Igloo Studios Enters Partnership with Google SketchUp™ - Reinventing the Way Design Professionals Find, Present and Specify Building Products
Posted by KraftMaid on Apr 26th 2011
LAS VEGAS, NV — (April 26, 2011) — Igloo Studios, a leading developer of 3D content and
applications and official Google SketchUp™ partner, today unveiled “Product Connect™ for
Google SketchUp” at the 2011 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas. Supporting
both parties’ drive to make it easier for manufactures and designers to work together to sell
products, the launch of the “Product Connect for Google SketchUp” plugin provides the Design
industry with a new, efficient way to specify products.
"Product Connect gives manufacturers and designers an opportunity to collaborate in the design
specification process,” said Alex Oliver, CEO of Igloo Studios. “We anticipate adding more
product catalogs to the 3D Warehouse™ while also developing additional Product Connect
features inside of Google SketchUp that will serve to strengthen the designer/manufacturer
collaboration over time.”
For manufacturers, Igloo Studios semi-automatically converts product catalogs into Dynamic
Component SketchUp models, or “smart” 3D models. These virtual products can be found via a
traditional Google search, previewed in the Google 3D Warehouse as well as downloaded by
designers and visualized in the context of a design project in Google SketchUp. In addition,
designers can use Product Connect to export product data out of SketchUp and into the next
step of the design specification process.
"With Product Connect, design professionals can now use Google SketchUp for product
visualization and specification,” said Steve Dapkus, Business Development, New Markets at
Google. "We believe Product Connect makes it easier for users to preview a variety of products
in their SketchUp models and helps manufacturers reach new customers.”
Product Connect launches with a selection of compatible Kitchen & Bath product catalogs by
leading building product manufacturers, including the following categories and brand names:
• Cabinetry: KraftMaid® Cabinetry, Merillat® Cabinetry, QualityCabinets™
• Countertops: DeNova™ Countertops
• Faucets: Brizo®, Delta® Faucets
• Appliances: Dacor®
• Tile: Oceanside Glasstile™, Mandala
• Surfacing Materials: Formica® Corporation
“With only a portion of our product catalog converted for use in SketchUp, we’ve already
achieved well over 200,000 product downloads to date and have successfully reached a wider
audience and potential customer base,” said Mark Johnson FAIA, Director, Architect Relations & Education. “Igloo Studios’ Product Connect will allow us to deepen our relationship with this
audience and drive even more product specifications.”
The reporting capabilities of Product Connect will save designers time by generating organized
product schedules, freeing designers to focus on the creative process.
“Google SketchUp has a visual impact on my customers which has allowed me to quickly turn
designs into sales,” said Eric Schimelpfenig, AKBD Classic Kitchens & Baths in Greenfield, MA.
“With Product Connect, I will be able to streamline my design process, reduce errors and make
product specification even more efficient.”
Igloo Studios will be giving daily demonstrations of Product Connect from the KBIS show floor in
the Education Area between the Merillat booth (#C4638) and KraftMaid Cabinetry booth
(#C4537) at 12:00pm and 2:30pm on Tuesday, April 26, 11:30am and 1:30pm on Wednesday,
April 27, as well as at 10:30am and 1:00pm on Thursday, April 28.
Product Connect is available for free download at www.igloostudios.com/productconnect/app.
Google SketchUp models for KraftMaid are available here to download.
About Igloo Studios
Igloo Studios, an official Google SketchUp™ partner, develops 3D building product models and related productivity applications for design industry professionals. Having converted thousands of real-world products into Google SketchUp-enabled 3D models, Igloo Studios has collectively generated over 1.7 million product downloads to date from the Google 3D Warehouse™ for its manufacturing clients. Igloo Studios also offers the design industry custom SketchUp-based applications and training designed to assist in the finding, presenting and selling of projects and integrated products. Through the School brand (www.go-2-school.com), Igloo Studios provides worldwide training and consulting on 3D design software. Established in March 2005, Igloo Studios is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with an office in Los
Angeles, CA. For more information, please visit Igloo Studios at www.igloostudios.com.
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Media Contact:
Karen Raque Oliver
Igloo Studios
310-927-5213
karen@igloostudios.com
KraftMaid Contact:
Susan Cross
Masco Cabinetry
Email: susan.cross@mascocabinetry.com
P: 734-205-4659 C: 517-902-2156
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