It seems like every day there’s something new to review and today I was presented with the opportunity to test bringing SketchUp data into a Trimble Tablet.
Scratch that… I didn’t bring it into a Trimble Tablet (but I could have) I used SketchUp ON a Trimble Tablet and then leveraged that data within the Trimble Field Link Software.
The image on the left is a SketchUp drawing (just two blocks and the SketchUp person, but it could have been any design) I created on the Tablet. The Stylus used to draw in SketchUp was a bit touchy, but with some practice I can see it being easy to work with and the ability to draw in SketchUp with a pencil (actually a stylus) was strangely satisfying … much more than SketchUp with a mouse.
Now that you have the basic idea, think of yourself being able to conceptually draw in any shape to communicate the design/conditions; export that SketchUp information out into CAD / Revit for documentation purposes from the tablet; stake out the points you created in the field, based on your SketchUp information or field collected points (or created later in your CAD software, its up to you!) using the Trimble Tablet. The workflow feels uncommonly smooth once you understand the proper software for each step.
With my degree in Architecture I’m used to sketching, so this process is a rather liberating experience as it begins to feel more like a hands on process than a technology one. I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction of my clients when they see it in action for the first time, this has some real potential.
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