SU model to Vectorworks (and vice versa)

[HelenMOL]

Hi,

I use VW but two of my colleagues will be modelling in Sketchup.

Are there any tips on workflow? Ie guidelines on how to best export and import?

In the past I have found models I've imported in VW from SU to be very fragmented and need a lot of cleaning up.

 

The person I'm working for will model in Sketchup and then ask me to import the model into VW to produce working drawings

He'll also want to make changes to the model (in VW) and then also texture and light for rough renders.

Then pass the model back into SU

 

Is this possible? or better to just transfer it once from SU to VW.

Any tips on how I can save hours remodelling / fixing up the model so it is editable in VW?

 

much thanks,

Helen

Edited April 3, 2021 by HelenMOL

[JuanP]

@HelenMOL Check this piece from the Vectorworks University: HERE

 

I hope that helps.

[Tobias Kern]

Hi Juan,

 

greetings and hope you are fine?

 

As longtime Sketchup (SKP) and VW-User i often transfer data from SKP to VW.

 

Here my thoughts:

SKP geometry can only be imported as 3D-point-object (sorry dunno the right translation from german to english)

or group of 3D polygon surfaces.

 

Imported SKP geometry with holes in surfaces (wall with door/window) can't have a filling, if used with VW-cuts

because the import process is limited (3D-polygons can't have holes, and 3D-point-objects are technically a object

lots of 3D-polygons). That is not very good! 

 

Often i use this way: SKP to Rhino to VW.  From Rhino i can import solids. Solids can have fillings in VW cuts,

but i loose all Layers (in SKP = tags) from SKP. So this is also bad for me. Better geometry but i have to

manage the geometry.

 

Sometimes at the import process, i loose the construction axe from SKP to VW.

 

My conclusion Import SKP:

- Import SKP Groups and SKP Components as VW Solids (please no 3D point-objects or group of 3D polygon surfaces)

  so it would be possible to use cuts in VW and other operations like additions, subtractions, ...

  It is possible to convert imported 3D-point-objects and groups of 3D-polygon to VW Solids, but you have to do it object by object

  in VW. If you have lots of imported SKP geometry this is a boring and time consuming process!

  There is no command in VW to convert all geometry at once to 3D.solids. Please give us such a command!

- Keep all SKP Layers and import them as VW Classes, or if alternative as VW Layers

- Import SKP Groups as VW solids only. Grouping in SKP means, that something (some flat surfaces) belongs together to a 3D-volume.

  … so more like a VW-Solid as a VW-point-object, in my understanding.

- Import SKP Components (they are comparable to VW symbols) as VW-Solids inside VW-Symbols.

- But what if a SKP group is not waterproof (tiny holes somewhere), then VW should give us a hint after the import process, which geometry is problematic

  and put the geometry on a specific layer.

 

My conclusion Import Rhino (as side wish here):

- please make it possible to keep the rhino layers! 

 

My longtime wish is, that VW would sometimes as good as SKP in 3D modeling (for my personal workflow),

that i can give up SKP. At the moment it is not so, im so much faster in 3d modeling in SKP as i am in VW,

because of some limitations (i write every year my wishes/ideas for a better modeling workflow to the german support) 

 

Greetings

Toby

[shorter]

On 4/14/2021 at 1:28 PM, Tobias Kern said:

please make it possible to keep the rhino layers!

 

Yes please!  However, is this a Rhino limitation, or Vectorworks?

[blanger]

On 4/14/2021 at 5:28 AM, Tobias Kern said:

My longtime wish is, that VW would sometimes as good as SKP in 3D modeling (for my personal workflow),

that i can give up SKP.

Agreed!!!