So I remember as a kid sometime after Sesame Street, Bob Ross would come on and show the world how to create "Happy little trees" using just a canvas, paint, and some soft spoken words.
As a recent new owner of an iPad, a device hailed by Steve Jobs as "Magical and Revolutionary" I have been rather obsessed with drawing apps for it. There are many out there. AutoDesk's Sketchbook Pro really stood out for me because it seems powerful enough for a real artist to use. I say "seems" because I am about as much as real artist today I was at the age I was watching Bob Ross on TV.
I think this app has great potential for interior designers and artists who want to add that artistic touch to their drawings. SketchBook Pro has the ability to allow the user to draw over existing photographs. I could see a designer to use this to color in an elevation or perspective drawing...
So what do you think? Is this app Bob Ross approved?
I originally ran this post a few months ago. I thought I'd repost it for those if you considering a smartphone for a holiday gift!
So after spending some quality time with my friend Paul Anater in Miami this past week, I have become inspired to expand what I write about on this blog. I usually like to stick to strictly Sketchup topics. I am a bit of a geek sometimes, and I'd like to share some experiences I have had switching smartphones.
I remember when the iPhone first came out in 2007. I watched in envy as everyone was able to switch over to get what at the time was, the most advanced smartphone out there.
I jumped on the iPhone bandwagon on the day the iPhone 3G was released. That was a great year to be an iPhone owner. There were 10,000 ways to waste time on the app store, and limited 3G coverage. The best part was, this was before AT&T was REALLY bad....
For two years I used my wonderful white iPhone. I loved it. It did everything I wanted it to. When the 3GS came out, I didn't even really want to upgrade. The 3GS was quite a bit faster, and I did feel myself wanting for a little more speed on my phone, but my 3G still ran great, and I never ended up trading up to the 3GS.
Then something happened, Apple released the new iPhone 4. At the same time, they also released a huge software update, iPhone software 4.0 for all models except the original iPhone. Apple has a nice habit of upgrading software on old devices, even as they release new hardware. This is nice for current owners as they usually add some nice new features, and performance enhancements. I think this is a really good move on Apple's part, it makes current customers happy, which generates good PR, and drives sales for new hardware.
I have been through three major software revisions with my iPhone. Each time there is a major release, there is a slew of new features, and a few bugs. Apple usually quickly fixes the bugs, so I always have felt really comfortable upgrading the day these new updates come out.
I upgraded to 4.0 the day it came out, and things were not as they usually are. The software took forever to install on my 3G, and once it did, I immediately noticed a major performance hit. Instead of feeling like I had all my apps, and the internet at my finger tips, it felt like I had to reach through a bowl of Jello-O to get to any of them. Once I got them they were, sticky, and hard to handle. I think that Apple put out a piece of software that was not well tested on the old iPhone.....
Check out my friend Paul Anater's blog post on the subject. There's a great video embedded in that post as well. If you're a current 3G owner, you will be able to relate.
I have a theory that this has something to do with their business model, but we'll keep theory and conjecture for another article.
My resolution was to switch phones, and carriers. I was sick of getting dropped calls, and slow internet connectivity on my iPhone. That software update did me in. I walked into my local Verizon store and picked myself up a Droid Incredible. I was a sucker for the original Droid ads. As a geek, they really got me interested... This was the first commercial.
Now, this commercial is a little dated already, as the new iPhone CAN do all of these things... But there is so much more to Android then just side by side comparions of features.
Lets break the two platforms down. You've got Apple, they want everything to be perfect. They control the entire process, from the hardware, to the software. I'll bet they'd even love to control the cell towers if they could afford to. You can't do anything on your iPhone unless Steve says that you can. Things are magical and perfect in iPhone land.
Then there is Google Android. Its open, customizable, and available to anyone who's got a piece of hardware that they want to put it on. This has its upsides, and downsides. The upsides are that you can do ANYTHING you want on Android. If you want to run 60 apps at the same time and drain you battery, go crazy. If you want to have a different music player then the stock one, just go ahead and download one. If you want to have apps that have full access to the phone, you can get them. A great example of allowing devolopers access to the entire phone system is that you can create apps that work great with other apps. For example, just about any piece of media on the phone can be shared. If you have your favorite Twitter app on your phone and you want to post a photo, that app comes right up in the list of ways you can share a piece of media. No longer to you have to launch the app, create the tweet, go to your camera roll, and search for the picture.
Perhaps you aren't happy with the dialer pad on the phone, simply download another one! Smartphones are more and more becoming portals to the internet, and less and less about phones. I think the internet should be open and free, and I also think that the device that you use to access it should be the same. Remember how angry we all got when Microsoft blocked Netscape back in the day? Its funny how we now tolerate that sort of Draconian control from Apple, just because they are "Hip" and "Cool".
Now for the really good stuff: The speed of the Droid Incredible. Between Verizon's speedy 3G network, and the Incredibles hi octane processor, this phone can go faster then you can think. The internet operates at nearly broadband speeds. You can even load Flash on it! Then there is Google's system wide voice search. Want to find something, anything on your phone or the internet? Simply tap one button, and just ask it!
You can ask Droid anything. Things like "Call Paul Anater" or "Navigate to Orlando Florida" will do exactly what you expect them to. The voice recognition is uncannily good.
If you are thinking of making the switch, you should. I use this phone more then I ever used my iPhone. Now have at the disposal of my thumbs the ultimate connection to the world. Its brilliantly fast, and rather then get in my way, it gets out of the way and just gets things done. Droid definitely Does.
As an aside, I was able to take my now deactivated iPhone 3G and downgrade it to the old 3.13 software. Its not as easy as upgrading, and you do have to wipe your phone and manually put everything back on it, but it does work perfectly now!
The other day I had to do a quick office design in Sketchup. Its not the most exciting design, but I had to put it together to decide where blocking and electrical were going to go. After I put the design together, I realized that with the wood floors, and the spartan walls the office would probably have a significant echo to it. I decided to quell potential echo, I could put some interesting looking carpet on the wall, and on the floor.
You could fairly easily make your own carpet in Sketchup, either using built in textures, or your nearest digital camera to create a new one. But what's easier then just typing in "Carpet" into your 3D warehouse search and downloading one?
Oh, and don't worry, I was thinking a cool looking carpet, not some crazy shag carpet like this one:
Below is the carpet I selected. I was able to find this in Sketchup, right in the 3D Warehouse. Design Within Reach has a lot of carpets on the 3D warehouse already. Its easy to browse through them, select the one you want based on size and pattern, and then place it right in your model. The nice part is that these models are made properly, so they automatically "stick" to the floor so that you don't have to mess about with rotating them and placing them in place.
So in a few clicks, I was able to find my carpet. Not only did I find one, this one actually exists. The model is the correct dimensions so I can see if it fits. If my customer wants to purchase this carpet because they saw it in my design, I can simply right click on it, and browse its options to see a link to the products website. This particular model actually has pricing right in it!
So there you go, just another reason that Sketchup can not only save you time on the design end, but also on your research as well.
As you may already know, I draw a lot of kitchens in Sketchup. But that's not all I draw, I sub contract myself out to a lot of different professions. Recently, I have been converting 2D house plans into 3D models.
If you've ever drawn an exterior of a house in 3D, you probably already know that one of the most difficult parts to draw is the roof.
Sketchup's rich and open API allow the open source community to create just about any plugin they want for Sketchup. With this, you get some great plugins, and some not so great ones. The other day, I came across one of the best plugins I have ever seen for Sketchup.
Its called "Instant Roof" by Vali Architects in Hawaii. This jaw droopingly awesome caused me to curse out load when I first tried it. To quote myself after I first used it:
"Holy ****! That is ******* *** **** amazing!"
Now, before you start think I was rated R, it was a "for tv edit" outburst, see this example:
Now, for the serious stuff. If you are drawing roofs on houses, then you NEED to get this plugin. I'll let the creator explain it to you better then I can:
This plugin is immensely useful. It is so well written. I highly recommend that you go download it today. There is a free version, and a pro version. This is going save me loads of work. If you draw houses for a living, this is sure to be one of the best tools you'll add to Sketchup.
Ok, I've got to vent about Apple here. But before I tear into them, let's start with a brief history.
Apple has always been hip and innovative. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started selling computers in the mid-seventies out of a garage. The whole idea behind these computers was that they were completely open source. You built them yourself, and programmed them yourself.
As Apple grew and grew, they became the "Alternative" computer. PC's were for those in suits, and Mac's were supposed to be for the non-conformist, open-minded free thinkers.
Apple, for years, has been a niche market computer. I have always thought they were great. I am typing on a nice MacBook Pro right now. Since Apple's business model is a "vertical stack" meaning they develop the hardware and the software, they are quite nimble in terms of being able to innovate. This has resulted in some great products over the years. I am a huge fan of Macs because of their ease of use, and reliability.
Then in 2007 the iPhone came out. I don't have to tell you, but it was a pretty big deal. Apple was profitable before, and now because of the iPhone they have more cash then they know what to do with.
I think all of the success at Apple has gone to their CEO's head. Take a listen to Apple's latest earnings call. And then strap in for an angry rant.
Ok, so lets break down some of Steve's comments. First, he says that Google calling its platform "Open" is disengeniuos. This couldn't be further from the truth. Lets look at Apple's iOS operating system. It's a completely closed eco system. You can only use it on specific Apple devices. As a developer, you are only allowed to use certain features of the phone. Your only method of distribution is through Apple's App store. Your apps can only get on the App store if Apple says it's OK for them to be on there. If you've been paying any attention over the past three years, you know that Apple exercises its right to remove apps from its app store for a variety of unfair reasons. I don't know about you, but this seems like Draconian control to me. It's Apple's way or the highway. Apple used to lockdown their app developers in NDA's so that they couldn't even talk to other developers about their apps!
Then there is Google Android. Google gives its Android software away for free. Anyone can use it on any device they can shoehorn the software into. Google provides an app store, and also allows apps to be sold though other app stores, and even directly off of developers' websites. In a nutshell, you can sell an app to an Android device anyway you want, with or without Google's help.
As a devoloper, you also have access to the entire phone. Do you want to make an app that will replace features that the phone already has? No problem, just write it. Apple would smite you to hell for even thinking about that!
Google's Android is a lot like Windows. Anyone who can write software can do anything they want with it. The only real difference is that Android is free, and Windows costs money.
Steve also goes on to say that Android is fragmented. He's a little right on this one, but it works well. HTC and Motorola sell phones with customized versions of Android on them. I have used both, and they are both very easy and pleasant to use. The user doesn't need to be a "Systems integrator". That is complete bullshit. These phones are just as easy to use as Apple's conveted iPhone.
Steve Jobs also called out the devoloper of TweetDeck, a Twitter app for iPhone and Android. He said that TweetDeck had to make only one version of its software for Apple, and 244 versions for Android. This is completely untrue. See this Tweet from the TweetDeck CEO
In fact, not only did he Tweet this, he was quoted as saying that it only took two people to create and deploy their app for Android. Does that sound like a nightmare? Two people create and deploy an app that will work on many more devices then its Apple varient will? And these developers don't have to worry about Google approving, or disapproving their app. Google lets the public do that.
Even Andy Rubin jumped into the fray. For those of you who don't know who he is, he is the "father" of Google Android. He responded with this tweet:
This is the command line used where any developer can build its own version of Android.
I think all the success and fame has gone to Apple's head. Steve Jobs has to get his head out of the clouds and look around. His company's arrogance and obsessiveness may work in their favor now, but with more and more "open" platforms being offered, I'm not sure how long it will last. Once I made the move to Android, I realized that open is the future. I like freedom of speech, and since most speech is electronic, I like an open platform to do it on. Apple has jaded me, and I don't think I am alone.
I'll continue to use my MacBook. Anyone can develop for Mac OS, and let's face it, Mac's are better than Windows machines in my opinion. As far as mobile devices go, I'll stick to the open ones, no matter what the OS is. Until Apple releases its grip on iOS, you can count me out.
I'll leave you with one last thing, back in 1984, when Mac was the "Alternative, Free thinkers" computer, they ran this incredible commercial. You can see that the runner represents the Apple user, and the "drones" are all PC users. It's funny looking at that commercial now and I can't help but think how the roles have reversed.
