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Google sells SketchUp to Trimble Navigation for undisclosed sum
While we're probably more accustomed to Google buying assets than selling them 'round here, every now and again the search giant does shed some skin. El Goog's 3D modeling platform, SketchUp, is to be sold to Trimble Navigation for an undisclosed sum reports Reuters. Trimble says it's hoping to use the acquisition to enhance its office-to-field platform. The two firms will also work together to develop SketchUp's online repository of 3D models for designers to use, share and contribute to. SketchUp's blog reassures users that the free version won't change under the move. The deal should get the final nod in Q2 this year.
Maide Control iPad app lets you build and view 3D models with your bare, sweaty hands (video)
Looking for a hands-on 3D controller that won't require any five-fingered peripherals? Check out Maide Control -- a new app that allows users to manipulate 3D CAD data from the comfort of their iPad displays. Available for $4.99 on iTunes, this app will wirelessly sync an iPad with any compatible 3D program, thereby enabling modelers to mold and view their designs using an array of multitouch gestures. You can also use Maide Control to showcase models on larger displays (say, at a company presentation), or to connect multiple iPads to the same render, in case you're working on a more collaborative project. For now, the app only supports Google SketchUp and Rhino on Windows only, though the company plans to incorporate other 3D apps and Mac support in the near future. Wiggle past the break to see a pair of demo videos, or hit up the source link below to download the app directly from iTunes.
WikiHouse promises printable homes, work for the world's idle CNC routers
If you want something done right, do it yourself. That includes building a house, but that's a project out of reach for many DIYers. Enter WikiHouse, a community for open-source home designs. There you can mix and match architectural plans using Google SketchUp; once you've settled on your dream home, just print to your waiting CNC router and start building. That's the idea, anyway: the site's still under construction, with the designers planning to debut the first WikiHouse in September during South Korea's Gwangju Design Biennale 2011. Sure, it certainly won't be as flashy as Electronic House's Home of the Year, where wall-mounted iPads control the shower temperature, or Sharp's prototype zero-emission house, with its 180-inch LCD. But does suggest a new, DIY way of thinking about the "home of the future."
PC World's 20 most innovative products of 2006
PC World has just released their '20 Most Innovative Products for 2006,' and there isn't an Apple product in sight. Why, then, am I writing about it you might ask. Because 3 Mac related items did make it on the list: Intel Core 2 Duo: This little chip powers the most recent crop of Macs and it clocked in (get it?) at number 2 on the list. Parallels Desktop for Mac: Entering at number 3 is Parallels Desktop, the Mac app of 2006. No other app has received such good reviews, buzz, or accolades. The best part? All the praise is well deserved. Google SketchUp: Google's relationship with the Mac has been rocky, but they are really working hard to patch things up. SketchUp is available for both Mac and PC and it is darn fun to play around with (and I bet it is even useful to some folks). Congrats to everyone who made it onto the list this year, and boo to PC World for spreading the article across several pages.[via the Official Parallels Virtualization Blog]
