The emergence and development of the EasyKitchen library
Back in 2015, tired of the sluggishness, complexity and poor visualization of such furniture programs as Basis and PRO100, I started looking for something new. We needed a more flexible tool with the possibility of photo realistic rendering. And at that time it was the visualization that stood in the first place. I wanted to overtake competitors in this particular direction, so that our furniture company would be the first in the city to provide customers with photo-realistic sketches of furniture.
Having tried several programs focused on furniture production, I realized that the search needs to be expanded to software with wider functionality. Any BCad and Kitchen Draw did not satisfy in many respects. More serious editors (3D Max, Maya, etc.) were used. But they turned out to be too difficult to learn and too fancy.
Once I came across SketchUp. The interface of the program bribed with its simplicity and uncomplicatedness. No clutter of buttons and heaps of obscure windows. Just a couple of toolbars and a large workspace. I found out that there are many visualization plugins for SketchUp (including free ones). And then it began! In the beginning, all my designs were built using regular lines and push-pull geometry. Then the groups came to the rescue. Model editing just got easier. This is probably how everyone started their acquaintance with this program. Twilight Render, which is free in the Hobby version, was chosen as the rendering plugin. Needless to say, the sketches of furniture that we began to provide to customers were met with a bang. They were many times better than the visualizations of specialized furniture programs.
After some time, I came across information about a dynamic library for designing furniture in SketchUp. I contacted the author and purchased it. It was a kind of epiphany. Until that day, I had no idea that the possibilities of the program are so wide. From that moment, the study of dynamic components began. For some time I used the purchased library, but its functionality was quite complicated. Sometimes, to perform the simplest actions, it was required to watch another training video. Also a disadvantage was a very limited set of modules and their lack of flexibility.
As a result, the idea came to mind to create my own library that would meet at least three basic principles:
This is how the story of EasyKitchen began in 2017, and it continues to this day!
Vladimir Vinogradov
Creator and Lead Developer of EasyKitchen
Some significant milestones in the history of the library
2017
November 14
The first version of EasyKitchen 1.0.0 was available for purchase. There was no functionality in the options window. Instead of a dynamic menu, there were simple square buttons.
The library included 60 modules. The weight of the archive was only 14.1MB.
December 18
EasyKitchen 1.0.1. The parameter window has been used. There was a "hot swap". Some modules have been merged.
The library included 59 modules. The weight of the archive was 18.8MB.
2018
March 28
EasyKitchen 1.0.5. Added support for GOLA profiles. New dynamic menu.
The library included 57 modules. The weight of the archive was 29.2MB.
2019
April 1
Not a joke) Failure with the new dynamic menu, which turned out to be unbearable for SketchUp. All modules of the almost finished EasyKitchen 2.0 are being redesigned to work without a dynamic menu.
May 30
Easy Kitchen 2.0. The library has been completely rewritten. Removed dynamic menu. Now you can create a detailed report. The library included 149 modules. The weight of the archive was 49.3MB.
June 24
The appearance of an addition with front fittings - EasyHandles.
In total, at that time, the addition included 62 models of furniture handles in urban style.
August 06
The EasyFacades add-on was released, which at that time included 7 new facades and a facade constructor consisting of 27 elements.
September 2
EasyKitcnen has been updated to version 2.6. The dynamic menu appeared again, this time more optimized. Added new types of pencil cases. The library included 157 modules. The weight of the archive was 57.8MB.
2020
February 22
The stable version of EasyKitchen 3.0 has been released. The library has been completely rewritten again. Optimized parameters and geometry. Updated all add-ons for compatibility with the 3rd version.
The library included 244 modules. The weight of the archive was 166MB.
March 9
Modules of sliding doors of the Aristo system were added to the library.
April 20
The Redcut report handler has been completely rewritten. Downloading files has become much easier and faster. The functionality of detailing and estimates has been significantly expanded.
August 31
The alpha version of EasyKitchen 4 has been released, which has been seriously optimized and improved. Similar modules are merged into one with extended functionality. Dynamic edges and fittings appeared.
September 12
The release of a new plugin that allows you to hot-swap and change textures for all modules in the project at once.
November 11
A stable version of EasyKitchen 4 has been released, in which new functionality has been added and all bugs in the alpha and beta versions have been fixed. There are fewer modules due to the combination of the functionality of similar modules into one. The library included 213 modules. The weight of the archive was 131MB.
December 12
The EasyKitchen library has been updated to version 4.1. Minor module fixes and facade adjustments. Added updated smart facades.
21 December
Addition of EasyFacades replenished with dynamic lattices. 7 types of grilles were released with flexible functionality for customizing the appearance.
2021
24 May
Release of EasyKitchen 4.2.0 (BETA). A lot of new functionality has been added. There was a version numbering for all modules and components. Added cuts for HDF. Redcut added many new features and shared it with the price list. The site has a "Repository" section.
July 4
Release of EasyKitchen PRO 4.3 [Stable]. Fixed bugs and shortcomings of the BETA version. The library itself included 262 modules. The weight of the archive was 183MB.
July 14
Work has begun on light, designer facades. This will lighten the library and speed up work with it and with the component replacement plugin.
July 28
From now on, the library is numbered with only one digit. For example - EasyKitchen 4. The information by which you can judge the update is the date the package was updated.
October 7
A huge layer of work on Blum drawer systems has been completed. Subscribers now have almost all possible functionality for Blum fittings at their disposal.
October 29
500+
The total number of EasyKitchen library modules and all add-ons to it has exceeded 500!
November 25
Update of the EasyKitchen PRO library, which reduced the "weight" of the library by as much as 128MB. Basic fronts and basic drawers have been simplified. This made it possible to significantly lighten the library and speed up its work. It also became possible to replace hinges and lifters through the plugin.
2022
January 29
Release of EasyKitchen 4.2.0 (BETA). A lot of new functionality has been added. There was a version numbering for all modules and components. Added cuts for HDF. Redcut added many new features and shared it with the price list. The site has a "Repository" section.
February 10
Redcut got export not only to ViYar, but also to SketchCut PRO.
February 19
The library has been replenished with a new addition called EasyCabinets. The essence of the add-on is that it includes ready-made templates for cabinets and sections that can be combined to quickly design cabinet furniture.
May 25
All types of Blum Metabox have been added to the EasyKitchen PRO library. At the moment, all types of Blum pull-out systems and guides have been made.
08 September
The JOKER (UNO) system has been added to the library, which is often used in the design of furniture, commercial equipment and exhibition stands.
September 23
Release of stable EasyKitchen PRO 4.4. A huge number of innovations, more convenient functionality and the ability to configure all modules in a scene at once. The archive with the library weighed 336 MB.
December 6
EasyKitchen PRO 4.6 release. Simplified installation using the installer, new kitchen modules, added dimensions of the body and facades, as well as a trigger that checks the accuracy of the module dimensions. Additionally, Redcut and the replacement plugin have been updated.
December 27
A major update to the EasyCabinets add-on! The mechanics have been completely changed. Sections are now replaced via the replacement plugin, just like doors. New section types have been added. Cabinet modules have combined the functions of swing-door and sliding-door wardrobes. In addition, many new parameters have been added that allow for more flexible configuration of cabinets.
2023
January 19
Update of the EasyHandles furniture handles add-on. Errors have been fixed and geometry has been corrected. 38 new handle models have been added, bringing the total number of handles to 122.
February 28
EasyCabinets add-on update. Added binding of modules to the Main Menu. A function for moving sections between positions appeared, as well as the ability to make only the bottom of the cabinet, without legs and a base. Crossbars appeared in the sections, which can be added, removed and configured as desired.
March 24
New Redcut version 4.5.1. Completely new start page. More convenient and functional. Global edge and joint modes. Improved macro code.
April 25
Release of the updated EasyKitchen DEMO package. All modules and elements of this demo package have been updated to the latest versions. New demo kitchen set.
May 12
CAB1 is the first suspended cabinet module with a new dynamic menu and additional dynamic buttons to control the superposition of the uprights, roof and bottom in relation to the facades.
May 31
The EasyKitchen PRO library has been expanded with the latest Blum MERIVOBOX pull-out drawers! All possible modifications are now available, including designs for under-sink units.
September 6
New addition for designing classic kitchen units and furniture - EasyClassic. So far only one facade system "Nike", but a start has been made! A total of 306 modules, facades and elements. Archive weight - 449MB.
2024
February 27
The first milled facades made using pattern technology.
March 6
First teaser about EasyKitchen version 5!
April 8
Updated the replacement plugin to version 4.5 to support the latest SketchUp 2024.
April 19
Several facades have been released, built on a new technology that provides less weight of components with much wider functionality and more correct texture application.
