#Import dwg into sketchup make how to#
#Import dwg into sketchup make pro#
#Import dwg into sketchup make series#

Let’s select our detail and export it with the EXPORT command (Menu -> File -> Export -> Block*.dwg) We’ll call it “DETAIL.DWG” and we’ll specify its “Insertion Point” in the lower left-hand corner when prompted by AutoCAD. Screen capture of a detail drawing in AutoCAD

#Import dwg into sketchup make how to#

text, hatches, dimensions, symbols, etc). The objective of this tutorial is to illustrate how to fix this problem.Īs an example, we’ll work with the drawing in Figure 1.įigure 1. When importing DWG and DXF drawings into Sketchup, a lot of the information goes missing in the process (e.g. Here you can: select whether you want to preserve the drawing origin, merge coplanar faces and orient faces consistently.Īdjust these setting as you wish, then click OK.įinally, click Import.Virtual Construction – Importing DWG drawings to sketchup. Select File > Import Find the clean and freshly prepared file in your hard drive that you want to importįrom the Format drop down menu, select AutoCAD files (*.dw, *.dxf).Ĭlick the Options button, for further options relating to the import. The hard work has been done, now all you have to do is import the file. I have saved in AutoCAD versions 2008, and 2010 and generally never have any problems.

#Import dwg into sketchup make pro#

For SketchUp Pro 2018 users, they recommend saving in format of Release 13 and Release 14 – to maximise compatibility. Is your CAD drawing in inches, millimetres, centimetres? Is your SketchUp file in feet? If you import a drawing with a mis-matched unit of measurement havoc will ensue!įinally, after cleaning up the drawing and removing anything unnecessary, the CAD file it needs to be saved in a format that is compatible with SketchUp. Make sure the units in the CAD file match the units in the SketchUp file. This will help reduce the file size and improve performance of the SketchUp model once the CAD file has been imported. Make sure you are only importing the lines that are necessary, and remove anything else. Remove any unwanted information in the CAD file. So, it is worth only importing the layers that are in use.

A CAD file import to SketchUp continues to hold all of the layers, even if those layers are empty of any content. Objects can be exploded and made into block entities which will then import into SketchUp as components. If your file contains any unsupported elements, it is worth delete those elements to reduce file size. Those unsupported CAD elements are:įirst thing to do is create a copy of your CAD file, so that you don’t lose any detail or data from the original file as you prepare it for SketchUp. Most CAD elements are supported in SketchUp, however there are a few that aren’t supported, and will be ignored when the CAD file is imported. It is important to know that it is worth taking some time to prepare your CAD file for importing into SketchUp in order to achieve the best result. Without SketchUp Pro it is not possible to import a dwg or dxf file. Yes! SketchUp can open, or more accurately import a dwg or dxf file – but the caveat to this is that you have to own SketchUp Pro.

#Import dwg into sketchup make series#

First in that series is the question: Can SketchUp open a dwg or CAD file?

CI have looked at some of the things I get asked the most about SketchUp and put together a list of frequently asked questions to help out those of you that might be new to sketchup or have a few questions they want answered.