complex curved shapes, but basically that’s the major design flaw I see in my process.

Would it be possible that someone like me would hire Trimble/Ghery Technologies to manage parametrization and BIM side of things until my favorite design software is ready for that sort of thing? (Main question might also be if it ever will?)

Or am I missing the point here?

EDIT: Let me just say that it seems to me that these side conversations we’ve pulled from this releases are eye openning! Thanks!

Hi @JQL,

Check out Gehry Technologies’ list of services here.

  • Chris

Chris,

Yes, I’ve seen that, it seems to me I basically sumarized it above.

I’m still very far from that, but I like the prospect, thanks!

Hey guys, great discussion! Love to see that Sketchup is evolving in to a more effective and usable program.

In the terms of “where is this heading” I was curious when if at all certain functionality such as importing CAD/DXF files and functioning with the Ruby API will be added?

I know that those are more pro features and there is a lot of talk that a pro version of my.sketchup will come to fruition but I am just curious of when we should expect to see that (if at all).

Thanks!

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I would think that the file format conversions will be implemented inside Trimble Connect as a professional server-side workflow, and not as a JavaScript object that is downloaded into every user’s browser each time my.SketchUp is loaded. Ie, it would be a waste of bandwidth, and the user’s memory.

Having the features implemented on the server opens up the possibility of both subscription and pay-per-use revenue.

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Hi Taylor -

Good questions, and certainly ones we have at the top of our list. Right now, we’re concentrating hard on fleshing out my.SketchUp’s interface to expose many of the features folks are used to in the desktop application. We have given a lot of thought to the eventual API and importer/exporter approach in my.SketchUp, but we don’t have anything to announce just yet. There is a great deal of technical unknowns still and we don’t want to promise anything we can not deliver.

Regards,
Tyler

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“Where is this heading”
Have a look at OnShape. Full parametric mechanical design package (like Solidworks) run entirely in the cloud with full drawings capabilities.
It has live multi-user for modelling and drawings, sharing capabilities with permissions (export, edit, view, comment, markup etc), data management (revisions, change management etc) it has mobile apps which run close to the full cad package (not just a viewer) and API with integrated IDE all built in. Only thing it lacks is an offline version.
Nothing like this exists in the AEC industry to this level at this time - this is where My.Sketchup has a huge advantage and head start to fill that void. A full implementation of Sketchup Pro and Layout on the cloud with multi-user capabilities, API etc. would be awesome.
Might be hoping for too much but … fingers crossed.

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I’ve looked at OnShape several times before. I have two issues with it:

  • It seems great for mechanical engineering and product design, but somehow not that fit for AEC, as you say;
  • Pricing seems high.