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Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

sketchupdate.blogspot.com

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Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#21

Post by robomartin »

Interesting. As a long time AutoCAD and SolidWorks user I have never thought of Trimble as a 3D CAD company. Not even a software company. One has to wonder if SketchUp could have found a better home than Trimble.

I can see an established 3D CAD company really enhancing it as a potential bridge onto their bigger tools and providing more interoperability with other platforms. I can't justify buying a license of SolidWorks for my kid's PC but if SketchUp were a SW product with a ramp up to SW I would definitely consider it and even pay for it.

Time will tell.

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#23

Post by adestefan »

cpeterso wrote: post #13

Any armchair CEOs have suggestions for other Google products that should be sold or spun out? Wikipedia has an interesting list of discontinued Google products. There might be some interesting product ideas that didn't work at Google scale, but might still be worthwhile for a smaller company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_products#Discon...

The problem is that most of the products on that list are probably tightly integrated with the Google infrastructure. The standalone product of SketchUp was sold off, but now the question is what will happen to the SketchUp 3D Warehouse.

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#24

Post by excuse-me »

robomartin wrote: post #21

Interesting. As a long time AutoCAD and SolidWorks user I have never thought of Trimble as a 3D CAD company. Not even a software company. One has to wonder if SketchUp could have found a better home than Trimble. I can see an established 3D CAD company really enhancing it as a potential bridge onto their bigger tools and providing more interoperability with other platforms. I can't justify buying a license of SolidWo…

GPS is commodity now, Trimble are looking to add value

It's hard to sell a $500 ruggadised GPS unit when it's built into someones iPhone, and people are beginning to wonder why they are paying quite so much even for RTK systems when the actual HW is so cheap.

But if even small scale housing construction started could be persuaded to use the same 3D mapping/GPS technology that big civil engineering projects do then you could tie up a nice market.

From the prospective concept design of the street of houses, the planning permission filings with 3D height modelling, sight lines, light rights, the cad drawings, then the automated layout of roads and foundations with GPS equipped machines - all with an integrated Trimble system.

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#26

Post by sundae79 »

excuse-me wrote: post #24
robomartin wrote: post #21

Interesting. As a long time AutoCAD and SolidWorks user I have never thought of Trimble as a 3D CAD company. Not even a software company. One has to wonder if SketchUp could have found a better home than Trimble. I can see an established 3D CAD company really enhancing it as a potential bridge onto their bigger tools and providing more interoperability with other platforms. I can't justify buying a license of SolidWo…

GPS is commodity now, Trimble are looking to add value It's hard to sell a $500 ruggadised GPS unit when it's built into someones iPhone, and people are beginning to wonder why they are paying quite so much even for RTK systems when the actual HW is so cheap. But if even small scale housing construction started could be persuaded to use the same 3D mapping/GPS technology that big civil engineering projects do then yo…

Didn't know your iphone gps was accurate at millimeter level just like the $500 trimble GPS which is used for precision.

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#27

Post by excuse-me »

sundae79 wrote: post #26
excuse-me wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GPS is commodity now, Trimble are looking to add value It's hard to sell a $500 ruggadised GPS unit when it's built into someones iPhone, and people are beginning to wonder why they are paying quite so much even for RTK systems when the actual HW is so cheap. But if even small scale housing construction started could be persuaded to use the same 3D mapping/GPS technology that big civil engineering projects do then yo…

Didn't know your iphone gps was accurate at millimeter level just like the $500 trimble GPS which is used for precision.

A $500 Trimble is still the same 12channel + WAAS unit you have in your phone or buy in a sports store.

A Real Time Kinematic system can do mm (on a good day with a following wind) but they cost 20x as much!

My post wasn't totally clear - I meant people ALSO wonder why an RTK is $10,000 when you can build your own for a lot less (http://blog.makezine.com/2009/11/12/diy-real-time-kinematic-...)

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#28

Post by simmons »

droz wrote: post #22

Aside from SketchUp, anyone know what other projects/products are being worked on at the Boulder Google office?

I hear that some work on Apps/Docs and Chrome happens there. This morning's Google Drive SDK hangout featured at least one person in Boulder... he had a sweet view of the Flatirons behind him.

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#29

Post by SudarshanP »

http://www.pointclouds.org/blog/trcs/

Trimble is sponsoring development of several projects in different research areas involving 3D perception, as part of the second PCL code sprint.

PCL is the Point Cloud Library from Willowgarage that also created ROS, PR2 and Turtlebot. These guys are surely trying to do some good stuff for 3D. Hope the sketchup community benefits from this acquisition

Re: Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

#30

Post by jpastika »

excuse-me wrote: post #24
robomartin wrote: post #21

Interesting. As a long time AutoCAD and SolidWorks user I have never thought of Trimble as a 3D CAD company. Not even a software company. One has to wonder if SketchUp could have found a better home than Trimble. I can see an established 3D CAD company really enhancing it as a potential bridge onto their bigger tools and providing more interoperability with other platforms. I can't justify buying a license of SolidWo…

GPS is commodity now, Trimble are looking to add value It's hard to sell a $500 ruggadised GPS unit when it's built into someones iPhone, and people are beginning to wonder why they are paying quite so much even for RTK systems when the actual HW is so cheap. But if even small scale housing construction started could be persuaded to use the same 3D mapping/GPS technology that big civil engineering projects do then yo…

Actually, Trimble's focus is not on consumer GPS, it is on machine control (heavy equipment GPS guidance), survey, and build construction. I'm familiar with the machine control hardware through my involvement with a Trimble distributor. The accuracy, especially vertical, achieved through Trimble's machine control is incredible. However, that accuracy is only achieved through the use of a static "base" and mobile (attached to machinery i.e. bulldozer) "rovers".

I do agree that the technology has become much cheaper over the last 10 years, while Trimble's pricing has not fallen at the same rate.

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