Have you ever wondered, why not put your neighborhood on the map? The SketchOSM plugin for SketchUp, by PlaceMaker, lets you do just that! You can create parametric buildings in a few quick clicks and share them with the world in a jiffy.
Trimble SketchUp is famous for its flexibility, which comes from its ability to integrate many extensions or plugins from various sources. Though only SketchUp Pro and above can do this, it is still an awesome way to customize and empower this lovely modeling and rendering software.
One such great extension is SketchOSM by PlaceMaker.
SketchOSM by PlaceMaker
The main functionality of the extension is two-fold. First, it lets you create 3D buildings that add site context to your model. You can do it by establishing a constant, which, in the equation of a curve or surface, can be varied to represent a family of curves or surfaces.
Secondly, you can share these buildings with the world by directly uploading them to OpenStreetMap. Yes, you guessed right, this is how the plugin gets its name, by combining the software and service names.
If you don’t know, OpenStreetMap is an enormous database of geoinformation, available to everybody on earth. It is accessible and editable by anyone.
It’s a completely free service, with no hidden charges or advertisements. Many devices and services already use them like car or phone GPS, websites, apps, and of course, millions of people.
Key features of SketchOSM by PlaceMaker:
A. It is compatible with SketchUp 2017 and above. Yes, the new SketchUp 2020 melds fine with it, we tested.
B. It is active in the Windows version of SketchUp only, at this time. The developers are working on other versions.
C. There is a geolocation tool embedded in the plugin.
D. It is linked to DigitalGlobe, which can provide a reference image of the location for tracing buildings.
E. You can import OpenStreetMap street lines to see existing buildings for reference.
F. You can create simple, single-part buildings, or multipart complex buildings.
G. Latest version out: v1.0.2
H. This plugin is completely free!
I. Only available in English, for now.
This SketchUp extension is available in extension warehouse extensions.sketchup.com
To get an online demonstration of the latest version, watch the following video tutorial.
