Dubman Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 I do not see the Export SketchUp in the export menu anymore. Which 3D file type works best for SketchUp ? I would really prefer to make a 3D model in VW and then export it to Sketchup for the rest of the office. Thanks Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 SketchUp can import a lot of File Formats. But from the other side, when I had to import SketchUp Files into other Apps that do not have *.skp importers, the way to go was DAE. But I would do some tests with FBX and DWG too .... Quote Link to comment
Dubman Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 Thanks Zoomer, I'll try a few & see what gives the best result for my co-workers to use! Quote Link to comment
cberg Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 FBX exports relatively cleanly to SketchUp; it maintains the overall look/feel of the model. But you need a FBX import plugin. We own a copy of Simlab's plugin. The nice thing about FBX is that VW colors and materials will be exported via this approach. http://www.simlab-soft.com/3d-plugins/FBX_Importer_For_Sketchup-main.aspx The challenge with FBX exports is that once you import the VW model into SketchUp, you need to undertake a fair bit of cleanup to make the files usable. For whatever reason, Vectorworks exports faceted geometry, and this needs to be cleaned up using the Sketchup Cleanup3 plugin. You also have to fuss with soft and smooth edges. The geometry is also oddly grouped. https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/cleanup%C2%B3 Otherwise, I have had not as much luck with .dae exports. But it may just be me. Cheers! Quote Link to comment
Dubman Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 Thanks cberg, I just tried the first option (3DS), it took for ever to convert & a the same to get into SU, then it is very slow navigating it. Quote Link to comment
Dubman Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 cberg, I have SketchUp 2018 Pro & can not see the exported file FBX which becomes a 3D Object file. In SU using the import menu it will not recognize the file to import. Guess I'm going have to just edit somebody else's SU file to the existing as built conditions which will make it more fun. Thanks though Quote Link to comment
cberg Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 (edited) I'm not fully understanding your question. I am attaching screenshots of my VW model. And my sketchup import using the Simlab FBX import plugin. You can see the model imports quite cleanly. I export the fbx file to my desktop. And import using the plugin. Original VW Model: Sketchup Import using fbx. You can see faceted geometry that needs to be cleaned up... Cleanup procedure using Sketchup CleanUp3 plugin Geometry can now be pushed and pulled. Sometimes you need to adjust soft and smooth edges for it to appear correctly Edited December 12, 2018 by cberg 1 Quote Link to comment
Dubman Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 Sorry cberg, I did not catch it was a plug in in Sketchup in order to do this. I'll give it a try. Thanks Quote Link to comment
rohantheboat Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I have just tried Simlab's sketchup OBJ importer also and it works well, it brings in materials and appears to work like FBX importer (it still needs the cleanup sketchup plugin) as another option. Quote Link to comment
bcd Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 What's the latest best way in 2021 to export to SU? Quote Link to comment
Dubman Posted July 10, 2021 Author Share Posted July 10, 2021 Export to a 3d file, practice with the different options in export & importing into SketchUp, I was finally able to open in SKU with having the diagonal facet lines but right now do not remember the exact setting or if was in the export or the import. Just lots of trials & errors. Hope that helps some Quote Link to comment
bcd Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Thanks for getting back. Glad there's some sort of solution. Quote Link to comment
Dubman Posted July 11, 2021 Author Share Posted July 11, 2021 Yes, you can export to a 3DS file & then when opening in SketchUp you will have to try the import 3D options to get the objects with out the diagonal facet on each face. You have to have both programs & in VW make a 3D square or rectangle & a sphere then export them & practice opening in SKU to get the best import options. Then you can do the reverse with same trials of export options & import options. Quote Link to comment
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