Google’s Sketchup
In January, I wrote about how wonderful SketchUp was. Looks like good things have a hard time staying single :). Google bought this amazing software.
I particularly like this one as SketchUp team addresses a crucial issue to the essentially non-IT professionals.
I’m a design professional. Don’t ruin my SketchUp.
I hear you. The truth is, we’ve been changing SketchUp since the beginning. Every new version has been an improvement on the previous one, and we’re going to keep it that way. The goal here is to introduce SketchUp to a wider audience and to continue to make it the best 3D software around. SketchUp is only going to get better–I promise.
It is reassuring to read that they still have their eye on the ball, and it’s not just about supporting Google Earth to have those 3D dreams.
I am surprised, though, by Google’s move to buy a CAD oriented software, to say the least. Does Google want to build a virtual 3D world, just like it has aggregated its information? Will it start to geo-tag information on that 3D map of the world? The possibilities are endless and mind blowing! Who knows, my kids or their kids will be learning their geography lessons in 3D. Or for that matter, the earth would rotate like it does in Google Earth to point to the source of information when you search on Google 10 years from now.
The only current logical conclusion would be that Google is bowled over by the sheer brilliance of this software to render “3D dreams” with amazing ease. With Ruby API built-in, I guess they can extend this isolated virtual world creator to a connected realtime fly through. May be even a social / commercial app that can be extended to any industry. Aviation, engineering, Marine, Defense, Trade, Tourism, Exploration, you name it. Oh my god, mind shattering possibilities!
Chetan,
Mar 16, 06 at 01:25Can you give examples of applications that can be developed ? I couldn’t really understand your chain of thoughts as to what applications can be created.
-v“
Applications in the form of mashups. Connecting components of two or more open (pluggable) applications to create a unique one to tailor to a specific business or requirement. I’m sure you have heard of Ning. At Ning, you can create your own mashup using the available online applications (like Google Maps and others) to create your own unique one. Some examples:
Government: Bodies such as land survey/records, urban planning can utilize these tools to create a unique online service to their citizens. Visualization of traffic studies. Crime records like a live 3D crime mapping (Chicago Police).
Commercial: Property development. Private developers providing a unique customer experience. Navigation (like this one: VW with Google)
Marine: Geographical, navigational data, mapping, GPS and GIS services. Warning systems can be synthesised with available data to create and predict ocean wave heights and provide those to fishermen or boats in the region. Data can be tapped realtime to show directly via service like mobile phones or other communication devices.
Architectural / engineering: Government and private bodies can create a customer oriented service and for feedback to make use of a live visual rendering prior to commencing work. Bridge and highway engineers can utilize the topography together with Google Earth and SketchUp to overcome obstacles in their path.
Aviation: Positioning and obstruction studies of proposed / expansion of fly-zones. Realtime rendering of planes for the Air traffic controllers. Combining with topographical details to build rich databases, which can then be put online for all flights and control towers to utilize this information, and so on.
Logistics studies, Defense: Online live 3D maps will be able to give a better idea of difficult terrains, predicting problems due to weather. SketchUp can export to any vector format, so those models can be further used to create a unique weather effects app online, in sensitive areas like heavy snowfall, avalanches, et al.
Tourism: Providing an in-depth fly throughs before actually visiting, especially in er, more adventurous places.
Mar 16, 06 at 13:05All these application will depend on creation of this user generated sketches right ? Is it possible to created 3D structures based on Images using computers or all of these have to be created manually ? Who will create and own such a data store of sketches . And who will validate the accuracy of such a store. Maps are easy , so is creating a datastore of photos, but if the sketch are to be generated manually, I have my doubts about the reachof such applications and also the cost.
Mar 16, 06 at 13:47Topography is easy to create. By mapping and reading contours. As far as modelling of structures is concerned, they need to be done manually.
But, nobody is asking to build an virtual earth on their own entirely. People or businesses interested in building will build interested areas on their own. And, just like Google Earth allows people to mark locations and post pictures of the locations on Google Earth, it would extend it to adding 3D models in a layer. Google Earth users can switch it off, if they like (very similar to landmarks, roads, etc that are already available).
Part validation is done already by the satellite imagery. It is only a question of heights or depths in elevation. If there is a discrepancy in the satellite image footprint and its corresponding 3D model+the shadow, then people will know that something has changed there. May be some form of feedback would be solicited by Google Earth to point out changes. Who knows.
Economics wise whoever thought it would be economical to map the earth? But that is exactly what we have today, and at an unimaginable cost, collective effort and over an unbelievably long period of time. None of us will have a 3D world within a year. Things like this take time. But when completed, whenever that is, users would wonder how they lived without it.
I thought I pointed a prototype link already. In case you missed it, you might want to go back to my previous comment.
Mar 16, 06 at 21:58