Nice to read that a member of SketchUp team could post here personal opinion.
Ok… So… You probably find such examples of improvements in Trimble’s years as :
SU 4 : introduction of follow-me tool, Ruby scripting, Sandbox as a new set of tools and technical demo of ruby script, etc…
SU 6 : I remember a little improvement in Ruby API that let the possibility to add custom data on entities… then we get rendering plugins, and BIM development capacities… SU 6 come with Layout beta version…
SU 7 come with dynamic Components !
SU 7.1 : new 3D engine that display large and detail models !!! The cotation tool in Layout !
SU 8 : new solid concept, with volume information, and boolean tool.
These are just examples, I can find the list of new functions and main improvements during these years…
Thanks for those. I think I will make the list that I talked about. It may take some time! For your interest, here is how the initial features were described:
Interesting the link. Is it possible to go back in time and ask LastSoftware not to sell SketchUp ?
While waiting for you to list the improvements of LastSoftware / Google, here is what I mainly remember from Trimble years, since 2013, for 7 years!
You will notice that these are just improvements:
In Layout:
patterns as attributes in Layout (2013)
display of information in objects through the legends in Layout
meta-text in Layout
the button to change a view thumbnail in Layout (but which only works with SketchUp documents), which we did before by cutting / pasting and separate document
the scale associated with Layout’s illustration drawings
improved import / export in DWG from Layout
In SketchUp:
Almost Nothing. If not a degraded experience with the proctator, inference, and a weighted interface of icons with useless or little used functions.
Almost nothing except the pink line inference form face.
new smooth rendering of curves, tool to smooth lines
new transparency material
new annotation and cotation tool
improved inference (tangent and equidistant recognition)
new Scene tools (named pages at that time)
new export EPS, PDF, VRML
SketchUp 4 (2004)
new sandbox tools
new projection option for image and texture, for example with sandbox work
new follow-me tool
new face intersection function (first boolean like possibilities)
new “face-me” option to component
improved inference with the possibility to lock direction, alignment
improved 3D view with the possibility to change the angle of view
new Ruby scripting
important improvement : the possibility to change textures on face
SketchUp 5 (2005)
Faster application, until x2
First Mac version with intel processor
improved “walk tool” with collision detection
improved Push-pull with CTRL/Option
new Outliner palet
improved material with alpha canal
improved sandbox
improved Ruby API
new Google Earth extension !
SketchUp 6 (2007)
New version since Google bought SketchUp
new Layout application (beta) !! (burn Autocad licence)
new Photo Match
new 3D text tool
improved cotation tool (to fit with Layout beta)
improved useful copy in place
improved faces intersection
new Styles palet
new Google 3D Warehouse !!
new StyleBuilder app
SketchUp 7 (2008)
updates from any version for 99$
More fast and intuitive SketchUp, improved inference
improved edge behavior that cut automatically
improved 3D warehouse access from Component palet
Layout improved stabilized, faster
Layout improved drawing quality, new vector rendering
new Dynamic components
improvement : new credit tag to component
new custom templates in SketchUp
new function to generate reports
new and improved curves and lines in Layout, with editable path
new Layout manipulator
new export images function in Layout
new in-place group edit in Layout
improved text in Layout
new explode function in Layout, to transform SketchUp drawing into Layout drawing (vectors)
SketchUp 7.1 (2009)
free update !
new 3D engine for large/detailed models !!
new Google Street view
improved “nearby models” from 3D warehouse
import/export Collada and KMZ files (google earth)
new Dimension tool in Layout !!!
new snap to sketchUp model in Layout
improved freehand tool in Layout
new lists in Layout, improved grids, improved Copy/Paste
SketchUp 8 (2011)
I don’t have the whole list, but there is new solid concept, display volume info, and new boolean operations. Solid were very important for 3D printing.
The first Trimble update is from 2013, this is two years after SketchUp 8.
One trend to notice is that since subscription was introduced at the launch of 2019.0, more new features are introduced in dot releases, which in the past were mostly about bug fixes. Here’s an expansion of the 2019 and 2020 releases:
2019.0
Many changes to the welcome screen, including adding subscription as an activation option.
Export for SketchUp options in LayOut DXF/DWG exporter.
Mouse scroll speed preference added to LayOut.
Dashed line layer style.
Tape measure help tip to check lengths and areas without needing to click or use Entity Info
Various OS compatibility improvements.
2019.1
Various fixes.
Change of auto save location to prevent the OS from deleting your files overnight.
2019.2
Export line scale multiplier
Invert Selection
Large area importing in Geo Location, for Pro or Studio subscribers.
Isometric dimensioning in LayOut. Auto text improvements.
2019.3
Changes to cope with Google’s ending of the ability to sign in from within applications.
macOS Catalina support.
2020.0
Outliner improvements.
Object bounding box grips for Move tool.
Transparency of objects in order to position out of sight grips.
Ability to hide objects.
Layers changed to Tags
Control of the new SketchUp features from within LayOut.
2020.1
Control of object visibility in scenes.
Section Plane and scenes improvements.
Editing of hidden objects.
Object grips added to Rotate tool.
Create empty object as a starting point for a new group or component.
Performance and select tool improvements in LayOut.
2020.2
Holographic display.
Voice controlled modeling. Just give a hint of what you want, and it will appear.
Ok, I may have made up the last two. Hopefully, seeing new features in dot releases will continue.
From V8, you can work with solid and boolean. It is an important key feature compared to many of these years, that are very small improvements.
It was faster than boolean in third party extension. And you can display and work with volumes information. Interesting in architecture, for example to know the weight or the work on foundations.
I agree with you about API. But They were improved regularly since V4 introduction. SketchUp API are interesting. Today, since SketchUp free is discontinuated since 2017, and since the forced subscription, there is no interest to develop on SketchUp. The extension market will decrease. I have noticed on forums, that people continue to work with SketchUp 2017 Make.
People have to understand that SketchUp “eco-system” is changing a lot with these moves. I think it is not changing in a good way.
SketchUp is not enough pro, or it is pro with method and compromises we accept because le licence was cool and the public was very large. The minor improvements since SU 2013 have brought discredit in the professional circles around me.
It got combined and made worse with BIM forced by Autodesk and its lobying worldwide.
If Sketchup adopted the IFC and the classification, which is good, there was not enough effort and creativity for SketchUp to have an original approach on BIM. It’s regrettable, because SketchUp was technically ready for this development as early as 2006.
SketchUp becomes too expensive for semi-pro or enlightened amateurs, or other users.
