I’m only getting a partial drawing when I import it from autocad into sketchup.
I don’t have AutoCad, I’m viewing with True View. How do I get the complete drawing into Sketchup? Do I need to ask the Architect to do something to the drawing before he sends the drawing to me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
autocad import into sketchup problem.pdf (190.5 KB)
Well I can’t say without the actual dwg file, but it looks like part of the plan (the walls and all) might be on an external file, a x-ref, and sketchup can’t import them because you don’t have them.
could you share the dwg / dxf file so one of us can check ?
That would be so great if you would look at the drawing. Thank you so much.
Apb1-LM (1).dwg (2.4 MB)
Can you complete your profile.
64-bit is not an Operating System. It should be Windows 10 or 11 or whatever or Mac OS nn, where nn is 12, 13, 14, 15 or whatever. For example, I use Mac OS 13.7.
xxxx is not a valid make and Model for a Graphics Card. I get mine by opening the Apple Menu → About this Mac and get:
Radeon Pro 560 4 Go
Intel HD Graphics 630 1536 Mo
This information is useful in helping you.
This is what I get when I import your DWG file in SU.
Apbm-1 (LM) - JL -2024-11-04.skp (331.8 KB)
Yeah, I’m not an expert in autocad files, but this is more ignored entities that I usually see during import. could be part of AttDefs or Proxy.
I opened it in Qcad (file didn’t open in my librecad version, might be too old) and just converted it to dxf.
and it imports fine this time.
The problem with the file is that the walls have been created with AutoCad Architecture or its siblings so they are not standard AutoCad objects. AutoCad Architecture is a custom add-on that creates special objects that are not readable by other software.
Yes. Ask the architect to use the “Export to AutoCad” function in his AutoCad Architecture to create a file for you that consists only of standard AutoCad objects.
Great news - I have to take a look at Qcad - it seems to be able to handle the “proxy” objects we see when the AutoCad add-on is not present.
Apb1-LM-from AEC walls exploded.skp (910,4 Ko)
Apb1-LM (1)-AEC walls exploded.dwg (2,1 Mo)
yup I concur with @Anssi & @ateliernab instead of exporting as a dxf I just exploded the AEC objects and resaved the dwg (a less elegant solution) & it imported fine to SU
BTW are you working in imperial units as the dwg would imply ?
yeah, the free version can open DWGs but closes after a few minutes, or you can pay 35€ for the pro version and 1 year of updates.
it reads the proxy objects and when you export, it makes lines out of them.
I use it mainly as a viewer but also to cleanup files before import.
okay sorry about that. it wanted numbers and I’m not a computer geek. I work on a surface pro 7.
I’m using Windows 11 Home. Graphics card I still don’t know. Does this help? Intel(R) Core™ i7-1065G7 CPU @ 1.30GHz 1.50 GHz
Thank you all for your suggestions. When you say exploded the AEC objects and resaved the dwg, is that the same thing as what ateliernab is suggesting? ateliernab said to use the
“export to autocad” function. What is the correct verbage to ask the architect to do?
I can also try to get Qcad or librecad - I haven’t heard of these before and try the .dxf method. Are they free?
It was me who talked about the export function. The “Export to AutoCad” command is a function in AutoCad Architecture that combines “exploding” the objects and tha “save as” function. If the architect is using a very old version it might lack this option and he might have to use the aecobjectexplode command and saveas separately.
My solution is a bit of a “brute force & ignorance” solution, but it gets the job done.
It all depends what you want to do with the import… if it’s just to trace from, then an all exploded dwg is fine…
Basically, you should try some back & forth with your architect to see what they can give you in terms of file that works for you, but probably a dxf directly exported from them will do the trick…
thank you so much for your input. It sounds like there are a few ways to do this. It would be so nice if there was a better interface, easier, faster, without having to go back and have the architect change things around. it also would be nice to have an interface with revit. Sketchup is a great tool for our design firm but it gets sticky when we have to share these files back and forth!!
I’m smiling at the “brute force & ignorance” solution. I like it.
SketchUp Studio has a Revit importer. Don’t know if that is what you mean.
The problem with Autodesk’s “AEC objects” is that they are proprietary and usually cannot be handled with any non-Autodesk software.
Indeed, with a Studio licence you have a Revit importer, or, if your architect works in Revit & you, like me, “only” have a Pro licence, you can ask them to give you an ifc file which you can import to SU…
