Logo Competition for Irish Schools

This is a really nice idea. Google is showing an interest in the talents of Irish schoolgoers by sponsoring a competition to design a new version of their logo. 


"The winning student will have their doodle appear on the Google Ireland homepage for 24 hours.   They will also receive a laptop for themselves and one for their teacher, and their school will receive a €10,000 technology grant!"

Last year's winner 

SketchUp Ireland would love to publish work from any entrants (following winner announcement only!)

Why we need to use SketchUp

This cartoon says it all.... Nice work from Alan here..

3D Basecamp 2010 Report

Colorado is like a blurry dream now. What a great time we had, interesting people we met, and what a place. Boulder is a Western town nestled against the foothills of the Rockies.

Basecamp (imho) was an outstanding success. The atmosphere was buzzing from the minute we walked into the Dairy Centre (funny-named theater space) just down the street from the Google Boulder offices. So many SU faithful were gathered in one place in an atmosphere of sharing for three days (and nights)

We introduced a new video from Corb who this was ranting about CAD- "Computeur Aided Dinosaur" as he calls it...asking why are we still using.... Over the top and inconsiderate as always, here it is.... Thanks to Aidan Chopra for playing it! You're a brave man!

SketchUp 8 was announced at Basecamp!- The big features being solids, solid editing features, and more Google Earth Geomodelling enhancements. It looks pretty interesting- New ways of using SketchUp from a building modeller's perspective. Some people aren't happy with the developments but you can't please everyone. The main point is that SketchUp 8 makes SU a considerably more useful tool than previous releases.

Hello and thanks to all the wonderful people we met. Lets hope we did justice to all the people who wanted and deserved to be there but weren't lucky enough.

SketchUp Ireland is Colorado Bound!

We are looking forward so much to Basecamp 2010 that we have adopted Zen deep breathing exercises to calm down. There are so many people we are going to meet over in Boulder that we have only met via telephone, IM and email it's crazy....

Alan and I did meet Aidan Chopra in Dublin in November last year and are very much looking forward to meeting Aidan again. Also really looking forward to meeting fellow Irishman Mike Lucey of SketchUcation and The Daily CatchUp (who only lives two counties away and whom we've never met in person.)

Its going to be "awesome dude" (....as they say in America.... so I believe..) Don't worry, we'll have a report on the proceedings on our return... presuming that we actually manage to catch the plane back from Denver....

Irish Architects' Institute endorses SketchUp Training!

Viewsion are proud to announce that we are now empowered to provide CPD points to RIAI Members and Technicians attending our SketchUp Essentials 1 training sessions. We are running Google SketchUp Essentials 1 in Dublin 28th July, SketchUp AEC Dublin 4th August, Essentials 1 in Cork on 11th August, in Galway on 25th August. Also SketchUp AEC in Cork on 18th August.

We also provide in-house training all around Ireland. We look forward to bringing expert SketchUp training to a venue near you soon...

Official Google SketchUp Blog: SketchUp Pro Case Study: Tropman & Tropman Architects

Official Google SketchUp Blog: SketchUp Pro Case Study: Tropman & Tropman Architects

SketchUp: A Natural BIM Platform

I was hoping to hear Google say it first..... but: 

Google is the best placed company to help create a true Open Standard for BIM*

Why is this?....

• It is obvious that Google doesn't have a problem about sharing this platform with anyone else. SketchUp is free after all...

• SketchUp is already a parametric platform... Check out Dynamic Components

• Interoperability with Google Earth (or any current or future equivalent public platform) is of fundamental importance for any self-respecting BIM package.

• Google is quite good at writing code... ; )

• Other BIM software vendors, (who have some very good products by the way) are operating on antique business and revenue models that seem to ignore the fact that the internet has arrived.

• BIM is in danger of hitting a dead-end without a strong champion to make Open Standards work.

• Google isn't scared of Free Platforms while traditional software vendors are. Just look at Google Apps v Microsoft Office.

• Aspire Architecture is already using SketchUp as a standalone BIM/ CAD tool on successfully completed projects up to €850,000 and is currently working on a €1.5 million project using the same approach.

• Viewsion has written a training course that shows how SketchUp is used for creating Construction Documents.

• There are already platforms available for: Construction Sequencing, Energy Analysis, Acoustic Performance Cost Analysis (Andrew Dwight of Aadbuild) is writing a plugin for cost analysis which we're looking forward to finding out more about.)

• The American Institute of Architects is evidently unimpressed with efforts to create a truly Open BIM Standard thus far.

Google- Its time to take on this challenge.... (please!)

*Its not too late for AutoDesk, Graphisoft, Bentley, Nemetschek and others to get on board... If you have the best platform (like you say you have) then you shouldn't be afraid of opening it up...