Print this article  |  E-mail this article  |  Comment on this article

Google Acquires 3D Design Program

By BetaNews Staff, BetaNews

March 14, 2006, 11:24 AM

Google on Tuesday announced the purchase of yet another software company to add to its growing portfolio. The six year-old @Last Software makes a tool called SketchUp for creating, viewing and editing 3D designs, and attracted the attention of the search giant with a Google Earth plug-in.

"Google's resources will allow us to serve our current users better, and Google's reach will allow us to expose more people to SketchUp in one year than we could have touched in ten years on our own," said Brad Schell, founder of @Last Software. "SketchUp is still SketchUp, but now it will go places it couldn't possibly have gone before."

Add a Comment (11 Comments)

BetaNews reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Foul language and personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Name (required):

E-mail (required):

Enter Your Comment:

By imtoomuch

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 10:23 PM

If Google makes this $495 (according to some other site) program free, that will be impressive.

Score: 0

By Kramy

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 4:31 PM

Very cool! COOL!

Score: 0

By twosheds

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 4:10 PM

Downloaded it - it is not free and runs on a trial basis.

Score: 0

By pseudoheld

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 3:32 PM

I just tried out the demo! this prog really kicks ass!! unbeliavable how simple they made it!
hope google makes somthing good out of this brilliant piece of software!

Score: 0

By Joe Dirt

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 3:05 PM

WOW!!!!!! Very surprising.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 3:41 PM

Now now....just because it's made by Google doesn't mean...

Oh, wait...

You didn't slam it?

Who are you, and what did you use to tie up the real SM? (I'd suggest Duct Tape...it's just so darn useful)

Score: 0

By amitpagarwal

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 1:38 PM

Screenshots of Google SketchUp here

http://labnol.blogspot.c...autocad-in-googles.html

Score: 0

By drumcat

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 12:16 PM

SketchUp is an OUTSTANDING program. Nice going Google. This is one Adobe missed out on, big time.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 12:22 PM

...

Something I am sure we are all thankful for...

Score: 0

By Das mod

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 1:07 PM

... nuff' said

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Mar 14, 2006 - 11:58 AM

So I can see how my designs will look in RL via Google Earth?

Wicked.

I wonder if there are height limitations. Could one spec out a maglev? Go outside the earth's atmosphere, perhaps? Anchor a ringworld to the earth's equator? Connect that via enclosed, pressurized, elastic shuttle-tube to the Google MoonBase?

Meh...maybe I'm stretching it a bit. :P

Score: 0

Nov 21 - 9:29 PM ET Hurd's the word in Ballmer's e-mail nightmares

Nov 21 - 6:51 PM ET Coalition urges better laws for e-mail and cell phone privacy

Nov 21 - 6:42 PM ET How is Internet advertising faring in this bad economy?

Nov 21 - 6:15 PM ET From out of the Amazon Cloud, an AWS winner emerges

Nov 21 - 5:20 PM ET Mufin music finder enters public beta, adds widgets

Nov 21 - 5:01 PM ET Google launches its SearchWiki semantics plug-in

Nov 21 - 4:57 PM ET Asus previews a slimmer, less costly Eee PC

Nov 21 - 4:32 PM ET New Adobe Media Player ushers in AIR 1.5

Nov 21 - 2:11 PM ET AT&T to add Pantech's low-cost C630 phone to 3G lineup

Nov 21 - 1:11 PM ET iPhone gets firmware 2.2 update