Igloo Studios Enters Partnership with Google SketchUp™ and Announces “Product Connect™ for Google SketchUp” - Reinventing the Way Design Professionals Find, Present and Specify Building Products

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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 manufacturers 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”

“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.

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.