I just imported it on my PC and got a warning as below. But after clicking Close, I got the following.
I think thatâs relevant, as on my Mac I get a warning about points too far from the origin being deleted.
One thing is the âAnonymous blocksâ. SketchUp cannot import them. AutoCad creates these in some situations, for instance, the instances of âDynamic blocksâ and some hatch and surface objects are anonymous blocks. Some third-party add-ons also create them. If you are able to explode them before importing into SketchUp, you might get better results. Often AutoCad, however, refuses to explode them.
I do but still not as good as Bepâs efforts, and other PC users here.
Yes. And there is no problem opening the file in DWG based software AFAIK. The problem seems to be in the conversion process, and more specifically with Macs.
There are real bugs importing dwg or dxf into Sketchup.
The most common is scale, where I believe I tried everything either on Mac or Window, it never match what ever export parameter you use⊠On square object, itâs always possible to manage with the scale tool, but, for example a pentagone, forget it unless you have time to looseâŠ
I notice that depending of the graphic fill, things can go really bizerk. So I tried to explode everything and import simple linesâŠ
Before cleaning dwg/dxf bug (scale + bizerk things)
No way, bugs remain after cleaning dwg/dxf (scale + bizerk things but not as bad)
After 2 hours of work getting the object to correct scale with a base print to work on 3D modelling
Then 2h only to do the basic 3D modelling based on the print
Unfortunately, you should not count on being able to do ânon squareâ objects quickly with Sketchup, as the name say âsketchâ and not âproduceâ.
I thought at first I could âdo any print preciselyâ on a 2D program that can generate dwg or dxf files, but I was wrong. Even simple objects like thisâŠ
âŠyou will get bugs
And worst when you get into 3D modelling with objects you have cleanedâŠ

âŠto get what you want like this

Now, on both platform, if I start from beginning with Sketchup, I donât have much to complaint, itâs ok, but as soon I import anything, am facing endless bugs.
For me, the best is to develop on a 2D program and ârepeatâ the information obtained (after managing the object into a concret need) in Sketchup.
However, we should not complain about Sketchup as the licence price is at the hight of what it offers. It is possible to do beautiful things with it, but forget to try to be a professional architect or builder or inventor, as it is not suited to do so. If it is your profession, then get into Revit or Archicad, but the price is not the same, there are no miraclesâŠ
Do not use scale, use the Tape measurements tool, enter the imported .dxf component and click the endpoints of a known line (edge). then type the lenght you want it to be:
Place the axes on strategic lines for working âsquareâ
At least you could share the Bug4simplethings?
After all, it is called SketchâŠUp, not Down
The function donât work from 0.09 to 3.6m neither from 0.09 to 0.10m it just disappear and no way to get it back
But I got it to work using scale to approximative, but a little bigger size (3.83m), than used the tape measure to get it down to 3.6m
To figure this out it took me almost 2 hours : a bunch of modifying the dwg (all surface to line, all lines the same, and so on) - cleaning the first component to something looking flat - then trying all sorts of different approachâŠ
I got it the way I wanted but itâs very frustrating not to be able to import a flat drawing in good scale at first and then having to deal with bugs
Sorry, I donât have time to redo all the work to send you Bug4simplethings, it would take me too much time, time I donât haveâŠ
Thank for you answer, at last I got to have the object the correct size
Edgar Schnegg
Av. de Crozet 6
CH-1219 ChĂątelaine
Portable : 079 445 05 21
If you would share a simple .dxf, as requested to ya in other threads as well, then others could have a look and try to reproduce the errors/difficulties you are experiencing (one of the main conditions for it to be a Bug), you could then save a bunch of timeâŠ
It could be a rare occasion of a PICNIC, instead of a real bug.
The answer is clear, working day and night, I donât have time to find the file and go thru all the processing before I can send you something to repeat the expĂ©rience.
Beside, not being alone, I am under the condition of duty of discretion. I canât spread any confidential informations.
However, I send you an attached :
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Old jpg done with AutoCad 2010 without stairs made in an other file
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New pdf done with Sketchup 2018 including the stairs for witch I imported 2 files
With this information:
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I did this 3D work on Autocad 2010 or 2011 in 2013
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I could not import any file in Sketchup v.2016
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I downloaded Sketchup 2018 for a try and promised myself to upgrade to v.2018 in case it would do the import
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I donât remember how many tries I had to go thru but it did succeed with the import in v.2018
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I upgraded to v.2018
This is not confidential information, so I can share with you this information.
As you noticed all pictures I send you does not permit to identify the concept.
By the way, a pentagone is not an hexagone (in the example you gave me) thus making it simpler to make an example ;o)
Edgar Schnegg
Av. de Crozet 6
CH-1219 ChĂątelaine
Portable : 079 445 05 21
100806 La 6x6.pdf (360 KB)
Et si vous enlevez les titres�
En generale, ce nâest pas difficile dâemporter un dessin de type DWG avec Sketchup.
Mais enfin, tout le monde sâembete de temps en temps!
Meet Sam Carpenter
Ce qui est confidentiel est la technologie, câest toujours facile dâenlever des noms, mais il y a des concepts non propriĂ©taires qui ne peuvent se divulger jusquâĂ quâil soient protĂ©gĂ©s en matiĂšre de propriĂ©tĂ© intellectuelle et de marqueâŠ
Mais ce que personne ne semble comprendre est le paramĂštre temps. Jâai passĂ© des heures Ă trouver le moyen de contourner les bugs auquel jâai Ă©tĂ© confrontĂ©, cela a rĂ©sultĂ© en dizaines de fichiers et JE NâAI PAS LE TEMPS de 1) de tout re-tester retrouver le premier 2) de faire tous les exercices pour sortir une chronologie 3) de modifier le concept afin de le garder hors de portĂ©e de la concurrenceâŠ
DorĂ©navant, je fais attention au paramĂštre âtransmettre le bugâ 1) parce que jâai âdĂ©jĂ trop perdu de tempsâ 2) parce que je le sais utile et ne vous inquiĂ©tez pas, je vais tous les soumettre Ă votre expertise afin de contribuer, tant que je peux, Ă la rĂ©solution des bugs.
JâespĂšre que cette explication sera suffisante, merci de ne plus insister
Edgar Schnegg
Av. de Crozet 6
CH-1219 ChĂątelaine
Portable : 079 445 05 21
my bad, but it is actually the same procedureâŠ
besides the manually âPlaceâ there is also an option âMoveâ which give you that âAutodeskâ-feel:
Hi,
Iâm having some troubles importing a 3D model of a lamp I made in Autocad. Sketchup doesnât recognize a curved rod extruded from a spline (the base of the lamp), and another curve (the rod in three pieces, holding the shroud) is imported as chunky lines, not arcs as they were in Autocad. Could someone please advise on how to fix this?
Many thanks
Lamp.dwg (727.5 KB)
I expect you are running into the small faces issue. In the import options, set the units to Meters and import the file. I get this when I do that.
After you have it imported you can scale it down to the appropriate size.
Hi Dave,
Many thanks for looking into this. Unfortunately, nothing has changed for me. But Iâm amazed you managed to import it fine?
With me, the âfishing rodâ part is still chunky, and the base is missing the adjoining pieceâŠ
Did you import with units set to Meters in options?
Might be a version thing. Iâm using SU2019. Maybe itâs time for you to upgrade.
Is the long support supposed to be a gentle curve? It would be pretty easy to draw a new one
Yes, I tried it with meters, but the result was the same. Still, many thanks for looking into itâŠ
FWIW, the DWG doesnât appear to be drawn with a lot of detail.