Blue Marble Project

Google recently updated the Embed Code that users can copy from a 3D Warehouse model page which enables you to post an interactive 3D View of the model on any site (or blog).

Here’s a model we created recently for Dacor that includes installation information - could be a nice thing to have handy on the job site.

We’re certainly excited about this update as we think it only helps improve upon the many ways in which SketchUp models can be re-purposed as portable online media content.

Another exciting aspect to this recent update is the ability to quickly snatch the Google Earth Embed code for Geo Located models. This is a model of the Renaissance Montura LAX Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

For more information about this 3D Warehouse feature you can check out this post on the Google SketchUp blog.

The Dacor Appliance Dynamic Component Collection we’ve recently added to the 3D Warehouse includes some of the most intricate appliance models ever posted to the warehouse. We’ve taken full advantage of Dynamic interaction options to create appliances with doors that swing open, drawers that slide out, and information dialog boxes that link back to the manufacturer website. These models also include installation information including cutout dimensions and utility hook-ups as can be seen in this 48″ Built-in Refrigerator from Dacor’s Epicure Series.

We launched this collection just in time to demo the collection at KBIS 2009 and the reaction was phenomenal. This is one component collection you’ve just got to download and check out for yourself.

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.

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.

View the object above on Google’s 3D Warehouse

For more information check out this post on the Official SketchUp Blog.

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 Marvin can 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.

Our newest addition to the Google 3D Warehouse includes dozens of SketchUp files that contain over 250 textures from the Oceanside Glass Tile Product Line. The Collection also includes textures from OGT’s Mandala product line. We are proud to have played a part in promoting this beautiful, environmentally friendly product line. These high resolution, seamless textures are among the highest quality textures that have ever been made available for SketchUp. For more information about how you can get your hands on the real thing, visit the OGT Website.