Export to SketchUp

 

Watch the video.

 

The Export to SketchUp routine allows the rapid creation of a 3-D model of a planting plan. It will facilitate the process of placing an appropriate SketchUp tree or shrub component at every necessary location, as well as provide several generally helpful processes with porting a DWG into SketchUp.

 

See the Help Topic Sketchup Basics for the general process of creating a Sketchup model from an AutoCAD drawing, and how to coordinate Land F/X with Sketchup.

 

After you have created a Sketchup model of your site, you can select the Export to Sketchup function to assign Sketchup symbols for your plants, and to associate a Sketchup model with your AutoCAD drawing.

 

After selecting Export to SketchUp, you will get the following dialog box:

 

Export to SketchUp dialog box.

 

The trees and shrubs defined in the drawing are shown on the left, with the SketchUp components on the right. The intention is for you to easily go through the plants in your project, and select a desired SketchUp component to map to each one. The system will save each component mapping preference in the database, and the next time your component mappings will automatically be assigned for you.

 

You can select from available component folder locations at the top right. The system will automatically scan the folders LandFX\Sketchup, and SketchUp\Components for you. If you have assembled components into other locations on your network, you can click the Add button to add these locations to the list of component folders – these will also be saved into the database.

 

Expanding the folder listings of Land F/X Sketchup libraries. The Trees / Evergreen folder is highlighted here.

 

You can view a highlighted folder by clicking on View Folder.

 

The View Folder button.

 

When you select the View Folder button, the Windows Explorer dialog box will appear. Set the folder Viewing options to Thumbnails.

 

Clicking the View Folder button will bring up the Windows Explorer of that folder. Be sure to set the View option of the dialog box to Thumbnails.

 

The “Use Base File” option allows you to just make a component mapping chart for SketchUp, and not modify the DWG at all. This assumes you have a 3-D SketchUp base file of the project already created. Refer to the Land F/X Help Section Sketchup Basics on the process of creating a Sketchup model.

 

The Use Base File location.

 

Click Edit to locate the Base File which is a Sketchup model of the site plan for your project. When you click OK you will be the following message:

 

 

Go to the Sketchup drawing that has the model of your site, and is the drawing indicated as the Base File.

Example of a Sketchup model of a AutoCAD site that has been extruded, modeled, and textured..

 

The Sketchup file will have a “Plugin” at the top menus, expand this to select “Land F-X Import”.

 

 

When you click on the Land F-X Import, the plant locations in AutoCAD will be swapped out with the assigned Sketchup symbols, the width of the symbols will match the symbol width in AutoCAD, and the symbols will be slightly rotated and then scaled differently from each other.

 

The Sketchup drawing after selecting Land F-X Import from the Plugins menu.

 

You can now use Sketchup to rotate and walk through the site and evaluate your design.