Sketchup Blog - News and Notes from the Sketchup folks

SketchUp 7.1 is here

Fall is just around the corner here in Boulder, and with it comes our next release of Google SketchUp (cue the bugling elk). The team's been working long hours through the summer on projects large and small. I'm proud to announce that Google SketchUp 7.1 is available today for you to download and install. Don't you just love the smell of fresh new software?

Even though we're calling this a "point" release (you lucky Pro 7.0 users will get this update for free!), Google SketchUp 7.1 includes a lot more than just minor tweaks and bug fixes. We've added a batch of new features and functionality that make SketchUp (and LayOut 2.1 in SketchUp Pro) even more useful for everyone. Here's some of what's new:

Large Model Handling
We overhauled SketchUp's rendering engine to make it easier to work with big models. With the right setup, operations like orbiting, zooming and drawing are quicker and smoother. Of course, how much quicker depends entirely on factors like your computer's configuration and the specific model you're working on. For most people, most of the time, SketchUp should feel snappier when they're working with lots of geometry. Have a look at this article to find out how to take advantage of the improvements we made.

Better File Exchange
One of the things we're pretty concerned about around here is something called data liberation. Too often, your stuff's locked inside proprietary file formats that force you to use whatever tool you used to create it. We don't think that's right, so we're doing what we can to make it easier to move your data around.

COLLADA is a 3D file format based on open standards; it makes it easier to move your models between different pieces of software. KMZ is the standard file format for packaging 3D models together with information about their geographic locations. SketchUp 7.1 can import and export COLLADA and KMZ files, which should go a long way toward letting you do whatever you like with your data.

Modeling in Context
Whether you're building photo-textured, geo-located models that are headed for Google Earth, or just trying to cobble together some context for a design proposal, you should be interested about the stuff I talk about in this short video:



Get Photo Texture gives you direct access to Google Maps Street View imagery from right inside SketchUp. You can use panoramic, street-level photography we've gathered to photo-texture your models. It's spooky-cool.

Nearby Models lets you use the Component Browser to search the 3D Warehouse for buildings located near the one you're working on. Bringing in a geo-location snapshot first tells SketchUp where to look.

Upload Component provides a shortcut for uploading parts of your model to the 3D Warehouse without having to save them out as separate files first. This is handy if you're modeling several buildings on the same block; it's also useful for preserving the functionality of Dynamic Components when you upload them.

Dimensioned Drawings in Google SketchUp Pro
We've given SketchUp Pro a big upgrade in this release; it's specially targeted at those of you who need to make professional design documents to communicate your work to clients and partners. LayOut 2.1 (included in SketchUp Pro 7.1) now includes a simple but surprisingly powerful tool for dimensioning models and creating dimensioned drawings. There's a bunch more to talk about in LayOut 2.1, but we'll save that for another blog post tomorrow.



...and if that's not enough, have you got an idea for what we should do next?
In earlier days, we used to be able to talk to everybody who was using SketchUp. Every week, well over a million of you are using SketchUp, and it's getting really hard to remember all of your names – much less the new features you'd like us to build. For this release, I've put up a shiny new Google SketchUp Product Ideas page that you can use to let us know what you think we should build next. Don't hold back – I'm listening, and I'll respond formally to (at least) the top ten ideas you post.

And if you just want to talk about SketchUp, please head on over to the Help Center where you'll see that we've done a big upgrade on our discussion forums.

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41 comments :

Chris Fullmer said...

Great post John, thanks!

Kato said...

Is there any way to downgrade back to the previous Collada exporter? I've been using SketchUp 7.0 Pro and there seems to be a big difference in the format of the Collada exports, most notably--and importantly--the new exporter doesn't preserve group or component names. This is a deal-breaker for me.

Andy said...

In the blog post last month it was said "For those of you who depend on the importers we plan to remove, we'll be providing an optional download that enables them again. But remember! This installer will only be available for a limited time, and it will not be supported at all in our next major release." Where is this optional download? Is this still happening?
Thanks

Unknown said...

Hi Kato,

You can't easily downgrade to the previous COLLADA exporter, but I hope you won't really have to do that. The new one is really far more robust. There is an option to preserve component hierarchies- have you experimented with that?


john
.

Kato said...

Hi John,

I tried the preserve component hierarchies option and unfortunately that doesn't keep the group names either.

I have downgraded to SketchUp 7 for the time being since the project I'm working on relies on the names I'm providing for objects in the file. Maybe in the future, that functionality can come back to the exporter? (Doesn't seem like too big a task--the dae files exported by the new one still seem to have an entry for the names of groups/etc. but these names don't match anything entered into SketchUp by the user).

AW said...

Hi John,

The link inside the "large model handling" paragraph takes me to a page in Finnish that is about SketchUp version 6.

Unknown said...

Hi Andrew,

Yes, as promised, you can download an optional installer which will give SketchUp 7.1 (free) an importer for DWG/DXF. You can get that installer here: http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=161784


john
.

Unknown said...

Hi again, Kato,

You're right- we don't preserve those names now. Sorry for the confusion. Could you take this opportunity to slip that idea into into our new SketchUp Product Ideas page (referenced in the original post above). We'll try to get to it in a future release.


john
.

Kato said...

John,

Consider it done!

Unknown said...

Really like the new dimensioning tool in layout 2.1, it's so much more useful now, any chance you could add

Hatch pattern fill options,
Offset line tool
Parallel line tool




Paul

fmb said...

nice! thx for the update...

William said...

What about making dashed lines, property lines and center lines in Sketchup?

Is this possible now in 7.1? I need them in my model to make permit and design drawings.


Many Architects would drop Autocad (their 2-d tools whatever they are) if Google demonstrated that they were serious about the Architecture marketplace.

Keep up the good work!

Unknown said...

When a Linux version? That's the question!

Matt666 said...

Great update, thank you!
Any ruby improvment?

Unknown said...

@Mel. Yes where is the Linux version, pretty much every other 3d app I use comes in a linux flavour, if there was a sketchup for linux I could dump windoze altogether - please, pretty please with flowers on etc =)

Tobi said...

Great new features!

Garden Games - Outdoor Toy Specialists said...

I have a question that i can't seem to find the answer to. We have been using sketchup quite successfully for a while. fantastic program. But we have a large network of people that need to access the data output that we create. They just need to see and play around with the models. Is there anyway to launch sketchup online as a running sysytem on a private server? is that possible? I was hoping V7 would have that ability somehow.

Unknown said...

I've been working with Sketchup since it was born. I've enjoyed every new release, and couldn't be happier. My day job requires me to use AutoCAD for final drawings, but all of my ideas are first shown in SU. I guess if I had to ask for ONE little thing, it would be for Sketchup to produce GCode. *insert Holy Grail soundtrack here* lol..

Unknown said...

Other than a faster rendering (important - yes) and a few new import/export formats, the only upgrades noted to SU 7.1 is in Layout, which is not available to Free users.

So what else has been upgraded in SU 7.1 Free???

jgb (still on SU 6)

Anonymous said...

Great update, thanks Google!
By the way a new collection is now available for models which need to be completed : the Edit Me! Collection. Every model is shared with the community. Come and join us!

Pablo Oneto said...

I think i've seen that building in the streetview example... maybe is handly for the googlers at the skethup team to make examples ;) GRRREAT UPDATE! I Agree with kevin, check out the Model Me Collection

Radio Pinel said...

Hi
Not that I'm early, but I remember this same time last year the SU jumped from version 6 to version 7.

Now I was wondering!
Because launched the upgrade version 7.1 and not version 8?
When we have the new version of the SU 8? We will have this year?

Thanks

Hey there, said...

I can't seem to re-size the dimensions of anything I create, what gives?

Anonymous said...

SU 7.0 for OS X was as buggy as an outdoor flytrap, causing us to stay with 6.x. In addition to the new features, have the bugs been fixed?

Anonymous said...

Yes! some. But unfortunately, the big changes in the heart of the program (new rendering engine etc.) did not leave enough time for more.
Dear Sketchup Team, we users are always open to support you as much as possible to find and eliminate the bugs!

Matthias Fripp said...

In reply to 6p00e5525cebd08833 ("SU 7.0 for OS X was as buggy as an outdoor flytrap"): I found that SketchUp 7.0 would freeze (spinning beachball) and/or crash frequently when I first installed it on OS X. However, after I ran the "Repair Permissions" function on my startup disk in Disk Utility, SketchUp became pretty reliable.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
rubaiyat said...

I am having some issues with the new collada format as well and pepakura, I have filed a report with them but have not narrowed the issue down, is there a list of the changes to the format somewhere?

mrmod said...

It looks like there's a bug with the precise dimension entry in SketchUp 7.1 for Macs (at least). When you start drawing a rectangle/line/etc and type in dimensions, when you press the enter key, nothing happens.

This used to work and was very useful. Is this a handicap that only upgrading to pro resolves? Cuz that'd be pretty lame.

Anonymous said...

Yup. Google has failed at even the most basic debugg(er)ing. 7.1 is as useless as 7.0. In the OS X version can't enter any values numerically. To be precise, I can enter them in the lower left box, but when I press enter or tab, nothing happens, they are not accepted and jsut sit loike lost puppies. I am back to using 6.0. My friends use 5.0.

Unknown said...

Yes, when will we get a linux release?

Unknown said...

I have SU 7 pro (French) when I point on the upgrade menu it tells me I have the last version??
I cannot find anywhere this uprade, is that because the upgrade is not in French already?
Thank you for helping me

phook said...

If only there was a Linux version - sigh...

Unknown said...

I've been going in circles. I thought maybe I was missing something. This is useless without precise dimensions.

roundobi said...

I also experience the Precise dimensions bug on OS X. It cripples the program when you need to build very precise models. Back to version 6!

wally said...

Yet another request for a native Linux version.

Dimitris said...

Nice... but when will you give us a linux version???

Keith said...

Does the installer have optional switches for turning off the Google Search and Google Toolbar options at the end and then running in quiet mode?

jure said...

It would be great to know if there will be a formal release of SketchUp for linux not just workarounds. Thanks

Tim Gillespie said...

Just wanted to say that Sketchup has transformed the way I do business. I'm a builder/designer and use Sketchup every day. I almost never use CAD anymore. Layout is fabulous, now that I've actually taken the time to learn it. Now i would love to see a feature that enables me to have different LINE WEIGHTS and HATCH PATTERNS so my layouts are more Architectural. Floor Plans would also be better if I could clean them up so I'm not looking inside the walls and seeing geometry that penetrates the walls.

Bravo Sketchup team. I love you all!

Unknown said...

who cares about linux? just let it go!!!!!!

what we really need is hatching in layout and 64bit speed