Viewing SketchUp model in Augmented Reality on actual building site

#1

I want to view a SketchUp model placed on an actual building site using Augmented Reality tools. I imagine using a tablet (preferred) or VR glasses (eg Google Cardboard) and being able to walk around the building site to visualize the model in the real world in the real place.

I have searched online but haven’t found a way to do this without investing in some expensive subscription based software, and I’m not even sure these would really do what I am describing. There are more and more examples of commercial vendors allowing one to view furniture placed to scale in a room in your house and viewable on a phone or tablet - what I want to do is quite similar but on a larger scale, using my own models. I am sure this is something that many other architects, designers, developers etc would leap to use widely if it was easy to implement.

I don’t think this achievable in placing a model in Google Earth - I am talking about seeing a model looking directly at the actual real world site.

#2

The viewer for ios or android could do that, € 10 p/y
The Viewer itself is free, the AR possibility is a built in purchase, free when you sign in with a Trimble ID that has the right plan (Shop,Pro or Studio) If you haven’t tried, there is a 30 days- trial period.

All other options I know of cost money and a lot more then that.

#3

Thanks - which viewer are you referring to? Is there a link to the page?

I had searched also for examples of people using this in the field but couldnt find any.

#4

SketchUp Viewer mobile app. Go here, https://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-viewer/downloads, you’ll see the links for ios and Android. I just did a review of the mobile app on my YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/vwwAaFrkYvY although I didn’t go too in depth on the AR features.

1 Like
#5

Be careful to note the requirements for AR on the device you want to use. The viewer can’t provide AR with earlier Android versions (I don’t recall the cutoff), and I don’t know if there is a similar restriction on iOs devices.

#6

Generally cost is relative to the benefits you receive and subjective in your perceptions thereof. I use Kubity - which is about US$440. The app, which I use on my Android tablet is exceptionally good for AR. Your model is loaded directly from SU, and there is the ability to interact with client’s on their devices with you controlling the model - plus a few other handy tricks. Note that your tablet needs to be a specific model.

#7

Thanks very much! I hadn’t before used the Viewer and didn’t know it had the AR capabilities!

I

#8

Thanks very much

for the info.

I think I’ll play around with SketchUp Pro AR Viewer will do for now.