What Will SketchUp Make Import?

[Nuke]

Howdy. I’m trying to determine what 3D model formats SketchUp Make will import once out of trial mode. Google searches are proving difficult as there are a bunch of different versions of SketchUp all of which seem to be referred to as SketchUp.

If it helps, my goal is to get MakeHuman characters in to SketchUp Make, after the trial period has expired. MakeHuman exports in FBX, DAE and OBJ.

Many thanks!

[Anssi]

DAE will continue working.

[Nuke]

Thank you @Anssi, appreciate it.

[Nuke]

Ok, um, on to the next question. You knew this would happen.

When I import the MakeHuman DAE in to Sketchup Make I get the model but not the textures. Is there a way to reconnect the textures in SketchUp?

Or should I be looking for a DAE (or FBX) to SKP converter maybe? Can’t seem to find one so far, but it seems such a thing must exist somewhere…

When I go from MakeHuman FBX in to Hitfilm with same model I get both model and textures. As far as I know the model is ok.

I do see MakeHuman characters in the 3D Warehouse so it’s obviously possible, but those users may be using SketchUp Pro.

While we’re on the subject of MakeHuman, should I assume I won’t be able to import an animated MakeHuman character in to SketchUp? Or say, an animated Mixamo character?

Thanks again!

[Nuke]

@Annsi - in another old thread on this subject you wrote…

@Anssi

For them to import right, you have to, firstly, have the texture files, and, secondly, place them to the same folder location in relation to the DAE file as they were when exported.

I’ve tried putting the DAE file in the folder with the textures, and placing the DAE file just outside the textures folder (how it exported from MakeHuman). In both cases I get the model but not the textures.

When I open the DAE file in a text editor I see these paths, which seem to accurately represent the relationship between DAE file and textures folder, if I understand correctly.

<library_images>

<init_from>file://textures/middleage_lightskinned_male_diffuse.png</init_from>


<init_from>file://textures/ponytail01_diffuse.png</init_from>


<init_from>file://textures/brown_eye.png</init_from>


<init_from>file://textures/eyebrow001.png</init_from>


<init_from>file://textures/eyelashes01.png</init_from>


<init_from>file://textures/male_worksuit01_diffuse.png</init_from>


<init_from>file://textures/male_worksuit01_normal.png</init_from>

[TIG]

The DAE should have a subfolder of image-files with it in the same location.
Depending on how the exported works the file might be named after the DAE itself or be named something like ‘textures’, ‘images’ etc.

If I edit a standard file [exported from SketchUp] the path is in the format:
<init_from>DAEname/IMAGEname.png</init_from>
If I add the prefix ‘file://’ SketchUp can’t then find the image-files.
Note that SketchUp uses a subfolder named after the DAE itself, but ‘textures’ is a typical name for some other apps…

So I suggest that next to your DAE file you have a folder of all of the expected image-files, and you manually edit the text [using a plain-text editor] in the DAE file to remove all of the instances of the ‘file://’ text - use find/replace with nothing as the replacement string.

So that:
<init_from>file://textures/IMAGEname.png</init_from>
becomes:
<init_from>textures/IMAGEname.png</init_from>

Ensure that ‘file://’ is replaced everywhere…

Save the DAE file and retry the import - it works for me…

[Nuke]

@TIG - thanks for your suggestions.

1. I tried removing all instances of file:// from the DAE file.

2. I tried renaming the textures folder from “textures” to same name as DAE file.

Neither working here so far.

If anyone wishes to test the file here it is:

http://tanny.com/sketchup/BibJean.zip

I’ve been searching Google and see others have had this issue, but so far not found a solution.

[Nuke]

Here are a few other threads which address this subject to varying degrees. I don’t see a solution in there, but maybe someone else will.

Importing dae files

When I import a dea file which was downloaded off of the 3D warehouse, I the materials do not get loaded onto the model. they are listed in the materials list but I can’t get them to be applied to the model. When I import the same model into a different tool the full model is imported, materials and all. Is there something I can do to get the materials on the model in sketchup?

Importing collada dae files into SU 8

I downloaded some furniture files from the warehouse and imported them into SU 8. As there were different kind of file versions in the warehouse, I chose “DAE”, as it seemed to be the only format compatible with SU 8. But when I import the DAE files, I get only a kind of mesh into SU8. When rendering, the mesh does not show faces, only edges with “air” inbetween them. What can I do to get the import correctly (so that the furniture objects are shown with faces, not only edges) ? thank you in…

Importing Collada files into Sketchup Free

I’m new to this version of Sketchup. How to I go about importing a collada file I created in DAZ3D (a character design/animation software) into Sketchup? Is this even possible, or should I just export from Sketchup and import into DAZ3D?

Issue importing .dae file into sketchup

Hi, I received a .dae file from a Vectorworks and Lumion model ( I am completely unfamiliar with these modeling programs) and I would like to import the file into SketchupMake 2017. I have followed the directions on the forum for importing .dae files into Sketchup but keep getting an error. I have attached the file. What is happening? Thanks!

[Nuke]

Here’s an article which reports DAE import failures in SketchUp Make.

How to import and export between Sketchup and Blender - Artisticrender.com

---

FROM THE ARTICLE (quote function of forum seems broken)

How to import Collada into Sketchup Make 2017

This is a simple step by step process. Let’s get right to it.

• In Sketchup go to File->Import.
• Make sure that you have .dae files visible by choosing it as the file type.
• Browse for the file, select it and hit Import.
• Click in the viewport to place the object.

Sometimes I have had issues with textures when importing into Sketchup. It can be a single face somewhere in the mesh missing or a face that does not get textured. It is not very common but it happens. What usually fixes it is if we go back into Blender and just slightly move one or more vertices that is attached to the face just a tiny bit and export again.

[Nuke]

DAE files from TurboSquid do import correctly in to SketchUp Make.
So the focus shifts to how MakeHuman constructs it’s DAE files.

I see MakeHuman is using COLLADA version=“1.4.0”
whereas SketchUp uses COLLADA version=“1.4.1”

As TIG suggested perhaps I’m going to have to learn how to edit MakeHuman DAE files so they are readable by SketchUp. I’ve tried his suggestion, but there must be more to it in the case of MakeHuman.

All day wasted on this, just to transfer a file from one place to another…

[Nuke]

Here’s some good news, bad news. Models from RenderPeople.com go easily in to SketchUp Make (and likely other versions) and they arguably look better than MakeHuman. But, they cost a bunch of money, whereas MakeHuman is all the characters you want for free. RenderPeople.com has a handful of free models you can experiment with.

[TIG]

You are doing much of the detective work…

I can’t get your DAE to import into SketchUp and use the PNG textures, no matter how I edit the DAE file or locate the PNGs etc.
However, If you import the DAE into Blender [with the paths properly mapped to the PNGs] the it loads OK and will texture OK…
Next, if you export the file to DAE it arrives with the PNGs [in the same folder], then if you import that DAE into SketchUp it’s all good and has the textures etc.
Although you’ll probably want to smooth some the form to get rid of the edges ?

[Nuke]

@TIG

I can’t get your DAE to import into SketchUp and use the PNG textures, no matter how I edit the DAE file or locate the PNGs etc.

Thank you for confirming this TIG, and for helping out in this thread, appreciated.

@TIG

However, If you import the DAE into Blender [with the paths properly mapped to the PNGs] the it loads OK and will texture OK…

Ah, good news. I had tried running the model through Blender, but probably wasn’t doing it right, as I know nothing about properly mapping paths in Blender. All I really know about Blender is import and export. I did learn today how to get textures to show in Blender so that’s a start.

Thanks to you I now know that Blender conversions can work, so I’ll focus on learning how to make that work. Thanks for that!

As luck will have it, Chipp Walters offered some good beginning Blender tutorials in another thread which I have downloaded and will dig in to.

Thanks for keeping this project alive TIG, as I really want to get MakeHuman in to SketchUp, but was running out of ideas.

[Nuke]

Making some progress! I imported the MakeHuman character (DAE) in to Blender, and fiddled around in an ignorant manner until I could see textures on the model. Then I exported out of Blender (DAE), and imported in to SketchUp Make.

Here’s an image which shows the results. MakeHuman screen shot on left, Blender in the middle, SketchUp on the right side.

So I have the textures on the character in SketchUp now, but the skeleton is showing through the textures.

I’m guessing (hope I’m wrong) that there is no way to hide the skeleton in SketchUp, so it’s back to Blender for some kind of adjustment. No idea what though.

Stay tuned for more exciting developments in this incredible story, the longest slowest file transfer in the history of 3D!!!

[dezmo]

@Nuke

hope I’m wrong

Yes, you are wrong.
https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup/softening-smoothing-and-hiding-geometry

[Nuke]

Yea! I’m wrong!!! Whoopee!! That’s great, cause I can do something about that.

Really making progress now. The soften procedure is pretty time consuming, but this is the first time I’ve done it, so that explains that.

Model is pretty clean now, except for a puzzling line or two I don’t know what to do with. Here’s another screen shot which shows a line which seems to divide two parts of the model’s head.

Any tips regarding what’s going here will be appreciated, thanks.

[colin]

Do you get less of those if you turn off Profiles?

[Nuke]

@colin - Hey, good suggestion, thanks. Turning off profiles dimmed the line a bit, and turning off edges removed it completely. Um, there is still a LOT about SketchUp which I’ve yet to learn.

I tried saving the character out of SketchUp and then re-importing it in to another SketchUp file. So far, hoping to be wrong again, it looks like I’ll need to hide the skeleton every time I import this character in to SketchUp? If yes, then next step for me will be to learn a more efficient way of cleaning up the character than what I did the first time.

This is all very good news. Now I can have people in the house I’m building. Please stand by while I do the happy dance of joy.

[RTCool]

Interesting. I’m not familiar with MakeHuman. Any experience with and comparison to Poser?

[Nuke]

My understanding is that I can’t bring animated characters in to SketchUp. Right? Can you confirm?

Wouldn’t it be great if I was wrong about this too?