3D Scanning Extension for SketchUp

The Trimble Scan Explorer Extension

Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) announced today the release of Trimble® Scan Explorer Extension for SketchUp Pro; a powerful, easy-to-use tool enabling architects, engineers and geospatial professionals to create models from 3D scanning data. The new solution connects the high-resolution field data from Trimble scanners with intuitive and powerful professional modeling software; simplifying the process of creating, accessing and sharing precise 3D models of the real-world environment.  

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Maxwell for SketchUp 2013

The Maxwell Render team at Next Limit is now offering the long awaited Maxwell for SketchUp 2013 plug-ins.

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SketchUp script clips #1: Setup and basic ideas

 In this series of posts, I will be exploring how one can create scripted geometry in SketchUp. Traditionally, this has been more the realm of programs like Rhino. And justifiably so. Rhino is NURBS-based and can create and modify curved geometry much better than SketchUp. However, SketchUp is an easy-to-use program for working with polygon-mesh-based geometry. It also has a built-in scripting language (Ruby) and best of all – it’s free. So if you want to script SketchUp to automate small tasks or to create interesting geometry, then this may be a good series of posts to follow.

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SketchUp Plugins: Extruding and Offsettin Curved Faces

The new sketchup plugin! Extruding and Offsettin Curved Faces!
The Joint Push Pull plugin created by Fredo on SketchUcation.com is a useful tool to use the push pull command on curved surfaces. There are times that you need to do this and the original tool provided by SketchUp will not work on surfaces if they have even a slight curve to them. Joint Push Pull solves this dilemma.

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Laser Scans in Google SketchUp

Pointools has just announced the availability of a new plug-in for Google SketchUp. This would seem to be quite a statement about the level of demand for point cloud data by Google SketchUp customers.

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Very cool plugin: Proper Animation (video) with tutorial

Somewhere near the top of SketchUp's all-time list of feature requests, there's a big, bold headline that reads ANIMATE THE MOVEMENT OF OBJECTS. It's something all of us have wanted to do at one time or another. Unfortunately, it's also not something we've managed to tackle just yet. And that's why Ruby script plugins for SketchUp are so darn useful.

A while ago, I found out about a nice little plugin called Proper Animation. Watching the teaser video (below) inspired me to model and animate my very own robotic contraption. Shockingly, it only took me about half and hour to do; Proper Animation is refreshingly easy to figure out and use.

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