So last month I met with a client and proudly presented my Sketchup model for their project. Said I’d send them a copy and a link to the Sketchup viewer after the meeting. Sent my boilerplate email on how to use the viewer, including a Youtube tutorial link, and, low and behold, they can’t use the viewer because it is no longer available! Silly me! My last three projects were using Revit and I was working contract for my previous employer (self-employed doing small projects and occasionally working contract).
I’ve gone to the Trimble Connect site through the Sketchup program link and tried to use the viewer, but it is complete ■■■■! What’s the deal? Have not bought the license yet, but it hardly seems worth it from what I’m seeing - impossible to navigate, scenes don’t import, etc.. This move on Sketchup’s part could make sense because, in the past, I’ve sent files to clients that were too large to open on their computers, but otherwise it appears to be just another step towards rental serfdom.
Perhaps my model is too big - plenty of YouTube tutorials with small models that make it look like it works OK?
I have been using Sketchup for 19 years, and, while there are many things I hate about it (starting with no command prompt with unlimited shortcuts - thank you Autodesk!), for me, it is by far the fastest way to create simple presentation models for the small projects I work on as a single-shingle. I do the Sketchup 3D - AutoCAD 2D process. Everytime I start a project with Revit, I swear that, unless it’s a large project with a lot of repetition and/or the CAD/BIM will be needed by others, it does not make sense timewise.
Anyone having success using Trimble Connect for client interaction?
How big is the file? You could share it so we can look to see if we have any issues or can see something that might be related.
What version of SketchUp? What operating system and graphics card. Your forum profile shows Windows 7 and an ancient ATI Radeon card but surely you aren’t still using them.
48 MB - tiny compared to many Sketchup files I create.
My question is about the viewer - seeing the project online. For comparison, I went to the Revit viewer to see how it performed for a file that is about 20x this file’s size, and Autodesk has no problems, even with their cumbersome file format.
I understood that. At 48 Mb it might be too much for the viewer to perform well. Depends on textures and the numbers of edges as well as things like internet speed. Have you tried the online SketchUp viewer instead of the Trimble Connect viewer?
No, I was unaware that it was available - does not seem to be a free trial period to see how it works. You know of a video demonstration?
I’m always trying determine if Sketchup is still a good tool for me - it can be difficult to engage in a discussion on it because hard questions are often considered unwarranted criticism - the program is what it is, so you can take or leave it! I understand that Sketchup cannot be compared to many other popular applications and is filling a price-point niche. Part of the reason to continue to use it was how easy it was to create good looking (non-photorealistic) presentation models that my clients could view at their leisure. If Trimble is forcing users to use their online platform for non-license holders to view projects, then it ought to at least be as functional as their competitors.
It looks like the Pro paid tier of the viewer costs as much as Sketchup Pro itself - still a trifle compared to other programs, but you gotta wonder…
It’s included with your SketchUp subscription. Click on the Share a link button in the Trimble Connect toolbar. Save the file to your Trimble Connect storage and you can create a link to share with the client.
Perfect. My initial impression is that this works better than sending a file to the client.
Thanks!
When you open the page, you see plans and pricing - did not realize the header button saying plans and pricing was a site header not this page’s header…
I don’t know what their online viewer is trying to do - extremely cumbersome to maneuver views.
You’re showing the Trimble viewer not the SketchUp viewer like I did. You can show SketchUP models in the Trimble viewer but it’s a different renderer than the SketchUp viewer. And yes, with the online viewer you only send the client a link and they can look at the model in a web browser page. This also means they can’t edit your model.
Please correct your forum profile with the SketchUp license and version as well as the correct operating system and graphics card.
Yes, I understand that I’m not showing the viewer that you referred me to - that one works pretty good compared to this online viewer, which was where I started before I came here.
Now this I want to get to the bottom of. What’s the point of having the other viewer - the Trimble viewer that does not seem to work very well. Is it still under development? Is it the same viewer?
No. It’s not the same viewer. The Trimble viewer was available before the online SketchUp viewer and it is used by some other Trimble products. The online SketchUp viewer is based on the browser versions of SketchUp but with no option to edit models.
