Can't convert Sketchup to Dwg with measurements

Hello,
I have to convert sketchup to Dwg. I did what it seam to be correct but when my maker open the file with autocad2017 it doesn’t work.

Any idea???

Thank you in advance for your help

What is it about the measurements that is causing a problem? Can you explain a little more?

Here’s no measurement at all when I send in 3D. It work in 2D.

When you go to: FILE>EXPORT>3D MODEL

In the window that pops up there is an options box. Open it up and make sure you have “Text” and “Dimensions” both checked as in the screenshot below. Although I don’t usually export measurements, 3d especially, I just did a quick test and the measurements transferred through to the DWG in a Cad program.

Hope that helps.

Thank You IanT,

I did that already but it doesn’t change. I tried with just a simple cube and a quote on it just in case my drawing was wrong for some raison but it does the same thing. I have the drawing but no measurement on it.

Interesting, can you share your SKP file here?, (or you could PM me it) and I could try on my end.

Between my last post and now I see you are on a MAC vs my Windows, I don’t know if that would be important.

Side 5’’ .skp (426.9 KB)

As cluttered as they are, the dimensions are carrying through on my end it seems. (The units are different because of my Cad template). If you made the settings as I showed above then the only difference I see is that you are on MAC vs my Windows.

Maybe a MAC user could chime in and try it?

Why is it you want to send those dimensions out like this? Are you passing it on to someone?

Capture8

That is my Sketchup drawing. Yes to a metal manufacture. So it seam working on your side.

I’m swinging from the question now but, do they require the DWG to work on with CAD or just a dimensioned image? If they can work on the file they can read the measurements in CAD anyway and you won’t need to attach them I wouldn’t have thought.

If you gave that to me as a drawing, I would only need half of those measurements as the left and right sides are symmetrical.(I’d space the dimensions out a little too). If there were no measurement on one side I would take it were a mirror of the other side. LayOut would make a much better job of it altogether if its just a drawing you require.

Lol, I sent them this drawing with alf of those measurements like said because it’s symmetrical, but they told me a lot of measurements are missing… Not anymore.
Thank you for your help! I will figure that out with them on Monday.
Have a nice week end.

1 Like

I tried this on my Mac, SketchUp 2018 Pro. I don’t have autocad, so I opened it using eDrawings. When first opened, it looked like the first image below , which certainly gives the impression there are no dimensions. But when I clicked the rotate tool it changed to look like the second image below. They are in a font that is too large and makes them difficult to read, but they are there. My suspicion is that the dimensions are present, but black on black makes them invisible in the first image. Is your recipient using a black background?

Edit: I can also make everything visible by altering the background and paper colors used by eDrawings. But the font handling is still a problem.

Thank you very much for your help. Will be in touch with then.

Taking a closer look, there are actually some dimensions missing for the insert parts for the shelves. I can’t quite understand how you are building yours with those insert pieces, but if they are separate from the main shell you should make them components and also the shell itself, so they are separate parts that would be made in reality and then assembled afterwards. As it is everything in your model is just raw geometry, you should be making components really.

I mentioned LayOut earlier, so I thought I’d use the opportunity to make a version of your item and present it in LayOut as an alternative to the way you have done things so far, and how you could show the dimensions for the internals. I thought you might be interested. You’ll have to forgive my metal-work design, but mine is simply a shell and two inserts that fit snug inside. I thought they could be tacked on with weld but I’ve never really looked at one to know, its just an example really.

I made a model in SketchUp and then made copies of the 3 components, rotating them where needed to create Scenes to be used in LayOut.

This is the model

This text will be hidden

The resulting PDF exported from LayOut made using the scenes from SketchUp
cabinet.pdf (372.8 KB)

I thought I’d just show another option available.

This is a good point as most manufacturers would want technical drawings in 2D with maybe just a sketch image in 3D to show what the thing looks like. Dimensions would then only be applied to the 2D drawings. Layout is the obvious tool for the job after creating suitable scenes in Sketchup. Dimensions and other annotations would all be done in Layout leaving the SU file uncluttered.

I see that you have Pro so you must also have Layout. Layout drawings can also be converted to DWG.

Thank you Ian for your time and efforts for the drawings. And you are right about the 2D drawing. The manufacturer is very not clear about what they need or want. I will figure it out with them. Thanks again everyone

I’d suggest creating a 2D view (or multiple) in LayOut and adding dimensions there instead. You have control over the styling of the dimensions and they export to DWG as native CAD entities. Here’s some more info on the export process from LayOut: https://help.sketchup.com/en/layout/exporting-or-printing-your-layout-document