topic Re: sketchup? in Collaboration with other software

!Restored: sketchup?

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Dec 2003 21:57:13 GMT

Any body had any luck with sketch up brand cad imports? We have a pool designer that uses that program and the owner wants his pool in our model.

Re: sketchup?

__archiben — Sat, 06 Dec 2003 01:27:09 GMT

Shae wrote:
Any body had any luck with sketch up brand cad imports? We have a pool designer that uses that program and the owner wants his pool in our model.

shae

i saw a demo of an archiCAD plugin to import sketch up geometry at the archiCAD university in the summer. it was a bit rough around the edges back then! still waiting for it though. i see that a couple of days ago they brought one out for ADT:

http://sketchup.com/press_release.php?recordid=26

soon maybe?

~/archiben

Re: sketchup?

David Larrew — Sat, 06 Dec 2003 02:18:11 GMT

Last year a colleague and I gave a presentation to a group of architects/engineers for the AIA that illustrated using and integrating multiple design, CAD, and presentation software packages.

Part of the presentation I imported a SketchUp file into ArchiCAD using the beta version of the SketchUp import API. I was very impressed with it's capabilites, and I'm sure it has improved since the beta.

Have you tried it? Are you having problems? I'll admit that I haven't upgraded or used the API since then.

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Sat, 06 Dec 2003 05:26:02 GMT

People interested in beta testing the SketchUp2ArchiCAD import plugin should send me a private email.

(ac 8.0 and 8.1 only, Win/Mac OSX only)

Shae, you can send me the pool and I can convert it..

Re: sketchup?

David Larrew — Sat, 06 Dec 2003 21:23:24 GMT

Ferenc,

I didn't realize that it was still in Beta testing. Has the API changed much within the last year? It's good to hear your working on it.

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Sun, 07 Dec 2003 05:12:50 GMT

Working on it...
It depends how you look at it.

As far as the feedback goes, it is pretty much ready for primetime-technically speaking. I had to do a significant rewrite for the MacOSX/ SketchUp3.0 version, and then bring the windows version up to par, finalize the standalone installers (for a while I was hoping the plugin can find its way to the standard ArchiCAD distribution -where it would belong IMHO), but ended up in standalone installers. The update for 8.1 was pretty uneventful.

In the hope of further feedback, until it is released, I try to keep the - ethernal- betatesting open, after the release it will be code maintenance.

I have several ideas for further refinements, but first it has to bring some return on @Last's investment. The ADT plugin has some good new ideas, some unnecessary complications and some mistakes, but since the ArchiCAD plugin stabilized and took whatever we threw at it the feedback went kinda silent.

I see it very useful extension to ArchiCAD for conceptual studies, quick graphical object creation, and cleaning up(stitching) 3d dwg/dxf files and intelligently convert them into ArchiCAD walls/slabs roofs.

Re: sketchup?

TomWaltz — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 19:32:29 GMT

Ferenc

did you ever update this for Archicad 9? Or is there some way to get the 8.1 version?

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 23:22:31 GMT

I have an updated (9.0) windows version.
It can read in and convert the SketchUp 3.1 files, functionally the same as the 8.1 version was. I need to create a new installer.

The mac version hasn't been updated yet. I think I will make a functional update on that for 9.0 (no intermediate xml file, the installation was not very user proof)

Will probably put it up on Objects Online or some other channel.

I'm still not worthy to have my hands on the 4.0 version of SketchUpReader.DLL, so one has to save it as version 3.1 from the latest SketchUp.

As far as I know the 8.1 version is still downloadable from the @Last website.

Re: sketchup?

stefan — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 15:46:19 GMT

Ferenc wrote:
I have an updated (9.0) windows version.
It can read in and convert the SketchUp 3.1 files, functionally the same as the 8.1 version was. I need to create a new installer.

The mac version hasn't been updated yet. I think I will make a functional update on that for 9.0 (no intermediate xml file, the installation was not very user proof)

Will probably put it up on Objects Online or some other channel.

I'm still not worthy to have my hands on the 4.0 version of SketchUpReader.DLL, so one has to save it as version 3.1 from the latest SketchUp.

As far as I know the 8.1 version is still downloadable from the @Last website.

Do you mean you don't have access to the SketchUp 4.0 SDK or do you mean you don't have SketchUp 4.0 to test?

I don't see a function to export a SketchUp 4.0 file into an older version format!

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 19:00:13 GMT

I don't have access to the 4.0 sketchupreader sdk, nor a 4.0 NFR for testing.

@last stated that they are working with a new contractor -since last August- and the 4.0 compatible version is "soon to go beta" (as of September 2004) - without specific timeline.

The export into 3.1 version supposed to be a sketchup plugin downloadable from their support website - according to a post on their forum.

Re: sketchup?

Dave Jochum — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 05:25:29 GMT

I use SketchUp for almost every project--it's a great tool for massing and relationship studies and quick communication of ideas. I recently panned the idea of importing SU models into AC because one of the beauties of SU is that you can work very quickly without being preoccupied with exact measurements. Importing an imprecise model into AC doesn't give one a head start, IMHO--it's faster (for me) to create a building from scratch than fix an import.

I've just found a great new (to me) use for SU, however, that I would love to be able to import into AC in 3D. I've spent hours upon hours laboring through various cabinet-making library parameter windows to get accurate designs--and never quite getting there. I recently designed a cabinet in SU with precise detail and with 1/16" tolerance, merged the 2D and perspective views into an AC plan window, touched up line weights, added dimensions and labels, then imported into PM for finished CDs. The result was a perfectly accurate set of drawings (which I never could have done completely in CabinetMaker or other library part) and was done very quickly--and the perspective views were extremely helpful in conveying the design.

So...this is just a long-winded agreement that a SU 4-to-AC 9 translator would be a terrific tool.

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 06:59:43 GMT

That (2d views) you could do via dwg/dxf export and importing into ArchiCAD.

I think what would be great use is creating 3d components in SketchUp and translating into AC library parts, and do sections, dimensions, placing into rooms in Archicad/PM.

I found that ArchiCAD is very good putting mildly sloppy models into accurate "world", and give them proper attributes.

Re: sketchup?

Dwight — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 07:22:00 GMT

In all the effort to make the BIM accurate and ArchiCAD getting so complicated, it is so ironic that we all love the plasticity of SketchUp.

Leo Kottke was right.

Re: sketchup?

Thomas Holm — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 07:57:21 GMT

Leo Kottke was right.

Please excuse an ignorant, what did he say?

Re: sketchup?

Dwight — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:06:55 GMT

"I'm going to take this lovely melody and drive it right into the ground."

According to Karl O, who has actually seen him in concert, he can really do it, too.

Re: sketchup?

Eduardo Rolon — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 14:18:20 GMT

I have been using SU for modeling counter and other objects that I have not been able to figure out how to do in AC. I had tried the SU export to AC and its results were less than perfect. Right know what I do is build the object in SU and export the 3D model as a DWG or 3DS this I use to create a library part in AC.
For example in this project I used AC for the basic pier, SketchUp to design the slanted columns (with the client looking over my shoulder) and the roof tool with SEO to create the canopy. Everything was integrated in AC for CD's and C4D for rendering.

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:41:28 GMT

Please add my voice to the choir of AC users wanting more inherently 3D modeling capabilities within AC. I also use SketchUp for most of my design work, even tho I pay a price redrawing in AC. It's very much like my experience in larger architectural offices where some folks design and other folks prepare const docs.

SketchUp is as accurate as I am. 3D by its nature, there's nothing like whipping views around to get at that precise endpoint to do something.

I want to work in one program to avoid all the frustration of I/E btw programs. Given that many AC users want the 3D of other programs to design, it would be much better if Graphisoft could make the imported 3DS or DXF objects editable.

I have been trying get a more 3D interface by buying Zoom GDL very recently and running on another computer with AC 8.1. Zoom is supposed to run within AC 8.1. So far it will not- Abvent is supposed to reply with a fix. Has anyone tried Zoom or ArchiForma within AC?

Re: sketchup?

Dwight — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:52:43 GMT

I love SketchUp because it is fun, and a darned quick way to describe an architect's idea, if not a building. Not so much time invested to try out a concept that we all know is going to change.....

There are many simple 3D programs now that work with block primitives and have wonderful rendering - Silo, Amapi and modo being a range of products below $1000. that do free-form modeling and have a fluid interface. These all make the losengeblobs that come into ArchiCAD with surfaces smoothed.

Re: sketchup?

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:24:04 GMT

Herb wrote:
I have been trying get a more 3D interface by buying Zoom GDL very recently and running on another computer with AC 8.1. Zoom is supposed to run within AC 8.1. So far it will not- Abvent is supposed to reply with a fix. Has anyone tried Zoom or ArchiForma within AC?

As I hear GDL Tool Box is a good one, maybe you look at that.
Thanks,
Joseph

Re: sketchup?

Dwight — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:36:42 GMT

I have great satisfaction with Archiforma because it economically addresses the three main problems of object making in ArchiCAD:

1: tilting - x and y rotation - constant ArchiCAD TALK whining about this issue.

2: quick editing of element.

3: simple easing of edges - for rendering, everything should have an eased edge

All ArchiCAD modelers should have ArchForma.

Zoom is more powerful in freeform space, but there is also more to learn.
My inclination when faced with a complex modeling challenge is to use a completely separate freeform modeler and bring in the smooth object from 3ds format.