Match Cameras from 3ds Max

Hi there,
I would like to render a greyscale type rendering in 3ds Max and then export the model to DWG format (including cameras) to SU, cameras import in as scenes and I was able to then create a line drawing to place over my greyscale rendering and compose both together using photoshop.

In the past I have used SU 2017 successfully to do this, however I’m currently using SU 2021 and the cameras do not import in so I have no way to match my camera views to make this work.

Anyone have any ideas to try to get the cameras to import in to match the views in both SU and 3ds Max?

Dont count on Trimble ever answering this question…

Given the length of time from the original post, I’m curious if a solution has been found or is still needed? The short answer is that there is no direct camera link between 3DS and SU…so not sure how the OP would have done it in the past with v2017. @fintuck2021 mentions rendering a greyscale model in 3DS…using which rendering application? V-Ray, which is compatible with both 3DS and SU has a scene exporter function for this exact purpose. See below for what it looks like in SU:

The only other option I can think of is manually re-creating the camera. SU does have an extension called Advanced Camera Tools that allows you to set up, see in the model and edit the camera parameters to match that of 3DS.

It is the same with all older SketchUp versions. You can go to the 3D Warehouse with your regular Internet browser and download the components you need in the Collada (.dae) format and import that into your old version of SketchUp.

This process was super easy prior to Version 2018. Step 1 - Export 3ds Model with Free Cameras as .dwg. Step 2 - Import .dwg… Done…

The export process created “Named Views” from the 3ds free cameras. Sketchup (prior to 2018) imported Autocad named views as scenes. So long as you exported “Free” cameras, selected preserve origin when imported and you units matched… easy peezy… I have done this a thousand times and keep 2017 on my workstation for this specific reason. I will never update it. At some point I will need to re-install my OS and at that point, my my 20 year relationship with Sketchup will cease.

Don’t believe me? Sketchbook by Kevin Alter at Coroflot.com

See my response to Eric-S below. Trimble really just needs to put the functionality that was in the program, back into the program. Or at least let us downgrade the version to 2017! I really could care less for their “Enhancements” since version 2017. I think they are under the impression that SketchUp is some sort of awesome modeling program.