I often need to import property lines from a GIS data base into Sketchup. Does anyone know of a simpler way to do it than my current method? Current method being download the property lines in a separate file, resize them in SU and then try to place them properly in SU so as to match up with satellite imagery from the geolocate. I wish that the geolocate feature would start giving the option to import property line and other GIS data along with the imagery.
It would help if all that GIS data for property lines and such for the entire planet came from a common source like the terrain and imagery do. That would make it practical to supply that data.
The difficulty here is that (as I understand it) SketchUp Geolocation is based on WGS84, the “universal” GPS coordinate system, and certainly here in France, site boundaries & the like from Surveyors are recorded using the local projection system (here it’s usually EPSG:2154, or Lambert93) so there needs to be some way of syncing up.
This problem has come up in discussions around IFC file handling as we desperately need to accurately “situate” our models & when we export an IFC, be able to choose which projection system is referenced by Su for the export.
As far as i know, this subject is being looked into by the powers that be & hopefully the whole SIG/BIM convergence will rapidly evolve in a way that meets our needs.
Meanwhile, like you, we have DIY work arounds that more or less do the job !
The challenge is less on how to import and more where is the data coming from? Property Lines are often, as you noted, stored and shared as GIS data through local municipality websites. Each town, city, state, etc will have they’re own source. Some counties have done a better job standardizing and making available this data than others.
I use ShapeFile to qGIS to DXF to SU.
You can try this extension Spirix_Shapefile_Importer - I just tested it and it was able to import a GIS SHP file directly without needing to convert to DXF first. You may still need to position manually depending on whether it recognizes or has geolocation data.
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This looks a little more hopeful. I will need to give this a try.
I also struggled with this problem and ended with writing my own extension. See this workflow if it would suit your needs. The extension should hopefully be in the extension warehouse in the next couple of days…
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This looks VERY interesting, thanks for posting.