!Restored: AC11 - No Mac OSX support for Google Earth Connections?

[matthewjj]

Google Skecthup import add-on & Google Earth Connectivty plug-in were supposed to be available on OSX in Archicad 10 but has never been release (it was released for windows as a beta for AC 9 & 10). Is there some reason why it isn't possible for this to work on OSX? We had the Sketchup Import plug-in back on AC 9. I don't understand why we don't have this for AC 10 still, ONE ENTIRE YEAR LATER!!!

And now AC11 is coming out in a couple of weeks and the graphisoft website indicates that Google Connectivity will be available upon the release of AC 11 for windows. There is absolutley no indication of an OSX release for Google Connectivity.

Can somone shed a little light on this issue for me?
Is it because of Leopard?

I am starting to feel like if I have to run Parallels+XP on my MAC in order to get the most out of Archicad 11, I may as well just switch to REVIT since that is what everyone else in the industry is using, plus it has MEP and Structural solutions. If Graphisoft continues to neglect the Mac user base (which has to be close to 50% of their user base), I think they will find most of them switching to REVIT now that in effect every new MAC is also a PC. If Graphisoft's reason for why they can't integrate new features for the mac is because they are short on programmers, I wonder how many programmers they will be able to afford when they lose their all their Mac users?

...quick math:
100k+ Total User base X 50% (mac users) = 50k+ mac user
50k+ Mac user base X $800 (yearly upgrade) = $40,000,000
...that sounds like a lot of programmers out of a job (although I guess REVIT would be hiring due to all the new users).

[Anonymous]

I can't belive it:

Graphisoft announces bidirectional connectivity between ArchiCAD 11, Google Earth and the Google 3D ...

Availability
The English and German versions for the Windows platform will be available at the same time ArchiCAD 11 starts shipping. Further versions will be available according to the localization schedule of ArchiCAD 11.

Where's the problem? Google Earth and Sketchup are available for Mac OS X.

[Greg Kmethy]

The Google 3D warehouse has no API connection on Mac. Google Earth and Sketchup has, but there are some technical difficulties we have to overcome to be able to develop the Add-on.

[Anonymous]

I thought the only thing needed for ArchiCAD to have Google Earth connectivity was a translator to import/export Google Earth's KML/KMZ format. Wouldn't that be basically the same plugin for both Mac and Windows?

[Anonymous]

gkmethy wrote:
The Google 3D warehouse has no API connection on Mac. Google Earth and Sketchup has, but there are some technical difficulties we have to overcome to be able to develop the Add-on.

Thanks gkmethy for the answer... we hope than you can early overcome the technical difficulties and we will can use the google hearth connection on the mac side too...

have a nice work

P.

[genarch]

It's now 2008 and STILL no Google Earth and 3D Warehouse for the Mac! Anyone have any idea of when (or if) this will happen? I get the feeling, as usual, that Graphisoft doesn't care much for its Mac user base.

[Karl Barker]

This question has been asked a number if times in the last few years, and in my opinion is getting a bit beyond a joke. Either GS needs to get it sorted, or let us know exactly what is going on.
The same answer comes up year after year. The lack of API coverter for mac.
Well if now there is one for Google earth and Sketch-up, can we just have those?? I think most mac users would be reasonably happy to at least get something.

Personally, I get the feeling that the mac user is slowly being forgotten.
Perhaps because of the lack of advertised and marketed functionality, the mac version should be discounted over the PC version. Who else out there would like a price reduction based on the fact that features don't work??

[Anonymous]

So, is the hold up with Graphisoft or is it on Google's end? Just how hard is this to do? It's been avery long time...


MacBook Pro/OS 10.5/AC 11

[owen]

So is this the last nail in the coffin of hopes for a Mac version of Google Earth connection?

Graphisofts Google Earth Connection page updated on 17th Sept 2009 reads:

Note for Mac users: Due to an error in underlying (non-Graphisoft) technology necessary to develop the Add-On, we are unable to release the Macintosh version for ArchiCAD. We are sorry for the inconvenience it is causing you.

[Thomas Holm]

owen wrote:
So is this the last nail in the coffin of hopes for a Mac version of Google Earth connection?

Hardly. The next version of Google Sketchup adopts the Collada format as the primary import/export engine.
And the Collada format is natively supported in Snow Leopard.
So this may open alternate routes.