Archinect - News

This mixed-reality hard hat connects with Microsoft's new HoloLens 2

2019-03-04T16:12:00-05:00

Microsoft will allow businesses to customize HoloLens 2 before purchasing a fleet of headsets. Trimble, the owner of 3D modeling package SketchUp, has already modified the headset so that it can be worn like a hard hat in construction sites and other potentially dangerous locations. The rebranded version will be called Trimble XR10 and is set to launch alongside the regular HoloLens 2 later this year.

One of the first 'working-in-the-field' customizations of Microsoft's newly unveiled HoloLens 2 mixed-reality headset is a hard hat by Trimble for construction workers that pulls up holographic CAD data on the worksite.

Image: Trimble/Microsoft

"It will have all of the same specs, performance, and functionality as the new HoloLens, including improved sensors and processors, a significantly larger field-of-view, 10-finger gestures, eye-tracking, a flip-up viewscreen, and more," promises the manufacturer's description.

The hard hat headset connects with Trimble's suite of spatial computing software and will be available later this year for a slick $4,750 a piece.

First SketchUp, now Gehry Technologies - Trimble makes another big acquisition

2014-09-08T12:37:00-04:00

In what is being described as "a strategic alliance to collaborate to transform the construction industry" software company Trimble has acquired Gehry Technologies. The alliance will offer other architects and designers use of the technology to collaborate on projects more efficiently.

Press release:

Trimble and Frank Gehry Announce Strategic Alliance to
Transform the Way the Construction Industry Works

SUNNYVALE and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 8, 2014—Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Frank Gehry announced today that they have entered into a strategic alliance to collaborate to transform the construction industry by further connecting the office to on-site construction technologies. As part of the alliance, Trimble has acquired Gehry Technologies, the software and consulting services business that has been instrumental in delivering Frank Gehry’s visionary designs while keeping cost and schedule in line for his clients.

The alliance combines deep Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC)...

SketchUp acquired by positioning and engineering firm Trimble

2012-04-26T18:18:00-04:00

On April 26, 2012, Trimble announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SketchUp® from Google. SketchUp is one of the most popular 3D modeling tools in the world. As part of the SketchUp platform, Trimble will also partner with Google on running and developing SketchUp's 3D Warehouse, an online repository where users can find, share, store and collaborate on 3D models.

As pointed out elsewhere around the web, the development of SketchUp's core has not progressed very much since being acquired several years ago by Google. This move, which includes the entire SketchUp team, puts product development in the hands of a company that is already embedded in the planning/engineering fields while maintaining collaboration with Google. At the moment it appears that there will be no changes to the current pricing model (free/pro).

Trimble's statement | Press release | FAQ about the acquisition and transition