did you ever see this?
Autodesk and Trimble Team Up
john
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This might explain the push to subscription. Autodesk hates perpetual licenses. They have been trying to buy them back through incentives etc. Once you have subscription only. They own you. You are a captive audience and they can do whatever they want. Your only options will be to pay whatever they say or retool you entire workflow. These programs are bloated and overpriced.
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I’ve seen the interoperability agreement between Trimble and Autodesk however I can’t say I’ve seen much come of it, at least not for SketchUp.
It would be really interesting if you could have SketchUp somehow directly create scenes/viewports in AutoCad’s paperspace. Let SketchUp do what it does best (3D) and let AutoCad do what it does best (2D construction docs).
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So, is there even any interoperability between Tekla and SketchUp within the same company, let alone Tekla and Revit yet?
very very expensive. One rather buy revit
Revit is more expensive that sketchup and plus spec together.
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Well the Wall plugin is now on Version 3.1.7, its been about five years already and I can’t believe I am still working on this plugin and now others. I still don’t know what is the best extension for designing a house but I’ve certainly made some progress with a lot more to come.
I’m already excited about Basecamp 2024, since I ended up having to miss 2022.
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I’m a home designer and builder, 30+ years. I employed/still employ three full-time software developers and managers in my Sydney office to build a plugin for my business to deliver virtual construction, 2d docs, detailed estimates bids and client quotes inside of a Sketchup, originally (2009) we called it PlusSpec.
I’ve been a Sketchup user since before Google and my company employs full-time designers, draftspeople, structural detailers and estimators. It didn’t make sense for us as a business to have everyone working inside a different software package or be disconnected from a central source of truth, being the 3D model.
Back then there weren’t many Sketchup users and teaching everyone how to use Sketchup properly whilst keeping to a scene, style and layer structure was cost-prohibitive and very frustrating when employees moved on. We needed an absolute beginner to be up to scratch and delivering in 2 weeks or less.
I looked at housebuilder yet editing was painful, so I purchased Revit but it’s more of a 3D drafting program than a virtual construction program. No doubt if you’re here you realise that you can’t beat freeform modelling inside Sketchup.
After 5 years of full-time development using PlusSpec every day, my design business grew and became lucrative. We took the profits and poured them back into SketchUp plugin development with the aim of providing the industry with technology that’s easy to use, parametric and powerful.
Eventually, PlusSpec became too much for many so we split it into versions:
- PlusArchitect. Architects and building Designers didn’t want advanced estimating, reporting or scheduling nor did they want to pay for those features.
- Plusspec Pro, as a rendering business or visual artist, didn’t care about framing, estimating, drafting, or layout automation, which adds auto dimensioning.
- PlusDesignBuild for Design-Build firms that needed everything required to get a job from concept through costing, quoting, scheduling, drafting & bids, etc, inside Sketchup. In fact everything including the plumbing for the kitchen sink.
All versions of PlusSpec will create, organise and texture parametric walls, floors, roofs, etc. Every version of PlusSpec comes with geolocated materials textures that are automated into scenes for drafting, client presentation, structure review, value engineering and clashes. Everything works together: walls know they are walls they’ll create roofs, rafters, trusses, joists, beams, and trim. It auto-generates styles, groups, and components so the 3D BIM/VDC model is organised while keeping Sketchup running efficiently on lower-spec PC or Mac computers.
Guys our software is made for people that work in the industry every day in America, Canada, Europe, UK New Zealand and Australia. It’s too expensive and detailed for DIYers. It excels in ease of use yet there is a learning curve. In short, PlusSpec combines the Sketchup freedom we all love with the parametric functionality of Revit, Archicad, and Chief Architect.
I hope that answers your question.
If you’re heading to Trimble Dimensions/ Basecamp 2024 in Las Vegas, I’ll show the end results of designers and builders across the globe who use it.
I can’t remember the name of my sessions. I think it’s s1835 and S1836. I’ll look the name up when I get to work, but it’s regarding BIM VDC inside Sketchup.
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