@Last Software, makers of the 3D sketch software SketchUp, has been acquired by Google Inc. The news comes in an announcement posted to the SketchUp Web site by @Last co-founder Brad Schell.
SketchUp, available for Mac OS X and Windows, is a 3D design program created to help designers, architects and others to create, view and modify 3D ideas quickly and easily. The company’s latest version, SketchUp 5, runs on Intel Macs using Rosetta, and @Last is committed to creating a version that runs natively, too.
“… the future of SketchUp just got a big shot in the arm, so please don’t worry about the product or our mission,” said Schell.
Schell explained that the seeds of Google’s acquisition of @Last Software when the company recently developed a plug-in for Google Earth.
“At first, it was kind of hard to imagine; after all, we’d been blazing our own trail for so long. But after we kicked it around awhile, it started to seem right,” said Schell.
Schell said that @Last is staying right where it is, in Boulder, Colo., and that the software will continue to be improved and expanded.
Another view of the @Last acquisition has been posted by Jeff Martin, @Last Software’s product marketing manager.
SketchUp remains available for $495. A time-limited demo is also available for download.