Sketchup Plugin

[Sergio Astorga]

I just found out that there is a Plugin for Autocad to import Sketchup models. I installed it and it is very easy to import the Sketchup model.  It renders fine if you use the Acad renderer.  It does not work in nXt.  See attached image. None of the colors or images associated with the model show up.  Is there a way to make this work?

[George Ioannidis]

Yes, it's free plugin for AutoCAD 2013, convenient way to import SU geometry into AutoCAD. But I found far more practical to get models with textures using Textured models NXT widget. Just my 2 eurocents :D

[Kevin Lockwood]

Sketchup imports are notorious for tons of embedded blocks and most geometry is on layer "0" and colored by object. To get the models to work, I end up editing each block in the file and create new layers for the materials. A real pain for a not so great model.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

Send an example drawing that renders well in acad but not in nXt.  (Use the Support->Upload a File option if it's too big to attach.)  I'll take a look.

[Sergio Astorga]

Attached is the cad file.  It is a living room set model from Sketchup.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

As Kevin suggested, the structure of this is going to be very difficult for nXt to work with.  Lots of nested blocks. Many objects with material changes are not separated into different meshes.  For example, the dining room chair legs and the chair cushions are part of the same mesh.  Floating colors are used extensively, which we do not support.  Layers are not used.

There are many other problems.  For example, I know Sketchup uses UV coordinates stored at mesh vertices extensively.  These will not work in AutoCAD at all unless custom objects are used (as in our approach for texture-mapped objects.)  That means that even in the AutoCAD renderer mappings will generally not be correct.  The floor in this model may be an example of this.

[akinlolu olugboji]

From experience I export SketchUp models as *.3ds files and then import them via the Add Textured Mesh Object widget of Nxt into AutoCad that way most definitions are maintained.