Does anyone know if it’s possible to transfer measurements from e.g. Bosch GLM 50 directly to SketchUp Pro? I know this has been some what discussed in the previous years, but I just wanted to raise this again as there might have been recent developments.
Leica’s models seems to be quite expensive and Bosch seems to constantly be one step ahead with new reasonable priced digital measurement products. That’s why I’m trying to figure this one out.
Has anyone got experience using RedStick basic app version to transfer data from Bosch GLM 50 to to SketchUp in dwg or dxf?
Has anyone used other means of automatically transferring measurement data from Bosch GLM 50 (or similar Bosch) to SketchUp?
I addressed this in a post a couple of years back in this thread:
I was curious if anything has changed in the meantime, so I did a quick search on the Bosch site to see if they had added any export capabilities to their Measuring Master app. As far as I can tell, the answer is no. For sure, there is no direct data transfer or CAD import to Sketch-Up, as the app seems to be intended to only be used directly on / with mobile devices (Android or iOS).
They do have a second, newer app called Measure On (with cloud based storage), that does have minimal data export capabilities — but only as .jpg, .pdf or .xls. — so again, no direct transfer or .dxf export.
Redstick looks interesting, but I hadn’t heard of it before… so no idea how well it works with SU. They claim the capabilities you require (as I’m sure you know), but the basic app at $9.99 seems too limited to be of much use — and it’s a big leap to the pro version at $249.
However their website raises a number of flags:
there is virtually no activity on their forums and the last company posts were 2 years ago
there hasn’t been any post on their FaceBook page in 3 years
there is no content at all on their YouTube channel and their only two intro videos are from 2011
there are no additions of more current LDM’s listed as compatible devices.
In sum this suggests that it is no longer being actively developed, so I would be wary.
Seems like there is still a need for a robust solution to this problem, and I have to wonder why Bosch still doesn’t seem to understand how their customers really want to use their devices.
Thanks for you quick comment and very useful and thorough answers. I agree, it seems very weird that Bosch lacks this essential export to CAD support, which shouldn’t be such a huge effort these days. I would understand it better if Bosch was developing a competing product for CAD designers, but that sounds a bit far fetched.
Good points regarding Redstick, thanks!
So I guess for a beginner designer one would then have to turn to one of the more expensive Leica models, since they have the handy CAD support. It’s just a bit unfortunate their products don’t seem to have as many features as Bosch’s.
When I bought my Leica Disto D2, I had gone into the store (Atlas Machinery in Toronto) intending to buy the Bosch GLM 50C because I liked the features and the large, colour display.
[Atlas had been selling LDM’s pretty much from the beginning and had a wide selection and tons of experience with Leica, Stabila, Bosch and DeWalt.]
However, the salesman there convinced me that the Leica was the better choice, both because the quality and accuracy of the tool itself, and for the better software options. So I spent $50 more for a slightly less-featured but higher-quality tool — a tradeoff that is often found in the choice of professional tools.
(He also had high praise for Stabila, which he said was buying the electronic guts of their devices from Leica, but were 20-30% cheaper for equivalent models — but their MEASURES app doesn’t support direct transfer or data export, other than .pdf)
The big difference between Leica’s software support and Bosch’s is this: Leica published an API, so that other developers can access the Bluetooth data stream directly from Leica devices. (hence the direct data transfer into AutoCAD and BricsCAD)
You’ll see on their website that there are a dozen 3rd-party apps in different domains (including a cabinet-making app) that used their API in order to enable the kind of functionality that we would like to see for SU.
Long answer I know, but the TLDR is this: I don’t regret passing on the flashier option for a more robust, reliable and ultimately more useful tool (for my use cases). If the additional features of the Bosch are locked into their device (and/or the mobile devices their software does support), then the integration benefits are only half-implemented and therefore much-less helpful in real-world usage.