Description
Find yourself needing to import and work with CAD files? If so we’ll walk you through three different workflows that cover how to cleanup, import, organize, optimize and automate your CAD linework with the end goal of getting a 3D floor plan modeled quickly and easily.
01Getting Started
Get started with a brief overview to for this track that walks you through everything you need to know about working with CAD linework in SketchUp.
- Track Overview3:573:57
02Method 1: Using CAD in SketchUp Without Cleanup
This course assumes that you have a CAD file to start with but either cannot or do not want to go back into CAD to clean it up prior to using it in SketchUp. We'll review how and why CAD linework acts the way it does in SketchUp and cover tips and tricks for optimizing the import and modeling process.
- Importing CAD Floor Plan3:043:04
- Making Faces without Cleanup1:451:45
- Linework Cleanup with Extensions9:109:10
03Method 2 - Optimizing CAD File Prior to SketchUp
In this course, we'll spend most of our time in AutoCAD reviewing drafting methods that anticipate how CAD linework can work more efficiently later once in SketchUp. In other words, but committing a bit more thought and time into the front-end, we can see tremendous time savings down-stream.
- Detailed CAD File Review5:245:24
- Freeze/Purge Non-Importable Items3:473:47
- Consolidate Layers 2:492:49
- Working with Blocks4:064:06
- Join / Close Linework5:045:04
- Bind / NCOPY from XREF3:373:37
- Block by Type2:532:53
- Making Faces2:022:02
- Extruding Multiple Surfaces5:415:41
- Block Swap6:506:50
- Bonus: Real Time Optimized Process Start-to-Finish7:247:24
04Method 3: Using CAD as Reference Only
This last workflow method explores a potentially quicker to go from 2D to 3D by drawing new lines or shapes over the top of imported CAD linework...therefore using it as a reference only and not worrying about clean up or optimizing it first.
- Tracing Using Native Tools8:458:45
- Tracing Using Extensions3:563:56