Awesome Gary! This is going to be really cool to see come to life

 

Hey Gary, note that SketchUcam, the plugin that generates Gcode from Sketchup, is still available and works well with Sketchup from v8 through Sketchup Make 2017 and probably works with versions after that thoguh I am unable to test that. Sadly the recent developments of Sketchup (into paid licenses, and more hardware requirements) have killed the market for plugins like this one.

 

Hi @David the swarfer I just saw here yesterday there is a version called SketchUp Shop which I was unaware of. Its 119/Yr which is not so bad for continued updates and the best part is that we should be able to still use the same plugins plus we can still import and export DXFs. I know its not a great solution but its something thing worth considering if you like the SketchUp workflow like we do.
You can learn more about SketchUp Shop here - DIY 3D Modeling Software | 3D Printing Software | SketchUp Shop Subscription

 

Hi Mark, if only....
I can find no mention of plugins being usable in the web/shop version
What's included with SketchUp Shop | SketchUp Help not mentioned there
2018 Can you install plugins on the subscription version of sketchup web (shop $119)?
Jun 2019 Plugins for sketchup shop
Apr 2020 https://support.sketchup.com/s/article/Can-I-use-extensions-with-SketchUp-Shop
any subsequent announcement would be big news, but google has not found it. >-:

They have gone the wrong direction really. When I started on computers in 1987 the entire ComSci department had more copies of Borland TurboPascal than they knew what to do with and the reason was that at a time when Pascal compilers were $2000 and up, Borland unleashed TurboPascal on the world for $30, worth it just for the printed manual alone!
The plugin ecosystem arose because of the ease of entry to Sketchup, and they have killed it, $300 a year is big money for most of the world who just need something to use in the workshop for household projects. I believe Fusion360 , among others, have dragged Sketchup users away, because if you have to pay for it, you might as well get all that delicious 3D CAM as well, right?

Funny thing, just this morning I was servicing the ancient laptop with WinXP that I first used for SketchUcam development, now 11 years old and has SketchUp 7, 8, 2013/14/15/16 on it, but has not got enough graphics chip to run 2017. Sadness ensued.

 

Yep, I use it too (of course), drew up a drill bit stand on Sunday, will cut it after cross checking on the sizes I have to make sure i have not missed something.

 

Your right @David the swarfer I just saw this
I used TurboPascal back in the day Everything is going subscription based nowadays - Fusion360 tricked us all, spreading the net and then closing the top. At the end of the day fusion is too much program and too much money for what us 21st century digital carpenters want to do.
Sketch up really was and still is the greatest for this kind of fun.
Looks like from what I can see SketchUp pro is really the way to go @ 25 bucks a month (299/yr)
There is a coupon code at the moment for Sketchup PRO
Cyber Monday Special! 20% off SketchUp Pro. Use Promo Code: CYBER20USD at checkout. Offer ends December 2.
Plans & Pricing | SketchUp

 

Was it 64bit XP? My XP stopped at 14.

 

32bit. The university has a long history of buying the minimum possible hardware, so only 3G RAM, Intel Centrino 2 processor at 1.8Ghz (HP Compaq 6730). Just fine for work processing, takes a while to compile our big Delphi project.

3 years ago we got some funding for 'real computers' and convincing the purchasing people that it is not a 'gaming computer' when you need high base clock and 8 cores to run threaded simulations and the graphics card can be the cheapest ever (Geforce GT710 in this case) was a challenge. Opens Word in 2 seconds though (-: