Import Objects Tool: Planting F/X for SketchUp Plugin

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

Our Import Objects tool for SketchUp syncs placed plants and amenities (Reference Notes) from CAD or another platform to a SketchUp model. The Import Objects tool places the relevant Land F/X objects in your SketchUp model as SketchUp components with the exact position and orientation as in your design from the other platform.

Before Importing Into SketchUp

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

• Export from CAD
• Export from Revit

After you've exported, data reflecting the placement of Land F/X objects in your plan will be stored in the 3D Connection cloud. You can now import your plan into your SketchUp model.

Importing Plants and Site Amenities Into a SketchUp Model

Open a new or existing SketchUp model. Then use the Land F/X Projects tool to open the Land F/X project you just exported.

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

If Land F/X objects are already placed in your model, you'll be asked whether you'd like to delete them before syncing placements from the 3D Connection Cloud. Click Yes to delete the objects, or No to keep them in place.

The Land F/X Import dialog box will open.

1. The dialog box lists all plants and amenities that have placements stored in the 3D Connection Cloud from your most recent export. Each plant or amenity has a thumbnail image representation of its SketchUp component, and below that, a description.

This list will not necessarily include all plants and amenities that exist in your project - only those that were placed in your plan on the other platform at the moment you performed an export.

 

2. If a plant has not been assigned a SketchUp component, its thumbnail box will display a grey "plus" (+) symbol. You can click the thumbnail box to assign the plant a SketchUp component. Any plants without an assigned SketchUp component will not be imported. For information on how to assign components to plants and RefNotes in CAD, see our documentation on:

• Assigning a symbol to a plant
• Amenity Reference Notes

3. Click the Import button once you've assigned a component to all objects in your project and are ready to place them in your SketchUp model.

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

You can now manipulate your placed plants and amenities in SketchUp, or place more using the Plant Manager and Site Manager tools. Any changes to your plan can be synced back to other platforms via the Export Objects tool.

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