SketchUp sold: will it stop being free?

Image coming soon

The American company Trimble, which makes a wide range of lasers, theodolites and associated software, has just bought Google's SketchUp. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

The company says that the building-sharing platform will be kept on and co-maintained by Google. It wants to offer a complete package and to integrate the modelling technology into its own products (Trimble Tools by Accubid, HHK, Meridian, Plancal, QuickPen, Tekla, Trimble Business Center).

No one knows whether the software will remain free, and would you be willing to buy it if it became a paid product? (You can answer the poll in the left-hand column.)