Trimble SketchUp Adds Visual Search to 3D Model Library

Trimble, which has the SketchUp family of 3D modeling tools, has added a visual search tool to let users find pre-built models based on an image rather than trying to hit on something with a text description.

The visual search is for the company’s 3D Warehouse, an extensive free collection of 3D models that users can use in their work.  Image Search lets users “take a photo of an object or drop and drag an existing image into the 3D Warehouse’s search bar, and AI will quickly sift through millions of pre-built models to pinpoint ideal matches.” A company press release says that the facility is intended “to help architects and designers speed up their workflows and more easily specify new products for their designs.”

“3D Warehouse used to be entirely based on keyword search, where you had to type in exactly what you were looking for in order to generate the right match,” Steve Guzman, product manager for 3D Warehouse, said in prepared remarks. “3D Warehouse Image Search eliminates that requirement, allowing users to overcome language barriers and incorrect search queries by matching images with models. Now, designers can more easily source 3D models or find alternatives for their clients who are often looking for very specific objects to incorporate into their designs.”

The company says that as well as user-generated models, the visual search results can “include real-world objects from building product manufacturers and parametrically configurable objects.”

Another addition to the tool is the ability to search, filter, and download materials and texture swaths. That isn’t a visual search tool; instead, users type the name of the material into the search bar. However, it would seem much easier and more direct to type pin head worsted wool than “train station with curving section next to an office building.”

Back in May, the company announced augmented reality (AR) viewing for 3D Warehouse. AR is related to virtual reality (VR) but isn’t an immersive experience that blocks out the real world. Instead, it can superimpose information onto surroundings, whether text-based facts or imagery. Designers or architects can send a QR code to a client who can then bring up a 3D model and see how it would look in an existing setting through the use of a smartphone.