Model exported from Skethup can't be Dimensioned in AutoCAD?

[erickdt]

I am having a heck of time trying to get it so I can dimension an AutoCAD file that I suspect was exported from Sketchup by a freelancer. Everytime I attempt to dimension the model in paperspace it reverts to 1:1 scale as opposed to the scale of the viewport. In model space the model is the right dimensions. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Is there any work around for this?

[vizwhiz]

you could Try setting The dimvar 'dimlfac' To The viewport scale factor

personally i would NOT dimension in pspace That is your choice To do so

[neko]

what version of autocad are you using ?

 

you can adjust the dimension style settings to allow you to dimension correctly in PS, but i would simply recommend dimensioning in MS using annotative scale.

 

i've never been a fan of PS dimensioning myself.

 

edit: i would have been first with the answer, but the site keeps dragging me down

[erickdt]

Thanks for your responses!

 

I'm using AutoCAD 2009. What I wound up doing was importing the AutoCAD file that was exported from Sketchup into FormZ, using the Object Doctor Tool to fix all of the coi-incident faces etc. and exporting a SAT file from FormZ which I then imported into AutoCAD as an ACIS file. That worked :-) For as complex of a solution as it may have been it only took a few minutes.

 

It appears that the DIMFLAC option would work in this scenario. We normally don't dimension in MS here because everything we make is in 3D which we find lends itself better to PS dimensioning (we find). We could theoretically do our dimensioning through different elevation dimension layers which could be turned on and off for our different view or we could dimension in an isometric view constantly having to reset the UCS so the dimensions don't only reside on the World Axis Origin.

 

If there is any better way to dimension 3D objects other than in PS I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

[vizwhiz]

Eric

 

if you ever had To dimension different objects at different scale factors (simultaneously) in PS

Then one method i learned a while back is To 'insert' or 'xref' The objects into PS at 1/scale factor

 

Then set dimscale To "1"

 

This should allow all objects To dimensioned correctly with only 1 dimension style

 

i used This at Leo A Daley we had 100's of details in metric:

at 1:5 all The way up To 1:100, 40+ details per each sheet

 

do This in PS without VIEWPORTS, saves system resources

 

just an idea

[neko]

seems to me another issue might be the ability to 'flatten' all your 3D objects in autocad, which you can do with FLATSHOT.

 

it might save you some of the import/exporting you are doing and also make objects easier to dimension, since they are no longer in 3D.

 

basically what FLATSHOT does is make a 2D projection of your current view of 3D objects....works really well for 3D details and such.