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,
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