problem importing 3d curved autocad solid to sketchup

[s g]

when importing the 3d solid to sketchup, some faces of the solid dissapear. I have already tried changing importing options in sketchup and nothing changes, should i chang settings in autocad?

[Antisthenes]

try passing it threw rhinoceros
witch has a skp import and export option

don't forget to 'weld' if you make a mesh before export

[s g]

Thank you, the 'weld' option shows up in rhinoceros?

[P.R.S. Sivakumar]

Export from AutoCAD as 3ds. In the options turn off auto-smoothing. Let the auto-welding be on.

Then import it in SketchUP. It really helps. However, complicated curved solids will always have problems in SketchUP. You have to redo them again in SketchUP.

I am using AutoCAD 2006 which has the option to export to 3ds. I believe the new versions do not have the option.

With best regards
PRSS

[s g]

thank you i will try that!

[andrescr]

I think in a scale mistake. Check te units in Autocad and in Sketchup, because the import process is scale dependent. Re-import the file.

[s g]

I already try the scale, part of the object got fixed but not everything, thanks

[ecoto]

I found a way that works pretty well.
1. You have to export your dwg to 3ds, to do this you have to download the 3DSOUT utility from Autodesk (couldnt post the address they don't allow since this is my first post, but you can perform a search for 3DSOUT on the autodesk web site), since they removed the 3dsout command from Autocad since release 2007, this utility works for all the later versions even though they claim only applies to the version listed there, i tried it on the AutoCAD Architecture 2009 release and it works fine. There you have on the readme file where you downloaded the utility the instructions for how to use the utility and to export to 3ds format.
2. When you have already loaded the utility on AutoCAD and you are ready to export to 3ds, on the 3d Studio file Options window, you have to select AutoCAD Object type on the Derive 3d Studio Objects from options, and uncheck the Auto-smoothing option, and then then AutoCAD starts exporting to 3ds. You have to do this because its exports forms, solids and other 3d objects in different ways.
3. Then you are ready to import to sketchup. Now you have a sketchup 3d drawing that works pretty well maybe you will have to applie some smoothing to some objects to get a very good appearance.

[Three D]

hi. i have the same problem although i do not have the 3dsout option in my autocad architecture 2010. i went to the following link

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...linkID=9240618

and downloaded the exe file and extracted the contents to the autocad architecture 2010 folder and when i try to load the arx file using appload i get the following error:

Unable to load Ac3DSOUT.arx file.

any ideas? the link above says nothing specific about the download being for autocad architecture 2010 but i could find no other type of download. also, can autocad architecture 2010 export to fbx?

thanks.

[ecoto]

The same happened to me apparently there is no compatibily yet with this application on the 2010 release, I read on some forum, that the 3dsout app, was released because they were too having many people complainnig since they eliminated the 3ds export capability, 2006 was the last version to be able to export to 3ds with the export command.
Though the 3dsout app works fine on 2009 release, thats what i am doing to solve this problem.
For fbx there are several plugins for other applications that are compatible with autocad architecture, you would have to import the dwg file to 3ds max, or other apps, (this way has also problems with curved solids) then export there to fbx, or export to 3ds on a previous version of Autocad, then import in 3ds max, Maya etc. on the autodesk web site there are many plugins. I have not really used this fbx much and i cannot give you a correct answer or another ways to do it, but if i come up with an answer i'll let you know