What is the best export option file type in Layout when using Indesign. We want to be able to change the font and size of the dimension lines etc. in Indesign. I imagine putting the dimensions on a separate layer in Layout makes sense?
thanks.
The export options from LayOut are raster images (PNG, JPG), PDF, DWG/DXF. Which one makes the most sense for your application? You won’t be able to edit fonts if you make raster exports.
That always makes sense.
You can always change the font for the dimensions within Layout itself.
For SU/indesign I believe pdf is the better option (other than raster formats). However, in Indesign the text is not directly editable as it comes in as a link and editing reverts back to the imported item’s program which would be adobe acrobat, in Acrobat you could change the font (but can do that in Layout anyway), but don’t think you can change line weights in acrobat?
In its layered state the the options in ID are only visibility in “object / edit”, which wont allow editability of text or lines? There’s a script that will break out pages, but its still a flattened page.
InDesign is a much more powerful (and faster) tool than Layout …for layouts of pages, but of course it doesn’t have the interoperability between SU which is what makes it so good/unique. Hopefully, one day, LO will be as smooth as ID.
To get an editable file, you might try exporting to PDF, opening the result in Acrobat (Pro) and saving it as a Word or RTF document. The formatting might not be preserved intact.
Or, if you have access to it, the PDF file can be edited in Illustrator instead of InDesign.
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Thanks for the help everyone. Here is what we are hoping for. I’m building an instructional book for timber framing school, Chris is creating the CAD drawings in a pro version of sketchup. the book is being created in InDesign and I have the latest Illustrator, this is where editing will happen. What we need is to be able to, in illustrator edit line weights and text sizes because the drawings may be scaled differently from page to page but we want the weights to remain the same.So its easier for me to do it on a per drawing bases rather than having Chris do it as he isn’t looking at the InDesign project. Currently when importing either a DWG or DXF file the text is editable but for some reason is contained with in clipping paths, meaning I can’t select all the text at once and change sizes… I hope this makes some sense… I’ll try and post images of our issues.
If pdf is “embedded” (not linked) in Illustrator and “scale line weights” is unchecked in preferences, those line weights should remain the same on scaling. Illustrator much better for this, had originally thought you had to use ID.
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We are using InDesign for the layout and linking to these files (I will be editing them in illustrator if need be). But if we can export from Sketchup to a PDF and that will retain gradients weights, fonts etc. then this would be a step in the right direction.
Your Profile indicates you are using SketchUp Free (web). Is that correct?
I am using SU pro 2018 for the illustrations, “Filament” is the “Indesign” guy
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