Last week, Google released its Sketchup update 7.1. It`s just an update, but it brings some important improvements for planners, urban designers and landscape architects:

1. The performance of LARGE models was improved

2. From my point of view, dynamic components are one of the most promising new features in Sketchup. Unfortunately, the export of dynamic components was still buggy when they were introduced in Sketchup 7.0 and this bug has now been removed. Expect more news on dynamic components on this blog!

3. Import / Export Collada Files: Most game engines, but also Biosphere3D for example, import buildings as Collada files. Before, you needed modelers such as Cinema4D for Collada export but now you can use Sketchup as well.

4. Import / Export KMZ Files: A long missing step forward to the integration of Sketchup and GoogleEarth

For more details on the Sketchup update 7.1, see http://sketchup.google.com/product/newin7.html