Convert DWG to SKP?

Bill Arnold

1974
Staff member
Messages
8,622
Location
Thomasville, GA
I've done some research on this and find that SU v7.1 had this capability but v8 does not. Is there a utility that provides for converting dwg/dxf files to skp?

Thanks.
 
There is a plugin which is said to import DXF to SKP but I haven't used it so I don't know how well it works. I haven't seen any importers for DWG files. As I recall, I think there's some licensing issue thing with DWG files. Google has to pay for licensing the importer and so they only make it available to those who pay for the program. There's a free 2D CAD program that can export SKP files. I have it on my computer at home but can't recall the name of it. I'll look when I get home and report.
 
Some of the items I'm using in a remodel drawing are available in those formats. It'll probably be easier to draw up an approximation for my purposes, though.
 
Very often the CAD files I import into SketchUp require so much clean up to be usable, it's usually easier to just draw it from scratch. This is especially true with 3D CAD files but 2D ones are often as bad. The thing with 2D DXF/DWG files is that lines don't have to intersect as they must in SketchUp. In order to get faces in SketchUp from the imported file you have to go poking around to find the gaps. And even if there are no gaps (I've never seen a CAD file like that, BTW) you still have to do something after importing to get the faces.
 
Bill

One good thing about sketchp is multiple versions can easily be installed..

And though the DXF plug in for version 7 was gone for a while I managed to track it down.....


There are also a couple of free ones mentioned that you have probably found.. From what Dave and others say they are of limited usefulness.

Garry
 
Installing multiple versions of SU isn't something I want to do just to gain some functionality that is questionable. Besides, having to draw a handful of items will give me more experience with SU! :thumb:
 
Compare its price to a seat of AutoCAD or better, SolidWorks. I just looked up AutoCAD. It comes in at about $4K. SolidWorks didn't seem to show pricing but last I look a full seat was somewhere close to 10K
 
Last edited:
I know SU pro is a bargain for what it does. I've got a whole lot more to learn first. Remember, a little over a month ago I didn't even want to try to start on SU again because of previous failed attempts. Something was right about the timing or the phase of the moon this time around! :)
 
yeah after seeing him do those curved dove tails so fast and easy i just went back to my paper and pencil and scratchuns:( i had an idea on how to do them curved ones but couldnt get curved line that wasnt a uniform arch.. couldnt make a s curve like i wanted to do.. so bill can have the A and the gold stars:)
 
yeah after seeing him do those curved dove tails so fast and easy i just went back to my paper and pencil and scratchuns:( i had an idea on how to do them curved ones but couldnt get curved line that wasnt a uniform arch.. couldnt make a s curve like i wanted to do.. so bill can have the A and the gold stars:)

Well, I couldn't have done that exercise without some of the instruction Dave had given us. I had worked out a couple of ways to do half-blind dovetails when designing the platform bed and nightstand for our guest room. I wanted to use the same pattern from my Incra templates for drawers that will be four different heights. Dave's instructions about pushing a shape past a curved face, then doing the intersect faces operation was another factor. If I hadn't seen how that was done, I'd still be hacking away at it. :type:

Since I didn't get the curve exactly right, I don't deserve an A, but I'll take a B any day (especially considering what a bad student I was several decades ago!). :D
 
Top