Hi Guys
I was just wondering if you are any closer to a UK version? using British building standards and materials
Thanks
MIke
Hi Mike,
We are making slow progress with the UK version at the moment.
Could you please email me a list of suppliers, materials and building standards that you would like to see in the UK version to help speed up the process.
My email is: dean@rubysketch.com
kind regards
Dean
Hi Dean,
I am very much waiting for a UK library to be built up before I jump into PlusSpec. Still very excited.
To give you a list of manufacturers/standards here in the UK that I use regularly, see below:
Structure:
Steel - check out sketchup.engineeringtoolbox.com . They have everything you need when it comes to standard sections, they have basically done all the work for you. They specify which country each standard comes from.
Timber - we generally use European standards for timber section sizes. You do still find imperial section sizes written in mm (eg 89x38mm [i think]).
Masonry - brick is 215x102.5x65, with 10mm mortar joints. Concrete blocks follow European standards.
Concrete lintels - Naylor
Insulation:
- Celotex - PIR insulation manufacturers used a lot
- kingspan - mostly Irish, but also used in UK
- Rockwool mineral wool insulation manufacturers
Plasterboard:
- British Gypsum - I haven’t seen any plasterboard elsewhere
Doors:
- Shueco - for aluminium doors
- Olsen - timber glazed doors
Glass
- pilkington
DPM
- visqueen
Other membranes:
- DuPont
For further standards, I strongly suggest you purchase “architect’s pocket book” by Charlotte Baden-Powell et al. It has everything you need written in a concise manner.
I hope you build it up soon! I’d love to start using it!
Tom Kaneko
Hi Guys
The new Plusspec is looking better and better. I’m keen to jump in and purchase but I’m still concerned whether it is going to be suitable enough for UK building standards. I see you have introduced creating our own materials. Will this be flexible enough for us to customize to the UK building methods? ie. block and beam ground floors , floor insulation and screeds, UK window and door styles, cavity insulated brick and block walls, external vertical tiling, external wall rendering, Flat roofs, dormer windows, loft conversions etc, etc. If the answer is yes, then would it be possible for us to have a short trial just to check out for ourselves? If all’s good then I think we would be happy to purchase. Also is it possible for the take off output to be available in a spreadsheet version for further reviewing,adjustment and presentation?
Keep up the good work it looks fantastic (particularly for Aussie Architects and Builders)
All the best
Mike
Hi MikeC,
Apologies for the tardy response to your post. Have you been able to see how PlusSpec has progressed since April? We are pushing hard to make PlusSpec as customizable as possible. In our upcoming updates, we will be releasing even more amazing features - including: composite walls. We believe that PlusSpec is an International product - and with the coming releases, this will continue to be more pronounced.
With the Take-Off, you can put the information directly into Excel,or, copy and paste it into any other document.
Hi Mike,
Having tried PlusSpec, I would say its not yet ready to go for the UK. It can be fudged to do so, but there is a lot of setting up that needs to happen before you can be efficient with it.
Things like standard timber section sizes, building products and construction methods vary quite a lot between here and Australia.
Hi TommyK,
We are now focusing heavily on the UK and European market. We will be attending the SketchUp 3D Basecamp 2015 in London. And, we will be soon releasing a competition for attendees to create 8 textures (from their favourite/most used manufacturers). The top four (4) winners will win a free year of PlusSpec, and all of the textures will be included in PlusSpec Europe 2016, which will be released in the next couple of months. This includes timber sizes (eg. simply create the material showing the varying timber sizes). You can enter multiple times (and create as many materials as you like), and it will be free to enter. However, it is for SketchUp Basecamp 2015 attendees only, at this stage. The competition will be released shortly. So if you are interested, please stay tuned.
As for construction methods, we are continuously updating the software, and we endeavour to increase the customization of all of our tools, so that it suits all construction methods and regions. This is our number one priority.
Thanks for the response guys.
I tend to agree with Tommy, as I have had a paid subscription of Plusspec since May this Year, and yet to make any real progress. This is mainly due to the time required to set up all the products, textures window styles etc. to make use of it in the UK. I appreciate it is customizable but really at this stage only really suitable for Australia.
I see you are launching a new UK version at Sketchup Basecamp. Can I assume all uk based previous users of Plusspec will receive a free upgrade? and if so when is this likely to be? At $990 a Year I need to be using the system ASAP. The Year is ticking by without any real benefit to ourselves. We’re still on CAD! I would appreciate you extending our licence once Plusspec UK is released.
Many thanks
Mike
Hi MikeC: PlusSpec UK is almost here! Check out the following link:
Hi Guys
Sorry to hijack your post , i am also looking forward to the UK release of Plusspec and have registered my interest in purchasing it upon release. I have today received an email from Tyler Moeke offering me to participate in the Beta/pre-release version for £180, as has been mentioned already i also am concerned that i am paying for a system that should make my workflow quicker and more efficient and currently does not. Although it is possible that we can create our own materials, surely we shouldn’t need to as this is what the system is for? I have no problem trialing a beta version of the program however, i wouldn’t expect to pay for testing a system and passing on my feedback that is going to involve me providing my time for free, if the system was fully up and running yeah not a problem but i think at the moment it would take me longer to setup and get running than it would currently take for me to complete a project using 2d cad.
As far as construction methods are concerned again mine will differ a bit from the English building system, i am from Scotland so adhere to a different set of Technical Standards with regard to Energy, Noise, Sustainability etc… Have the different regulations within England, Scotland & Ireland been considered in the new UK release?
As previously requested if there was a short trial available to be able to try the system for ourselves it would be very helpful.
cheers, Lee
Hi Leebo914,
We would like to clarify that PlusSpec has only two versions: PlusSpec Metric, and PlusSpec Imperial.
When we officially launched PlusSpec Full Release earlier this year, we included two (2) Material libraries: Material library AUS, and Material library USA. The UK release refers to the release of the Material library UK. Over the coming months and years we will be continuously releasing new Material libraries for other Countries around the world, as well as updating our current libraries. Material libraries are an important and powerful feature, as they provide you with access to real products from real manufacturers from your country, as well as unique building methodologies - but it is nevertheless just a library of products and timber framing standards.
With this in mind, we hope that you can understand that you are not really participating in a Beta/pre-release version. You have the ability to purchase the Full-Release PlusSpec Metric version at an amazing discount (almost 50% off). The only thing that is in Pre-release is the library itself, as we are still in the process of expanding the product range.
Customisation is in our opinion the most important feature of any BIM CAD software, as it is not possible for us to incorporate every product from every manufacturer around the world. This is why we have ensured that our customisation features are an integral part of PlusSpec. In fact, an ever-growing number of our users are beginning to understand the ease and power of our customisation features. We have had many Architects and Builders/Contractors advise us that they have spent 3-4 hours total, in which they created hundreds of materials from their favourite local manufacturers. Now they are totally unconstrained by anything, and have total freedom. In the coming releases, we will be making our customisation features even more powerful (with full composite capabilities, etc), so this is just the beginning.
Construction methods and Technical standards require the user to incorporate these. Even though we endeavour to automate as much as possible, and continue to grow the intelligence inside of PlusSpec, these aspects will always need to be picked up by each individual user - and this is part of your professional obligation. Therefore, it does not matter what Material library you have access to.
We believe that PlusSpec will enrich your workflow, and there is no better time for our UK and European users to purchase. We hope that you take advantage of this amazing discount.
I dont want to be overly critical but your website is very hard to navigate. I clicked on the link for info on the UK version and when I try to purchase I just get taken to the Aus site and asked to pay $900(?).
How and where is the link to purchase the £180 pre-release version? Making it hard to purchase wont gain you many new customers 
Hi,
Thank you for your feedback. Currently we are not advertising the UK pre-release Material Library version on our website due to it still in pre-release stages. To purchase the £180 Uk pre-release of PlusSpec you must contact uksales@plusspec.com and show your interest in purchasing the £180 Pre-release material library version.
Kind Regards
Dean
Hi everyone.
The PlusSpec website advertises that a UK version is available http://plusspec.com/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRons6TMZKXonjHpfsXw7ewuUaS3lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4ATspmI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFTLTAMaNv0LgOXxA%3D, however when I go to the download section it’s only Australia and USA.
How do I/we go about downloading the UK library?
Thank you,
Rob
Hi Rob,
To get access to the Uk Version follow bellow.
-
Open SketchUp
-
Go to Extensions - PlusSpec - Choose Material Package
- Select your region and click submit
- Close SketchUp and re open SketchUp.
Hope this helps 
Kind Regards
Dean