Export VW to SketchUP?

[Travis]

I have a cad-challenged (meaning their office is over-committed to acad) landscape architect that has recently become enamored with SketchUP. They've asked if we can send them a SketchUP version of some landscape structures we designed and built for them a while back. They're after the 3D model so they can do some marketing materials that include their landscape design complete with our structures integrated.

Since we've not used SketchUP all I know is there is a plug-in of some sort to facilitate communication between it and VWA. Can someone tell me if it's possible to create a file?probably using said plug-in?that I can send? Such a file would need to ultimately be read by SketchUP.

[Guest]

You can export to a dxf or dwg file - it can then be imported into SketchUp. Note the import in from SketchUp will likely strip a good bit of information.

Another option is to export to an IGES or 3DS file. Both of these file formats can be read by SketchUp.

Are your landscape structures 3D?

[quigley]

Best bet Travis is to download the free Google SketchUp and have a play. Honestly if you can model in VW you will have no problems picking up SketchUp in 10 mins. I don't really recommend using the SketchUp plug in though. It is OK for really simple stuff but beyond that it is better to use another format.

As Katie suggests for 3D the .3ds format exported from VW Designer series products works well. For 2D, export as a dwg and build in SketchUp.

I'd just try it though.

[Travis]

Yep, virtually everything we do is in 3D. I'll take quigley's advice and play around with the free version, when I have a few minutes.

Thanks for the input,