Import Objects Tool: Planting F/X for SketchUp Plugin

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Power Tip: Land F/X SketchUp Plugin in a Few Minutes

• Before Importing Into SketchUp
• Importing Plants and Site Amenities Into a SketchUp Model
• Related Videos
• Troubleshooting

Our Import Objects tool for SketchUp brings your planting plan and Reference Notes (RefNotes) such as site amenities from CAD or another platform into a SketchUp model. It also imports your planting palette and RefNotes inventory into SketchUp for future use.

Before Importing Into SketchUp

Prior to importing your design into SketchUp, you'll need to export it from the other platform:

• Export from CAD
• Export from Revit

The plants and site amenities you've added to thyoure Land F/X project have been exported into SketchUp. The data reflecting the placement of the plants and site amenities has also been exported.

You're now ready to import all this data into your SketchUp model.

Importing Plants and Site Amenities Into a SketchUp Model

Open a new or existing SketchUp model, then open the Land F/X Projects tool:

 

LandFX toolbar, Projects button

 

Land-FX menu, Projects option

The Land F/X Projects dialog box will open. Here, you'll see a list of all projects you've created in SketchUp, or imported from CAD into SketchUp. The list will now contain the name of the project you've just exported from the othe platform in the steps described above.

This dialog box will also open if you select the Import Design tool before opening a project.

Click the name of the project you've exported.

Make sure you're selecting the correct project number. In our example, the dialog box contains two projects named Tutorial 1 Metric. The project we imported from CAD is the one with the number 9010-M.

Your project will open in SketchUp, and the Land F/X Projects dialog box will close. Now open the Import Objects tool:

 

LandFX toolbar, Import Objects button

 

Land-FX menu, Import Objects option

The Land F/X Import dialog box will open.

1. The Land F/X Import dialog box lists all plants and site amenities you've specified in the Land F/X project you're about to import. The name of each plant and amenity will be listed below a box, which may or may not contain a symbol for that item.

 

2. If you're importing an object that you haven't added or placed in SketchUp, the preview thumbnail above that object's name in the dialog box will either be blank or contain a question mark (?). If so, you'll need to assign a symbol to that object in SketchUp before you can place it in your design.

For information on how to assign symbols to plants and RefNotes in CAD, see our documentation on:

• Assigning a Symbol to a Plant
• Amenity RefNotes

3. Once you've assigned symbols to all objects in your project and are ready to place them in your SketchUp model, click Import.

Your plan has now been imported into your SketchUp model. Your plants and amenities will retain the same placements as in your CAD drawing.

Here's a closer view:

Related Videos

• Browse our SketchUp Power Tips.
• Browse our SketchUp webinars.
• Twilight Highlights: Learn how Land F/X and the Twilight Render plugin for SketchUp will streamline the rendering process for your lighting plan. We'll show you how to create realistic renders, using accurate models of landscape lighting manufacturers' light fixtures, in no time. (1 hr 1 min)

Troubleshooting

SketchUp: Basic troubleshooting (adding, placing, importing plants)

Issue: You imported your plants (or other blocks) into SketchUp from CAD, but they appear extremely small or far away

Issue: SketchUp crashes, or plants don't place correctly, when you attempt to import plants into SketchUp from CAD

Issue: Plants don't show up in SketchUp when you import them from CAD

Issue: When you import and export between CAD and SketchUp, your blocks (plants or site amenities) look overly large or small, or are scaled incorrectly

Issue: You have an academic SketchUp license and are unable to locate your Land F/X project in SketchUp

Issue: Objects are appearing in the incorrect locations or backward in your SketchUp model

Issue: Our Planting F/X Plugin for SketchUp freezes or becomes unresponsive

Issue: Your custom 3D symbols for plants or other objects are not showing up in SketchUp when you import your drawing

Issue: Clicking one of the Land F/X tool buttons in SketchUp does nothing

Issue: Your SketchUp components are not lining up correctly with your CAD blocks

Issue: Plant copies with the same code are missing when you attempt to send your project to SketchUp

Issue: While using our Planting F/X Plugin for SketchUp, you attempted to click a tool and its corresponding dialog box doesn't open, but other tools' dialog boxes are opening correctly