10 ms·

Google SketchUp and Team Being Acquired by Trimble

70 points by jpastika 14y ago

phuff 14y ago
Is this a first for google? I don't think I've ever heard of them selling a product/team to another company before. If not a first, certainly a rarity.
- Udo 14y ago
  You're correct, it's rare but it happened before: Google sold its Radio Automation business to WideOrbit Inc. But usually, Google (as any other large tech company) is where acquired tech goes to die - never to be heard from again.
jpastika 14y ago
I have worked with a Trimble distributor for many years, and find this acquisition interesting. Over the last few years Trimble, traditionally a hardware company, has been acquiring various software companies. Internally, they are developing a virtual jobsite platform and I can see SketchUp fitting in with their other BIM technologies. Saying that though, I think the real motivation here is a talent acquisition.
MCompeau 14y ago
This is an interesting development. I have a lot of colleagues in the architecture industry who are heavily dependant on SketchUp for early-stage conceptual work. I wonder if Trimble, a company with focus on hardware and BIM will push sketchup away from its easy to use, conceptual design origins.
joshmlewis 14y ago
This is strange. Can someone explain how this would work for Google or why it would be a good move?
- ceejayoz 14y ago
  Google gets money in exchange for ditching a potentially distracting side project that's likely to remain a small niche item.
  - jganetsk 14y ago
    And people get to keep their jobs.
- tg3 14y ago
  It appears that SketchUp was one of the thousand flowers that Google let bloom that isn't making it into Larry Page's bouquet. [1] It's a good move for companies to shed products that aren't their core competency. Resources, and more importantly focus, are scarce and should only be used in activities which add the most value for the company. [1] http://dcurt.is/googles-coherent-bouquet http://dcurt.is/googles-coherent-bouquet
iag 14y ago
This is definitely a good move by Google to Shed some weight and let a promising product keep flourishing. I'm impressed. Does anyone have an estimate on the price/term of this deal?
polyfractal 14y ago
I wonder how many people are left at SketchUp from the original company, before it was acquired by Google. I bet they would have some interesting stories to tell, after going through a Google acquisition and now being sold by Googl
petsagouris 14y ago
I am really worried... getting people to trust the capabilities of Sketchup was really easy mainly to the Google brand. Now I really hope that Trimble can convince me. Long time Sketchup user here, since Sketchup 2, good @Last days.
andyl 14y ago
SketchUp is such a great tool. I use it for - furniture design! There's a healthy community of furniture design geeks out there. Sadly, I can't see much synergy between GPS hardware and furniture design. I wish the acquirer was a CAD/design company. Hope we don't lose a great resource.
- sounds 14y ago
  You could probably take a second look at Trimble. They've been pivoting recently to do more software.
iamgopal 14y ago
I really really hope they keep develop sketch up and keep it at par with google's simplicity and speed and price. One more down.
cpeterso 14y ago
Any armchair CEOs have suggestions for other Google products that should be sold or spun out? Wikipedia has an interesting list of discontinued Google products. There might be some interesting product ideas that didn't work at Google scale, but might still be worthwhile for a smaller company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_products#Discontinued_products_and_services https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_products#Discon...
- adestefan 14y ago
  The problem is that most of the products on that list are probably tightly integrated with the Google infrastructure. The standalone product of SketchUp was sold off, but now the question is what will happen to the SketchUp 3D Warehouse.
ambirex 14y ago
Neat idea, instead of discontinuing the product. Too bad they didn't have the foresight to do this with Dodgeball.
brudgers 14y ago
Thank God. Sketchup development has been neglible since Google acquired the company years ago. Aside from adding a kludged presentation capability to the "Pro" version there hasn't been a significant improvement to the core product in years (and I suspect that the presentation capabilities were in process at acquisition).
- jpastika 14y ago
  I wouldn't expect much in the way of improvements (read additional functionality) because of the acquisition. Google is a company for the masses, Trimble is sector and market specific. The only changes I would expect for a while are integrations with Trimble's current software and hardware.
  - brudgers 14y ago
    Sketchup is a market specific product in the same way that Google App Engine is. I strongly suspect that Trimble's products already interface with Sketchup either directly or through standard ESRI or Autodesk file formats.
robomartin 14y ago
Interesting. As a long time AutoCAD and SolidWorks user I have never thought of Trimble as a 3D CAD company. Not even a software company. One has to wonder if SketchUp could have found a better home than Trimble. I can see an established 3D CAD company really enhancing it as a potential bridge onto their bigger tools and providing more interoperability with other platforms. I can't justify buying a license of SolidWorks for my kid's PC but if SketchUp were a SW product with a ramp up to SW I would definitely consider it and even pay for it. Time will tell.
- excuse-me 14y ago
  GPS is commodity now, Trimble are looking to add value It's hard to sell a $500 ruggadised GPS unit when it's built into someones iPhone, and people are beginning to wonder why they are paying quite so much even for RTK systems when the actual HW is so cheap. But if even small scale housing construction started could be persuaded to use the same 3D mapping/GPS technology that big civil engineering projects do then you could tie up a nice market. From the prospective concept design of the street of houses, the planning permission filings with 3D height modelling, sight lines, light rights, the cad drawings, then the automated layout of roads and foundations with GPS equipped machines - all with an integrated Trimble system.
  - sundae79 14y ago
    Didn't know your iphone gps was accurate at millimeter level just like the $500 trimble GPS which is used for precision.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      A $500 Trimble is still the same 12channel + WAAS unit you have in your phone or buy in a sports store. A Real Time Kinematic system can do mm (on a good day with a following wind) but they cost 20x as much! My post wasn't totally clear - I meant people ALSO wonder why an RTK is $10,000 when you can build your own for a lot less (http://blog.makezine.com/2009/11/12/diy-real-time-kinematic-gps/ http://blog.makezine.com/2009/11/12/diy-real-time-kinematic-...)
droz 14y ago
Aside from SketchUp, anyone know what other projects/products are being worked on at the Boulder Google office?
- simmons 14y ago
  I hear that some work on Apps/Docs and Chrome happens there. This morning's Google Drive SDK hangout featured at least one person in Boulder... he had a sweet view of the Flatirons behind him.
drumdance 14y ago
SketchUp was the basis for Google's Boulder office, which has since grown a lot. I wonder if they'll move out and where.
- jpastika 14y ago
  Trimble has a large office in Westminster, CO, which is just outside of Boulder.
SudarshanP 14y ago
http://www.pointclouds.org/blog/trcs/ http://www.pointclouds.org/blog/trcs/ Trimble is sponsoring development of several projects in different research areas involving 3D perception, as part of the second PCL code sprint. PCL is the Point Cloud Library from Willowgarage that also created ROS, PR2 and Turtlebot. These guys are surely trying to do some good stuff for 3D. Hope the sketchup community benefits from this acquisition

70 points by jpastika 14y ago

phuff 14y ago

Is this a first for google? I don't think I've ever heard of them selling a product/team to another company before. If not a first, certainly a rarity.

Udo 14y ago
You're correct, it's rare but it happened before: Google sold its Radio Automation business to WideOrbit Inc. But usually, Google (as any other large tech company) is where acquired tech goes to die - never to be heard from again.

jpastika 14y ago

I have worked with a Trimble distributor for many years, and find this acquisition interesting. Over the last few years Trimble, traditionally a hardware company, has been acquiring various software companies. Internally, they are developing a virtual jobsite platform and I can see SketchUp fitting in with their other BIM technologies. Saying that though, I think the real motivation here is a talent acquisition.

MCompeau 14y ago

This is an interesting development. I have a lot of colleagues in the architecture industry who are heavily dependant on SketchUp for early-stage conceptual work. I wonder if Trimble, a company with focus on hardware and BIM will push sketchup away from its easy to use, conceptual design origins.

joshmlewis 14y ago

This is strange. Can someone explain how this would work for Google or why it would be a good move?

ceejayoz 14y ago
Google gets money in exchange for ditching a potentially distracting side project that's likely to remain a small niche item.
- jganetsk 14y ago
  And people get to keep their jobs.
tg3 14y ago
It appears that SketchUp was one of the thousand flowers that Google let bloom that isn't making it into Larry Page's bouquet. [1] It's a good move for companies to shed products that aren't their core competency. Resources, and more importantly focus, are scarce and should only be used in activities which add the most value for the company. [1] http://dcurt.is/googles-coherent-bouquet http://dcurt.is/googles-coherent-bouquet

iag 14y ago

This is definitely a good move by Google to Shed some weight and let a promising product keep flourishing. I'm impressed. Does anyone have an estimate on the price/term of this deal?

polyfractal 14y ago

I wonder how many people are left at SketchUp from the original company, before it was acquired by Google. I bet they would have some interesting stories to tell, after going through a Google acquisition and now being sold by Googl

petsagouris 14y ago

I am really worried... getting people to trust the capabilities of Sketchup was really easy mainly to the Google brand. Now I really hope that Trimble can convince me. Long time Sketchup user here, since Sketchup 2, good @Last days.

andyl 14y ago

SketchUp is such a great tool. I use it for - furniture design! There's a healthy community of furniture design geeks out there. Sadly, I can't see much synergy between GPS hardware and furniture design. I wish the acquirer was a CAD/design company. Hope we don't lose a great resource.

sounds 14y ago
You could probably take a second look at Trimble. They've been pivoting recently to do more software.

iamgopal 14y ago

I really really hope they keep develop sketch up and keep it at par with google's simplicity and speed and price. One more down.

cpeterso 14y ago

Any armchair CEOs have suggestions for other Google products that should be sold or spun out? Wikipedia has an interesting list of discontinued Google products. There might be some interesting product ideas that didn't work at Google scale, but might still be worthwhile for a smaller company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_products#Discontinued_products_and_services https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_products#Discon...

adestefan 14y ago
The problem is that most of the products on that list are probably tightly integrated with the Google infrastructure. The standalone product of SketchUp was sold off, but now the question is what will happen to the SketchUp 3D Warehouse.

ambirex 14y ago

Neat idea, instead of discontinuing the product. Too bad they didn't have the foresight to do this with Dodgeball.

brudgers 14y ago

Thank God. Sketchup development has been neglible since Google acquired the company years ago. Aside from adding a kludged presentation capability to the "Pro" version there hasn't been a significant improvement to the core product in years (and I suspect that the presentation capabilities were in process at acquisition).

jpastika 14y ago
I wouldn't expect much in the way of improvements (read additional functionality) because of the acquisition. Google is a company for the masses, Trimble is sector and market specific. The only changes I would expect for a while are integrations with Trimble's current software and hardware.
- brudgers 14y ago
  Sketchup is a market specific product in the same way that Google App Engine is. I strongly suspect that Trimble's products already interface with Sketchup either directly or through standard ESRI or Autodesk file formats.

robomartin 14y ago

Interesting. As a long time AutoCAD and SolidWorks user I have never thought of Trimble as a 3D CAD company. Not even a software company. One has to wonder if SketchUp could have found a better home than Trimble. I can see an established 3D CAD company really enhancing it as a potential bridge onto their bigger tools and providing more interoperability with other platforms. I can't justify buying a license of SolidWorks for my kid's PC but if SketchUp were a SW product with a ramp up to SW I would definitely consider it and even pay for it. Time will tell.

excuse-me 14y ago
GPS is commodity now, Trimble are looking to add value It's hard to sell a $500 ruggadised GPS unit when it's built into someones iPhone, and people are beginning to wonder why they are paying quite so much even for RTK systems when the actual HW is so cheap. But if even small scale housing construction started could be persuaded to use the same 3D mapping/GPS technology that big civil engineering projects do then you could tie up a nice market. From the prospective concept design of the street of houses, the planning permission filings with 3D height modelling, sight lines, light rights, the cad drawings, then the automated layout of roads and foundations with GPS equipped machines - all with an integrated Trimble system.
- sundae79 14y ago
  Didn't know your iphone gps was accurate at millimeter level just like the $500 trimble GPS which is used for precision.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    A $500 Trimble is still the same 12channel + WAAS unit you have in your phone or buy in a sports store. A Real Time Kinematic system can do mm (on a good day with a following wind) but they cost 20x as much! My post wasn't totally clear - I meant people ALSO wonder why an RTK is $10,000 when you can build your own for a lot less (http://blog.makezine.com/2009/11/12/diy-real-time-kinematic-gps/ http://blog.makezine.com/2009/11/12/diy-real-time-kinematic-...)

droz 14y ago

Aside from SketchUp, anyone know what other projects/products are being worked on at the Boulder Google office?

simmons 14y ago
I hear that some work on Apps/Docs and Chrome happens there. This morning's Google Drive SDK hangout featured at least one person in Boulder... he had a sweet view of the Flatirons behind him.

drumdance 14y ago

SketchUp was the basis for Google's Boulder office, which has since grown a lot. I wonder if they'll move out and where.

jpastika 14y ago
Trimble has a large office in Westminster, CO, which is just outside of Boulder.

SudarshanP 14y ago

http://www.pointclouds.org/blog/trcs/ http://www.pointclouds.org/blog/trcs/ Trimble is sponsoring development of several projects in different research areas involving 3D perception, as part of the second PCL code sprint. PCL is the Point Cloud Library from Willowgarage that also created ROS, PR2 and Turtlebot. These guys are surely trying to do some good stuff for 3D. Hope the sketchup community benefits from this acquisition