Google Probes the Underbelly of AutoCAD
October 15, 2009
Remember those college engineering wizards who wanted to build real things? Auto fenders, toasters, and buildings in Dubai. Changes are the weapon of choice was a software product from Autodesk. Over the years, Autodesk added features and functions to its core product and branched out into other graphic areas. In the end, Autodesk was held captive by the gravitational pull of AutoCAD.
In one of my Google monographs, I wrote about Google’s SketchUp program. I recall several people telling me that SketchUp was unknown to them. These folks, I must point out, were real, live Google experts. SketchUp was a blip on a handful of users’ radar screen. I took another angle of view, and I saw that the Google coveted the engineering wizards when they were in primary school and had a method for keeping these individuals in the Google camp until they designed their last, low-cost fastener for a green skyscraper in Shanghai.
No one really believed that this was possible.
My suggestion is that some effort may be prudently applied to rethinking what the Google is doing with engineering software that makes pictures and performs other interesting Googley tricks. The first step could be reading the Introducing Google Building Maker article on the “official” Google Web log. I would gently suggest that the readers of this Web log buy a copy of the Google trilogy, consisting of my three monographs about Google technology. Either path will give you some food for thought.
For me, the most interesting comment in the Google blog post was:
Some of us here at Google spend almost all of our time thinking about one thing: How do we create a three-dimensional model of every built structure on Earth? How do we make sure it’s accurate, that it stays current and that it’s useful to everyone who might want to use it? One of the best ways to get a big project done — and done well — is to open it up to the world. As such, today we’re announcing the launch of Google Building Maker, a fun and simple (and crazy addictive, it turns out) tool for creating buildings for Google Earth.
The operative phrase is “every built structure on early”. How is that for scale?
What about Autodesk? My view is that the company is going to find itself in the same position that Microsoft and Yahoo now occupy with regard to Google. Catch up is impossible. Leap frogging is the solution. I don’t think the company can make this type of leap. Just my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, October 15, 2009
Another freebie. Not even a lousy Google mouse pad for my efforts.
Comments
2 Responses to “Google Probes the Underbelly of AutoCAD”
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Agreed! Competition often creeps in at the low-end fringes of established products. Past examples include IBM > Microsoft, and Autodesk > “Big Iron CAD”. Autodesk was once on the low end, now SketchUp is creeping in on them, with the added benefit of thousands of seats of their free product in the hands of those who could not otherwise afford a good CAD solution. A difficult juggernaut to stop indeed!
Well, interesting article, but there is a world of difference between 3D models to quickly view on a desktop or iphone, and a working construction model you can build off. There are certainly some security issues – you really don’t want the layout of your house available freely online for instance! Not to mention banks, government offices, museums, etc.
That said, I think Google might have some impact on the rendering and presentation side of Architecture, I’ve been tinkering with ways to produce quick flythoughs in Google Earth rather than 3DS Max or Revit, with some success. Translation from 1.5×10^6 poly BIM models to something Google can rapdily display is still a hurdle to be overcome.
I don’t think Autodesk will be afraid just yet (hey, I’d love it if they were, they might bring their prices down to realistic levels ;-D ) but maybe in 5 years or so the Earth / SketchUp system might be competing with Max. Remember that 10 years ago Max was heavy iron software, and it’s only in the past 12 months we have seen the MentalRay engine appear in mainstream software like Revit & Autocad. Personally I can’t wait until I can do the details on my augmented-realitly iphone or i-pad-tablet-whatever!