This is a new topic where we will be posting when we make updates to content, have new Live Components to share with you or have general points of discussion around Live Components that we would like your input on.
I (David) am part of Materia/CDG (Computational Design Group), which is a Trimble service/team and the technology responsible for creating and powering Live Components. We are based out of Wellington, New Zealand, and my team in particular is tasked with creating Live Components and publishing them on the Sketchup 3DW for you to use.
Iām really looking forward to sharing and interacting with you all more in the future!
Stayed tuned for updates coming in the next few days.
So, that explains in part why theyāre all metric. Nothing wrong with metric. I just have to work in imperial here in the USA. Any time a person sitting at a computer has to pull out a calculator, you know somethingās wrong with this picture. I hope when things are working smoothly enough, you can get them dual system.
Definitely looking forward to more functionality with this.
Well, this is quite an insight into how Trimble are operating. Presumably, this is a form of outsourcing.
I imagine you have been following the various posts related specifically to Live Components here on the forum. One of the issues I raised is that there is a lack of commonality between similar LCs making it difficult to, say, marry different window LCs and door LCs together. Also, there is some suspicion that whoever is drawing the LCs does not have a great in-depth knowledge of joinery construction, or indeed what designers require in terms of being able to adapt the LCs. If you accept that criticism, it suggests you need people on your team who do understand those things. Otherwise, the usefulness of LCs will be seriously reduced and they will likely go the same way as the much hyped, but little used, DCs.
Quite the contrary. The technology to support LiveComponents came from New Zealand. Any response from those of us in Colorado is āoutsourcedā
As far as the details like joinery are concerned, we welcome the feedback but be aware that the NZ team also has deep roots in architecture and construction. Any discrepancies in level of detail are likely related to the desire to support more configurations vs more detailed representations of any one option. Though if something is very wrong let us know and weāll see if we can fix it.
They aquired Materia, like many other companies, itās outside there headquarters, but is an internal organization.
There are four or five main industries, construction being one of them ( small part of that is SketchUp, one of the other 700 companies )
The success of the Dynamic Components is relative, one could think that is has no future or is too complicated, but the reason that they donāt get rid of it might be because the overall implemented usage across a lot of endusers. Amongst them major companies, presumably.
If I understand some of what @tickletickle had in mind, it should deliver constructive models.
Still a ālabā projectā¦
Many applications have their own parametric object types. None of those that I know of have made the workflow to author them too easy for an user to master. Archicad users have to master a programming language. Revit has a somewhat clunky system using construction planes, dimensions and locks. SketchUp Dynamic blocks are somewhere between the two.
Unless I will be able to author my own, these will never be useful like DCs to my workflow/business. We design and build decks and outdoor structures, pool houses etcā¦ the ability to embed custom takeoff info and customize quantity formulas are key IMO.
I agree completely. Without self-authoring, the list of available models will either be way too restricted or way too large to navigate (a bit like the 3DW now). But I have been imagining (hoping?) that the current approach is merely a taster for the rollout of a much more user-adaptable facility. If the user-friendliness of LCs can be married to that, they may have a winner on their hands and something that beats all the alternatives @Anssi has outlined above.
Youāre correct in saying that Live Components are in metric when configuring on the 3D Warehouse, but if you load a Live Component in your SketchUp scene, you can switch between the unit of your scene (inch) and the unit the LC was made in (mm)
Hello
what I do not understand? why canāt live components be created by users? I am a professional in space planning, your components are very good, but they do not interest me, I would like to be able to create my components as I do with dynamic components (which have never evolved) my customers want to see their products ā¦ not yours !!! so will we be able to create live components? thank you
Hi tenrev. Our tool for authoring is still in development, but we are looking at making this available to the public early in 2022.
If you want to learn how to make them, and be involved in testing the authroing tool, please fill out this form, and weāll get you on the list of testers!
We have some Live Component updates for you! Weāve made significant changes to 7 Live Components and minor changes to some others. These changes have come from feedback from you, the users, as well as some changes we thought youād like.
Hereās a list of the significant changes weāve made:
Itās important to remember with these Live Components, that we have to maintain a certain worldly design style for them, so some suggested updates havenāt been made. However, we do our best to address everything that we can.
We hope you guys enjoy the updates weāve made! Keep the suggestions coming
Hello
thank you David, I followed the link and I registered by filling out the form, I hope that I will be eligible for the live components tests, I have been making a lot of fairly advanced dynamic components for 15 years with a lot of functions and I have participated in the beta test of the Samuel T plugin
parametric modeling in SketchUp using a node editor similar to Unreal Engine blueprints or Grashopper
After a bit of a hiatus, we have some brand new Live Components for you today!
Cabinetry has been a hugely demanded Live Component from the Sketchup community, with people wanting models ranging from kitchen cabinets to bathroom cabinets to general dining room cabinets.
The trouble with building Live Component cabinets is getting enough detail and customization built into the Live Components so that they are useful for you, the user.
Because of this, we have decided to do a whole range of cabinetry LCs so that you can get the customization necessary to make your designs truly your own.
Today we are releasing the following Live Components:
