SketchUp 2022 is Out!

SketchUp 2022 is Out!

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
The newest version of SketchUp is now available. The 2022 version was made available a few days ago and has various improvements. The main ones are: SketchUp Pro (desktop) Search box (tools, settings, etc.) - The search box that was already quite familiar for users of the SketchUp web app is now also available on the desktop. Just hit Shift-S to get started. What's really cool for an extension user like me is that extension tools also automatically show up here.Lasso Select - A neat way to select objects that just don't fit into a rectangular selection window.Stamp Copy - A multi-copy tool similar to what I had already implemented in my Place Shapes Toolbar. Nice to now have it in the Move tool, too.Tag Tool - A better way to tag objects (i.e. assign objects to layers in "old lingo"). Just click the tag icon and click away on what needs to be tagged. Much faster than always going to the...
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Floor Flatness Check in SketchUp with Point Clouds

Floor Flatness Check in SketchUp with Point Clouds

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
As I covered in last week's post, Trimble recently released a new point cloud extension for SketchUp, Trimble Scan Essentials For SketchUp. In today's post and video, I am using this tool to perform some analysis with the same 3D point cloud data that I introduced earlier (a scan of our classroom). I am basically checking how level the floor in our classroom really is by using what is aptly called a "floor flatness analysis". This approach is useful to verify any concrete work, especially if tolerances were defined in the specs. As you may have guessed already - our classroom's floor is not overly flat at all in some areas. My solution uses the extension's Inspection Map feature and simply compares the floor scan's points to a planar reference surface. This then results in a color-coded map that nicely illustrates where the ridges and valleys are. You can even label individual points and produce well-documented reports from this. Of course, the...
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Point Clouds in SketchUp – Much Improved!

Point Clouds in SketchUp – Much Improved!

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
The new Scan Essentials extension in SketchUp A few days ago, the Trimble folks announced the release of a new point cloud extension for SketchUp, Trimble Scan Essentials For SketchUp. This came on the heels of their release of version 2020.1 of SketchUp Pro. And if you asked me, being able to easily work with point clouds in SketchUp is absolutely the most exciting feature of this year's release cycle! TIP:Never heard of point clouds? Check out this Wikipedia article as a primer. Up until recently, Trimble produced the Scan Explorer extension for SketchUp that allowed you to load a point cloud and extract construction points, planes, etc. into the 3D model. The workflow was a bit clunky in that the cloud would never load into the modeling environment but remained in the viewer dialog. This is now much improved in this new extension. I should mention at this point that there are also other LIDAR and point cloud extensions for SketchUp, most notably...
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2018 SketchUp 3D Basecamp Recap

2018 SketchUp 3D Basecamp Recap

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
After SketchUp's 3D Basecamps in Boulder (2012), Vail (2014), and Steamboat Springs (2016), this was my fourth such event, this time in Palm Springs, CA. Aside from the move from CO to CA, this event also hosted a lot more attendees, over 1200 in total, with folks coming from over 30 countries. I really enjoy these 3D Basecamps. Not only because I can talk about topics that are dear to me, e.g. in my presentations this time on Ruby coding, but at which other event can you meet so many amazing people that all share the same passion, then listen to a keynote about making (delivered by the incomparable Grant Imahara of Mythbusters fame), then sit at lunch with an Oscar-winner (by complete coincidence), followed by listening to presentations about design, laser scanning, and drones in construction. And let's not forget that the same day was capped by a party under the Californian sunset with old and new friends from all...
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SketchUp 2017 is out. And it’s looking great!

SketchUp 2017 is out. And it’s looking great!

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
Okay, admittedly SketchUp 2017 has been out for a few days now (there's even a first maintenance release already). I just didn't get around to posting about it. So, what do I like most about this release? Here's my rundown: A new Graphics Engine This one is a major improvement. As you may know, SketchUp doesn't only exist on Mac or Windows computers, but since a little while also as a browser-based modeling app on the web (at my.sketchup.com). This means that there are three different graphics environments out there in which you can push and pull to your heart's content. It makes only sense from a software development standpoint to unify those three. Fortunate for the users, this also leads to much more consistent graphics as well. Specifically this means: The modeling environment is now DPI-aware. This means that on a high-resolution screen, everything from lines to tool cursors now scales with the set resolution. You can see this already in the...
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