Before I tell you how School helped Whirlpool to reach designers, get their products specified and drive sales, I need to mention the contribution of my fellow team members. Joe Sharkey was the first person to meet Brad Schell, cofounder of @Last Software - the makers of SketchUp. Joe’s insights, background in industrial design and 20+ years experience with AutoCAD helped me in see the value of pursuing an experiment in 3D modeling with Google SketchUp and 3D Warehouse. His CAD skills also made it possible to pursue modeling in SketchUp without a budget for outsourcing so we could start immediately and keep up with Google’s launch schedule. Ben Wojcikiewicz tackled aspects of how to organize, update and optimize the 3D appliance collections within the Google 3D Warehouse. My two talented friends collaborated closely, taught me the technology and we worked like a “start up”, but within a large corporation.
My vision is also driven by a business challenge from a manager who stated, “I’m tired of going to the Kitchen & Bath Show (KBIS) and having past presidents of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) ask me, where are Whirlpool’s 3D models for 20/20 software users.” I had negotiated potential contracts several times but the development and distribution costs for 3D appliance models and my conclusions were always the same. The costs were too high to demonstrate a positive ROI for appliance products. Modeling fees were too costly for proprietary software that only reached a niche audience, distribution costs for mailing up-to-date CDs to keep up with new appliance launches were too high, and the file size of typical CAD models was too large for kitchen and bath designers to easily download because they often use older hardware and lack high speed Internet.
I struggled with this challenge for three years. So the approach Google suggested was stunning by contrast: Create a collection of 3D virtual product models with either the free version of SketchUp or $495 Pro version, use your in-house team to draw the models or outsource to a company like Igloo Studios’ Blue Marble Project, then post and manage your product collection in Google’s online 3D Warehouse at no cost.
In SketchUp, the 3D model file size can be minimized for fast, easy downloads for architects and designers. Google doesn’t charge manufacturers for hosting building product collections so they can be updated with new products any time and as often as needed. And there is no cost to users for downloading branded products to incorporate in their designs.
What’s more, Google has been working proactively with CAD software companies to make manufacturer’s 3D building product collections an “open community” solution. You’ll find that many CAD programs for architects already allow them to download product models directly from the 3D Warehouse into their designs. Interoperability with Kitchen and Bath CAD software has been slower but early adopters like Chief Architect introduced import capability for SketchUp models about a year ago.
So what’s not to like about this approach? Seems like a no brainer to me. Fortunately, we were not burdened with a proprietary solution when the Google SketchUp and 3D Warehouse opportunity was presented. The economic downturn may have slowed the building and remodeling industry in the short term, but affordable, web based solutions like this one should be high on any building product manufacturer’s wish list for 2009.
This article was originally posted at our sister site: the School blog
Welcome to a new series, GreenSketchUpGuide, here in the School blog. I’m an architect and marketer in the building products industry, have been working closely with Google and School for over two years and have ideas about SketchUp and sustainable design to share with you. My blog site, GreenDesignGuide.com, covers a broad range of topics for the residential design + building community but this series, GreenSketchUpGuide, will focus on particulars. For example, why is SketchUp so valuable to designers and the companies trying to communicate with them about sustainable building products and processes?
Let’s turn to a case study that’s been incredibly successful. In May of 2006, the cofounder of SketchUp software stopped by the Whirlpool Corporation booth at the AIA Architects National Convention. Google had just purchased SketchUp and they were exploring some big ideas. He shared their vision for creating an online repository of 3D building products in the Google 3D Warehouse that could be accessed by architects and designers who want to design with specific branded products they can trust. What’s more, the 3D models would be free to download, easily imported into SketchUp and available for any designer using a CAD program that recognizes the .skp file format. That’s a big vision and it took a few months to get my head around it.
But we quickly started drawing 3D appliance models in SketchUp to meet Google’s fall launch deadline. As it turned out only Whirlpool and Marvin Windows met the deadline. But the online press coverage we received was sensational. Appliance websites, CAD websites and even financial websites picked up the story. One industry observer put it this way, “Maybe IKEA, but I never expected a company like Whirlpool to be the first to collaborate with Google in creating 3D visualization solutions for architects and designers.” I knew we were on to something, I just didn’t know how big it would become.
I visit architecture and design firms often and learned quickly how widely SketchUp was being adopted by the design community… once I started asking the right questions. Usually I meet with principals and partners of top design firms, established professionals about my age. When I asked them about SketchUp, they pointed to younger designers and recent college grads that introduced SketchUp to their firms. The principals immediately saw the productivity gains in their design process, the benefits to their business and were on board.
It’s been exciting to see “next gen” architects having this much impact on established design firms. However, nobody at the time seemed to know about the building product collections in Google 3D Warehouse. Don’t they have time to keep up with appliance industry press releases? I mentioned this challenge to my friends at Google and that’s when they introduced me to School!
Last Month we released the first Dynamic Components Collection that we’ve posted to the 3D Warehouse a collection of Cabinetry models for General Casework. Work began a few months ago while we were in the process of Beta testing SketchUp V7, so it’s great to finally give birth to this behemoth collection.
All in all, the collection contains over 2,300 Dynamic Components, making it the largest Building Product collection of Dynamic Components on the 3DW. Common customizable options include finish ends, available heights, available widths, and hardware choices. When combined in any number of different ways, these models represent over 1 Million product SKUs from General Casework’s Product Catalog. The process enabled us to create custom scripts and workflows along the way, which ultimately resulted in our being able to charge General Casework just pennies per model.
The collection of models has averaged nearly 19,000 downloads per week over the past few weeks (over 60,000 downloads in the first month). An ROI that roughly equates to nearly $.10 per download - in just the first month alone!
While we’re on the subject, it’s probably also worth mentioning that we’re working to help Medallion Cabinetry build out 3D SketchUp models of their product catalog - so look in on that collection from time to time for further updates.
Medallion’s models are already getting quite a bit of attention - but don’t just take our word for it - have a look at what other people are saying. Here’s a message we got from Paul Anater from St Petersburg, FL:
THANK YOU! I sell Medallion cabinetry in St. Petersburg, FL and I want to ackowledge your hard work in building this catalog. SketchUp is great and now you’ve made it even greater. You’re chipping away at the monolith that is 20/20 and I salute you!
Paul Anater
Kuttler Kitchens, Inc.
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Folks like Paul make us proud to come to work every day. It’s great knowing the kinds of positive impacts that our services contribute to the lives of hardworking people living thousands of miles away. If you have a story similar to Paul’s, we openly invite you to share it with us.
Perhaps this notion is best described by someone who’s been thinking about the web a bit longer than we have. In this video, Kevin Kelly describes the evolution of the web over the past 5,000 days, and talks about where we’re headed over the course of the next 5,000. One of the key points for web developers - create portable content for the web. This is a concept that is perfectly well suited to 3D SketchUp models and the Google 3D Warehouse. From a marketers perspective, web 3.0 shifts the focus away from the notion of having to force people to your website by creating ’special’ content that can only be viewed on your site. Rather, sites like Facebook, YouTube, etc. and even the 3D Warehouse, allow companies to invite traffic to their own sites by distributing content and information about their brands via platforms where people feel comfortable consuming media on their own terms.
The 3D Warehouse is a distribution platform that hosts 3D Computer Models of Buildings which plug into Google Earth, making it a perfect location based media solution for marketers who are interested in improving their visibility amidst the sea of GeoWeb platforms and data.
More broadly, the 3D Warehouse hosts 3D models of ‘places + things’. The ‘things’ part of that equation means that product manufacturers, distributers, and retailers can use the 3D Warehouse as marketing/advertising platform to distribute information via 3D product models. Architects, Designers, and consumers all then have access to freely download and interact with the 3D models on their own terms, by incorporating 3D products into their projects.
One of our goals is to make it as easy as possible for Product Manufacturers to test the value of our 3D computer modeling servcices. To that end, we now offer clients the option to have us model their products for free (well, sort of).
Rather than require clients to provide up-front payment for services, we’ll track how many times your products are downloaded and base your fees directly off those statistics. This arrangement allows our customers to realize an ROI for their project in advance and helps eliminate the inherent risk of paying for services up-front.
We’ll continue to offer traditional paid up-front services as well. However, we think our new new payment options are a step in the right direction towards making the experience of testing the value of 3D interactive marketing solutions as pain free as possible.
We’re pleased to announce the newest development in our ongoing partnership with View22 Technologies Inc. BMP will now offer the Scenecaster Virtual Stores solution to clients in addition to our existing menu of 3D modeling services. The Virtual Showroom technology allows us to create Interactive 3D Vignettes for Building Product Manufacturers who are looking for innovative ways to reach customers and designers. The Scenecaster Virtual Showroom technology is a powerful, flash based platform which can easily be integrated into an exiting website, as well as any e-commerce portal.
Google recently launched an update to the 3D Warehouse which allows visitors to view the models in 3D right on the website, without having to download the model first. The 3D view of the model is automatically generated when the model is uploaded to the Warehouse. Under the hood, the 3D View is a simple set of rendered images of the model that are taken at intervals to simulate a 360 degree spin view.
This update will allow us to deliver more accurate data to our clients about the use and popularity of their 3D content. Having a 3D View of the model on the website means that people may be less likely to download a 3D Model out of mere curiosity. Chances are greater that if you’re model is being downloaded, it’s because someone actually wants to use it for something.
To test the ‘3D View’, click on the tab in top right corner of the image below.
Blue Marble Project has been invited to conduct technology demonstrations for those in attendance at IBS 2009. Blue Marble Staff will be on hand during the IBS Show at a number of events and locations to educate attendees and answer questions about CAD Software applications. BMP Execs are scheduled to deliver 4 presentations each day at the Whirlpool Digital Green Theater (#C5843). IBS 2009 is taking place in Las Vegas, NV from Jan 19-23, 2008.
The Marvin Windows Dynamic Component Collection is the third in a series intricately detailed windows and doors. For Marvin, we leveraged Dynamic components options to create models which include options for width and height dimensions, optional grille, and optional jamb extensions. Dynamic interactions include casement windows and doors that swing open, and information dialog boxes that link back to the manufacturer website. These models also include trim and casing as can be seen in this Wood Ultimate Outswing French Door.
Over the last year, we’ve had the good fortune to be members of the Google SketchUp 7 alpha testing group. Today, Google announced the public release of Google SketchUp Version 7, and with it, a highly anticipated functionality known as Dynamic Components. We’d like to share some thoughts and ideas behind why we think Dynamic Components are a big deal, especially for product manufacturers.
Dynamic Components allow you to create configurable SketchUp components. For example, say your company has a product catalog of doors. Those doors are probably available in a variety of sizes, materials, and styles. Well, in SketchUp 7, Dynamic Components allow you to program a single SketchUp door with hundreds or even thousands of options so that a SketchUp user can configure that door’s shape, size and material using a few drop-down menus within SketchUp. To paraphrase: Companies like Marvincan now create one SketchUp model of a particular door type that represents hundreds of variations of the door.
This is a really big deal. Previously, companies had to create, upload and manage thousands of models that each represented an individual, configured option. If they hired us for the task, that meant that we had to spend quite a bit of time to create 3D product catalogs. Now, however, we can convert entire catalogs nearly 10x faster resulting in faster turn around times and much lower costs.
As we mentioned earlier, these Dynamic Components are brand new. To learn more about their functionality, check out the videos below as well as the info page on the Google SketchUp website.
If you are interested in a live demo, we’d be glad to show you how Dynamic Components can be used by your company to drive sales and leads for your products. Contact us anytime to set up a meeting.
