Google’s SketchUp 3D Basecamp in Boulder, Colorado has just begun, and they kicked it off with a big announcement — the release of Google SketchUp 8!
The biggest difference in this version of SketchUp is the amount of geodata that can be pulled into it. They’ve rewritten the UI for geolocating models, and they’ll pull in a patch of terrain data along with color aerial photos via the Google Maps API. Because they’re doing that way, Google Earth doesn’t need to be open while you’re working in SketchUp, saving system resources.
You can also perform geospatial searches from the 3D Warehouse to show nearby 3D models from other SketchUp users. This helps to add context to your project and offers some nice advantages.
Another neat feature is Building Maker integration with SketchUp. You can start Building Maker from within SketchUp, work on your building, and then convert the Building Maker model into a SketchUp model. The model will be cleaned up a bit (removal of unnecessary interior polygons), but it will maintain the imagery that you’ll applied to the exterior of the building.
SketchUp Pro has also seen some upgrades, including some new tools and support for boolean operations such as intersect, union and split.
If you’re a SketchUp user, this is a great update for you. You can download SketchUp 8 here, or watch the video below to learn more about the new features available to you.
About Mickey Mellen
Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.
Those new tools are awesome!
New tools are good, but apart from that – the same bugs, the same 32-bit application, the same week points.
Still can’t see the reason why should I pay for it…
Cool new features, but I still prefer the old way of getting Google Earth imagery. They gotta think of slow-internet users too, you know. Takes forever to get that image in Sketchup 8. Why download Google Maps imagery when you already have that place cached in Earth?
Why do they still use IE in Sketchup? Chrome is much more faster especially when you use Buildingmaker. But still nice new features.
the new tools are definitely nice, but i just wish they would fix some of the existing bugs…
I cant’t download the version 8.0, I can see only the version 7.0 on the site! Why?
sketchup is very frustrating. Whats the point of being able to download buildings when a “File Generation Error” occurs:
“we cannot convert this BUilding Maker model into Sketchup because the file would be too large. Please try and import the kmz version.” and then that fails too.