Submitted by PCMag reviews Google’s SketchUp beta. “Google SketchUp Beta, the brand new, free 3D drawing tool isn’t an obvious fit for the Google desktop application canon. However, this blend of vector-based 3D drawing and CAD-like control lets you rapidly build 3D models that can be exported to numerous bitmap and compressed file formats and, more importantly, geo-coded and shared on the company’s Google Earth satellite imagery program, which is also free. So, it’s a undeniably cool, oddball app that has the potential to turn one of Google’s most popular services, Google Earth, into an even more powerful and personal tool.”
So the users will be calpable to model their own house and place the 3D model to Google Earth.
I can see the google earth geometry database becoming very valuable over time as the number of 3D models gains critical mass.
Windows: Version # 5.0.245
Macintosh: Coming Soon
______________________________
Linux: Coming at all?
They dont want to waste time…
Microsoft seems to be pretty anti-Google but what they don’t understand is that Google is also very useful to them.
The Google toolbar is used by millions of people and was exclusive to Windows when Firefox was really starting to pick up steam.
Google desktop, Google Talk, Picasa are all Windows only and Google Earth is either Windows or OSX (no Linux), and now we have SketchUp.
For a company that is such a huge threat to MS they seem to be one of the few companies out there writing decent free applications for it that are not imbeded with spyware.
I wish I had enemies like that.
You seem to forget that linux already had comparable if not better software in all those categories. And it was *already* free.
Google desktop -> Beagle (arguably better)
GTalk -> Countless jabber compatible apps, plus various softphones
Picasa -> F-Spot (and maybe gThumb)
As for Google Earth, I seem to recall they promised to work on a linux version.
Google hesitates to make Linux version, because later Google will be asked to GPL the Pro version.
Babi Asu,
Re: “Google hesitates to make Linux version, because later Google will be asked to GPL the Pro version.”
There’s no basis in fact with your comment since several commercial developers sell their software for use on Linux. Such as Autodesk, Softimage, SideFX, etc. The Google developers have posted on http://www.sketchup.com/ that SketchUp can be used for Previz work in film production. While not every post-production studio uses Linux there are a lot that do.
My post “Software for 3D/2D Artists, Designers, etc.” seen here http://www.linuxforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=53452 should help you understand what currently is open source for the market Google is targeting and what is not. Anyway, just because a person migrates from Windows or OSX to Linux doesn’t mean that person will no longer pay for software or support. After all just because a commercial developer ports their software to run on Linux doesn’t mean they have to change their commercial license.
This is really starting to get anoying. Google says they are platform independent, yet they launch most products only for microrosft windows with some mac support promised in the future. Even worse is when they promise support for linux through wine, I like wine for emulating windows apps, but I dont want apps created to use it.
Edited 2006-04-28 22:13
Google also claims to “do no evil”, but they’ve explicitly blocked alternative browsers (like Opera) many times in the past. Not supporting a browser I can understand, but purposefully going out of one’s way to restrict access (unless the user identifies Opera as IE/Firefox) is pretty mean.
It is just par for the course for Google.
Google also claims to “do no evil”, but they’ve explicitly blocked alternative browsers (like Opera) many times in the past. Not supporting a browser I can understand, but purposefully going out of one’s way to restrict access (unless the user identifies Opera as IE/Firefox) is pretty mean.
It is just par for the course for Google.
It’s not Google blocking a certain browser, but the browser itself that lack required capabilities. Are you trying to say Google is evil because you can’t open gmail with lynx?
you trying to say Google is evil because you can’t open gmail with lynx?
I can open gmail in lynx, I do it all the time at school!
Wait for the number of live MUD/Sims-like communities infesting Google Earth, as the suckers pony up for the pro version of the software and start importing 3D goods from software like Poser.
And how is this free? It has a 480 minutes trial time after which it has to be registered for €469.
You are confusing between the Trial version of SketchUp pro and SketchUp Home. The former is an 8 hour trial while the latter is free.
I’ll check it out… But I wont be surprised if this is yet another half baked Google product.
And by half baked you mean beta?
Just to be clear and to give credit where it is due, SketchUp is NOT a new product. What’s new is that Google bought it. It was a magnificant tool. They would have to try to screw it up…
Those apps are indeed windows-only at the moment, but consider the ramifications: in and of themselves the apps aren’t really tied to any particular technology of the windows platform, but rather to that of google (servers, etc.). As a consequence, if their software gains popularity it will, at least for some tasks, make the underlying windows platform irrelevant. Thus at that point, if a non-windows version were made available, switching OS/platform suddenly becomes no big deal. I have a feeling that type of scenario is what MS is afraid of.
Note: this is entirely my own opinion of one possible scenario. I’m not saying I think this will happen, just that it could.
Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (Danger hiptop 2.0; U; AvantGo 3.2)
Linux users don’t need sketchup for 3D modelling…We have blender that is igual free and with tons of features that sketchup don’t ever dream of: Export to swf , plugin to browser, render with povray, a game engine, a active community, regular releases and a pdf book for free!
Who needs sketchup ?!?
This is just so thatpeople know what’s this about.
SketchUp (Pro) is a product of @Last Software. The program is, from what I’ve seen, quite nice. Geared towards architects and designers more than engineers, it allows for pretty good plans and designs. What’s cool about it is its comfortable interface and the great results it produces.
Then Google released Google Earth and later a format to insert 3D models. @Last quickly made an export filter for that format, sensing that SketchUp would be a nice solution to do those models.
So Google buys @Last, and @Last releases Google SketchUp.
The most important point to be taken into account here is: Google SketchUp is not SketchUp Pro. Pro still is 450 bucks or so, and will probably remain that way.
Also note that SketchUp was a product for Mac OS and Windows. There’s no Google SketchUp for Linux because there was no SketchUp Pro for Linux. It’s a different circumstance as that of other Google apps. (I don’t know if they have any plans or not, I’m just explaining way there isn’t a Linux version now)
Google SketchUp idea is, of course, having a solid but free product to let people populate Google Earth. That way, the only pay for the software, but the content (the expensive part) is built by the public.
The idea is not to release Pro for everyone, or to have an all-purpose 3D modelling program. It’s only intended for Google Earth model creation.
any word on X3D support? I’ve been trying to find a modeling program for a pet-project and decided the X3D would be the best file format. I know Blender can export to X3D, but it can’t import. If it doesn’t can anyone recommend one?
The OS is still important and will remain so for at least another 3 years. Even simple applications still have a hard time rendering through the browser.
Google earth is growing more and more on me though. Think of the ramifications to realtors on this project.