State/Future of SketchUp to Unreal Workflow

SketchUp
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Not sure if this is the right category for this, so please feel free to recategorize if there’s abetter location.

Was wondering if there are any plans to improve SketchUp to Unreal workflows.

I came across this article recently: Epic Games grants Blender $1.2 million in cash to improve the quality of their software development projects

Is there anyone in the SketchUp community that’s interested in applying for something similar on behalf of SketchUp, specifically to improve the compatibility between the two? I love the Datasmith plugin (though I wish it was available for mac users) and can’t help but think that some more resources dedicated to working out all the kinks and expanding projects like this would open up some important doors for SketchUp users.

I’m currently trying to develop my UE4 skills in part because I want to take my 3D portfolio to the next level and it seems like UE4 has virtually unlimited potential to do so and in part because I’m interested in transitioning my career into the 3D space and Epic Games opened up an office in Detroit (where I’m based) recently and I’d love to help support the growth of the platform across other industries.

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Unreal did present at the last Basecamp, and there is Twinmotion as a way to show off your SketchUp models without having to recreate that on your own in UE4.

I haven’t checked into whether they have improved things on Mac lately. Last I knew the workflow was better for Windows. Also I think that at the moment you have to save to an earlier version of SketchUp for the files to work in Twinmotion.

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Same with importing w Datasmith. There’s no plugin for SU 2020. Only 2019.

There’s still no Datasmith plugin for Mac. I’m legit borrowing a windows laptop right now so I can:

  1. Save my Sketchup 2020 files as SU 2019 files.
  2. Upload my SketchUp 2020 Files to Google Drive
  3. Download them on the laptop
  4. Open them in SU 2019 on the windows laptop
  5. Export them to the laptop desktop via Datasmith
  6. Import them into UE4

I haven’t figured out how to use them back in UE4 on the Mac yet. I just use it on the windows because UE4 seems to work better on it.

Anyways, @colin you think anyone at SketchUp would want to apply for one of these megagrants?

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I can give them my home address, it could come to me.

There is a difference with Blender, in that it’s open source, and not owned by a multi-billion revenue company. We might not be eligible.

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That’s a comment I never thought I would read.

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Haha fair enough. I’d love to spearhead or support someone else towards something like this, if it would help create a better product. Even as an adjacent non-profit user. I just don’t currently have the skills needed to implement anything truly valuable on my own.