Randall Newton of AECnews.com reports that Google has released a stripped-down free version of SketchUp for personal use only.
The old @Last SketchUp ($495) is renamed Google SketchUp Pro and is meant for commercial use. It has organic terrain modeling, animation, exporters for CAD and raster files, large-format printers, and two years of free technical support.
New is the Google Warehouse repository for 3D content, where anyone can display their efforts. The site already contains impressive and unimpressive efforts, plus collections of symbols (humans, furnishings, etc) for populating models. SketchUp models can be downloaded onto your computer. Nothing new to CAD users, except that this has Google's name behind it.
As Newton notes: Still, creating a 3D model isn’t word processing; new users should expect to take some time to learn how to create 3D content worth sharing. Which is why I expect more to come from commercial efforts (where someone gets paid to replicate 3D buildings) than from enthusiasts.
Reaction
Other sites reacting to the news:
Adena Schutzberg of All Points Blog quotes Gary Smith of Directions: "From Google’s standpoint, the concern might be that someone else would buy @Last Software and they would lose this terrific solution to build 3D content for Google Earth. Now, that can’t happen."
Googling Google notes that the ...domain name google3dwarehouse.com/net/org/info registered on April 24th.
Google Blogscooped wonders if Warehouse might become a repository for Google Map locations one day.
The Radioactive Yak looks forward: As a 3D modeler myself this is fantastic news. At Intervention Engineering we develop 3D models of clients oil fields and platforms. Using SketchUp we can now take this one level further and fly them through their facilities in Google Earth.
Inside Google: Clicking this link loads the 3D Warehouse directory into Google Earth. With it, any object in the Warehouse will exist as a placemark in Google Earth
My second-favorite quote:
The 3D drawings can also be printed.
- digital inspiration
And my favorite quote:
Without even loading up the SketchUp software, I’m already pleased.
- Nathan Weinberg
The mark of a true pundit.
Update
I get a sense of the Jobsian reality-distortion field when reading statements by the SketchUp marketeers. Randall Newton quotes them as saying Google SketchUp is "not stripped." Except that it is. Compared to the Pro version, it has to be (scroll down to "What's The Difference").
When the Google buyout was first announced, Brad [no last names, pls], the founder of @Last Software claimed, "There are currently no plans to change the pricing model of SketchUp or to offer it for free." But today the company distorts reality. Writes Aidan: "I'm pretty sure that the first part of this won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who knows anything about Google.... we're releasing a free version of SketchUp." Ooops.
Not American? Pay up, pro! SketchUp Pro has country-dependent pricing. Converted to US$:
USA: $495
Euros: $580
England: $570
It must cost a lot of money to translate the documentation from American to British.
More Reaction
Erick Schonfeld of business2blog wonders if this is an attempt by Google to turn Earth into SecondLife.
FrankTaylor of Goolge Earth Blog muses over the current limitations: I don't believe the current combination will suddenly create such a new metaverse, virtual replication of our world, in Google Earth.
"While not really a drawing and inking tool, the program does work well in some early testing on a Tablet PC using the pen to manipulate the various functions and create objects," reports Warner Crocker at Life on the Wicked Stage.
What did the big tomato say to the squished tomato? SketchUp! jokes part time humorist rzklkng at metafilter. He wonders how long until Google Sketchup/Earth becomes a threat to American security
MakeYouGoHmmm.com compares SketchUp with modeling in Second Life: "Guess I need to spend some time with the [SketchUp] tutorials to figure this out. I never needed a tutorial using SL to build a dice cube."
"We all work for Google," warns John Murrell of Good Morning Silicon Valley. "Maybe Santa Claus should take a page out of Google's Big Book of Business Plans -- he could just give all the kids free tools and let them build their own toys (plus some extras for his warehouse)."
"But note that to produce images at greater than screen resolutions, you need to pay at least $495 for the Pro version," says 327.ca. Add to that the cost of a commerical license for Google Earth...
While I haven't verified it yet, it appears that Google has quite a bit to learn about 'crippleware', a la AutoCAD LT.
A quick analysis reveals that the SketchUp ActiveX API and the Ruby scripting language are both enabled in the free version.
What will that lead to?
Take a guess!
Posted by: Tony Tanzillo | Apr 29, 2006 at 05:57 AM
Tony's right, with one exception. Encrypted Ruby scripts won't run on the free version of Google SketchUp, only open scripts.
Posted by: Randall Newton | May 01, 2006 at 09:11 AM