Anyone tried Google Sketchup?

[savage]

Just wondering if anyone had tried http://sketchup.google.com/

[Huehnerschaender]

I surely would immediately give it a try, if the free version was able to export to 3DS. But unfortunately only the pro version is able to. So just creating content for google earth is not of much interest to me.

Anyway, if I find the time (and time is short at the moment) I will give it a try to test out how easy it is to build up buildings which maybe are worth to be used in games. Then I can decide if the license fee for the pro version is worth the benefit.


Greetings,
Dirk

[jdarling]

I've tried it, used it, love it. I don't like that you have to buy pro to make use of the exporters, and look forward to the first person to crack the google file format. Once thats done we can all enjoy it a bit more. Right now we use it for reading AutoDesk files (AutoCad and a few others), convert to image, post on intraweb. Great for those maps of the company campus(s) to show interns and new hires where everything is.

[Firlefanz]

Can it write any 3D format or only the full version?

If not, then it is totally useless :wink:

Firle

[noeska]

Only the full version can write to other formats.

But it is possible to write plugins for it in the ruby language.

There is already a su2pov library that allows exporting into the povray format. http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/su2pov.htm

The realy scary part is the even the free version expires and forces you to redownload the free version. So google can pull the plug out of the free version at any time :(

[Firlefanz]

They told us they offer it free now, for me this was a lie.
Nothing more than a crap demo version without any use when you not buy the pro.

Firle