So take your pick, is this Trimble making a bold move or Google realizing SketchUp had no place in their portfolio. One more reason to think Google Earth is headed to the land of the walking dead.

This doesn’t change SketchUp’s awesomeness, but I’m wondering what the future holds. Trimble’s press release talks about an “enterprise solution”. The tea leaves say this means that SketchUp will transition away from free and the cheapskates need to pony up. Their FAQ says they’ll continue to support free customers, but I just can’t see that continuing like Google has been doing. A brave new world is upon us, one where Google doesn’t give everything away for free.

Everyone is addicted, but now what? I have to pay my supplier?