....
What I'd like to do is determine how many people who read this
newsgroup are actually interested in using SketchUp and
collaborating on building some common components. By
collaborating, I'm thinking of things such as have small
components, e.g. mortise-tenon joints, dovetail joints,
profiles of router cutters and other basic type components to
create models from. One project that comes to mind very
quickly is taking a lumber cut list in Microsoft Excel and
having the final cut pieces automatically generated in
SketchUp for assembly; and possibly, vice-versa -- design the
components/model and then export them to Excel for a cut
list.

If you think you might be interested in SketchUp and designing
in it, would you please email me with the subject line:
"SketchUp rec.woodworking" and a brief comment on your
impressions with ...
....

I downloaded and played with it, and I agree it's darned good as
a freebie and a fully capable piece of softare w/r to doing what
it says it will do. I'm actually impressed with many of its
features and although it's no full blown CADD, it is indeed
capable of almost all woodworking chores what would be required
of it.

However, I'm not inclined to e-mail the poster, nor do I think
it's wise to put all my eggs into that basket for the following
reasons:
-- I don't e-mail strangers I don't know, nor do I give out
personal info of any kind online; all for obvious reasons. I
might however be tempted to do so anonymously on a web site.
-- At $500 a pop for retail, that's way over the top. The
freebie version is obviously a great idea IFF it's not used as a
bait & switch down the road, which is where I think it's headed.
-- I don't see the freebie version lasting much longer. If an
installed base can be confirmed, then the freebie will go to a
pay-for version. So if you really like the freebie version,
archive it for the future or you may be sorry.
-- It's only an opinion, but I think it's being used as a puller
and if enough people can be talked into creating design works in
a proprietary format, they will be forced to either abandon those
designs or spend the money to upgrade to the $495 full version.
I saw some hype that claims it exports to common CADD formats,
but I don't see anything in the freebie version. IF it's there,
I haven't found it yet. Maybe I just missed it? Don't think so,
but I've done stupid things like that before. The only export
I've found is to .PNG graphic format.
-- Another thing that bothers me is I get a Firewall alert every
time I use it where it's trying to call home - I don't know what
that's about. Maybe it's just trying for update info - but I
don't -know- that.

-- All that said, I do have to admit that it's a pretty darned
good implementation and so far bug free.

The above are some of the issues I'd have to see addressed before
I'd seriously doing anything but playing with it.

Regards,

Pop