My client surprised me with “can I get the CAD model with the DIM included?” I created the model in SU (a retail store floor plan - it’s huge) but I did the dims in LO. Now I can’t seem to combine the two. HELP! the DXF export from LO won’t go back into the SU model with any technique I’ve tried.
Just export the CAD file out of LayOut.
You shouldn’t need to put the LayOut dimensions into SketchUp.
When I try to export from LO the model from SU is coming out as a flat image. I need everything to be editable as in SU. Am I missing something in the export process from LO to get the model data intact?
So you want to send them a 3D CAD file?
Then yes, you are missing something. You would need to add dimensions in SketchUp. The LayOut dimensions aren’t going to be usable in SketchUp.
So, from what I gather, I’ll need to redo all of the dims in SU in order for them to be editable in any other CAD application. My client uses Autocad, so I’m exporting to DXF. Correct? I wish I had known that the model data was lost at the point of leaving LO. That a days work to redo.
LayOut is a 2D application and is designed to create flat 2D work. It is not a 3D application like SketchUp. It’s intended to create documents and other 2D files with views of your SketchUp model, text and other entities.
DXF export from SketchUp seems like a reasonable thing if you need to give your client a 3D CAD file.
send a ‘export 3D’ dxf from SU and the ‘paper space’ dxf with dims from LayOut…
they should be able to combine them…
john
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Not Ideal for my client to do this. Could I combine the two DXF files in SU?
I was just wondering that myself,
try it…
john
Stay tuned…
I get this in an error on import from either a DWG or DXF created from LO…
Warning:
Some imported geometry is extremely far from the
model origin. If you experience any instability with
your SketchUp model, please delete that geometry
from your .dwg/.dxf file and import again.
AutoCAD Entities Imported:
Layers: 5
AutoCAD Entities Simplified:
AutoCAD Entities Ignored:
Anonymous Blocks: 322
Might be worth looking at this:
Specifically the lists of supported and unsupported CAD entities.
I managed to get it to import, but the DXF file only contained the dimension lines, but none of the text. What a nightmare. I think I’m going to have to start over and do the dims in SU. UGH, that just kills the profit on this job. FAIL!
That’s unfortunate. I wonder whatgave you the idea that the LayOut dimensions could be imported into SketchUp since the LayOut dimensions are in 3D space like SketchUp dimensions would be. Did you see some documentation that does? Your post is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone trying to do this since LayOut was released.almost a decade ago.
No, the scope of the work suddenly changed. I surveyed an existing supermarket… Originally I was providing 2D plans to the client, then they decided they want to import the entire thing into Autocad to experiment with the layout. I hadn’t planned on giving them the dims in a dynamic changeable way from the start. I suppose from now on in case this happens again, I’ll just do all of my dimension work in SU and forget all about LO.
I can give them a nice DXF export of the layout itself at this point, but the dims are useless if they want them in the cad drawing now.
It sure would be nice if the line art on LO exported properly to DXF or even better could be ported to a layer in SU.
Hi
I’m going to be a little bit cynical here… but it does annoy me a little bit when a request like this is made, to provide the Model in DWG with the dimensions. Maybe I’m being too awkward, but the way I see it is, the Model produced, and therefore the resulting DWG, is full size and so if it is being used to ‘experiment’ with the Layout of the space, they shouldn’t need dimensions as they can just measure them in AutoCAD. Also, what if you haven’t shown every dimension that they might ‘need’ in AutoCAD? If they are playing with the layout, they’ll probably be measuring off loads of distances between loads of objects.
I often have to send DWGs to HVAC and Electrical so they can overlay their equipment on, and my view is, if they need to know where the centre line of a row of desks is, they can measure it themselves.
Apologies, little bit negative from me.
Mike
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I was similarly annoyed. This was an example of poor communication in the planning stages from the client and their intended use of the final product I was to provide. I would have approached the entire thing differently had I known. In the end, I just knuckled down and re-did the work to preserve the client relationship. I’ll know better next time than to make an assumptions.
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