I found that the easiest way to deal with this is to just bring the CAD file into Sketchup, go to top view, change the camera to parallel projection, export 2D graphic, pick dwg or dxf, then bring that file back into Sketchup, perfectly flat but you do loose your layering. cad model coming flat.skp

Max exports with coordinates to an obj file.

@tig said: There's nothing so simple. If you have multiple destination folders available you will be offered the choice for each one installed. Some users have several Plugins folders ! Here's a work around... Close SketchUp. Note that I've listed this for Sketch 2017 - just substitute 2018 etc as needed... Find the secondary Plugins folder: C:\ProgramData\SketchUp\SketchUp 2017\SketchUp\Plugins It'll usually be hidden, but will open in a Windows Explorer window if you paste the appropriate address... Rename that folder "xPlugins". Now open SketchUp [Note: you might get a Vray error as SketchUp starts, if you haven't disabled the Vray loader using the SketchUcation Plugins Manager, before exiting SketchUp !] Use the Bundle Option to do your desired bulk installation - since only the default Plugins folder is available, this time you won't be prompted to choose a folder. However, you will probably still be warned about each RBZ's installation in turn, you can just press enter to accept OK to continue: this warning dialog is hard-coded into the API methods which are needed to install RBZ files, and cannot be got around if they are to be used... When you've finished your Bundle installation you should exit SketchUp. Then rename the ProgramData/.../xPlugins folder back to "Plugins", and then restart SketchUp to get Vray back [if necessary enabling its loader with the SCF Plugins Manager etc]... Thanks!

Great thanks. Will check it out.

thanks! and keep couching

@tig said: Your profile says v8. ... Why not get and install SketchUp v2017 Make ? I'm guessing it would be V8 (M0) since that, if memory serves, was the last free version with licencing that you could use for commercial purposes.

Look at the decimal symbol on PC 2 and compare it to the others. [image: 2Jqr_Dec.PNG]

Your Preferences for File locations should include a Materials folder. Don't use the shipped-materials folder, make your own. It could be anywhere - e.g. your 'My Documents' folder, or more normally in: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2017\SketchUp subfolders - same place as your user's Plugins folder... I have all of my custom folders/subfolders of Materials, Components, Styles, Templates. classifications etc in there... Once you have the folder made and linked in Preferences you can see and export any material SKM from the model or a collection of all material SKMs from the model. To show up in the Materials browser they need to be SKMs - image files aren't listed...

@dave r said: @john2 said: But this grid will have to be changed every time my workspace changes. Maybe if I have scene tabs on or not,the width will change etc. Isn't there a plugin that creates grids matching the screensize? What do you mean? Why would it have to be changed? If you set the watermark to be stretched to fit, it'll change if you change size of the model window. Here are three different workspace sizes. Same watermark image. [attachment=2:2nfbqww2]<!-- ia2 -->Screenshot - 8_4_2018 , 7_32_35 AM.png<!-- ia2 -->[/attachment:2nfbqww2] [attachment=1:2nfbqww2]<!-- ia1 -->Screenshot - 8_4_2018 , 7_32_56 AM.png<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:2nfbqww2] [attachment=0:2nfbqww2]<!-- ia0 -->Screenshot - 8_4_2018 , 7_33_30 AM.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:2nfbqww2] I don't know of any plugins to create a grid but I perhaps you can write one if you still think this won't work. You could at least give it a try. Oh...cool! Sorry, my bad. I was mistaken.

Without republishing their site the quickest way for them to go secure (https) would be to enable Cloudflare on their site, it can route a std http site through their servers to produce a https one. https://www.cloudflare.com/

If you are ok with spending a few bucks, FluidImporter Lite imports OBJ and works really well.

I guess next time...

@tig said: To see the surface's edges you could use View > Hidden Geometry > ON They'll then be visible but dotted, and the facets forming the surface become 'separate'. Any smooth/soft/hidden edges can be seen dotted, and selected/edited etc... If you want them as solid edges... To change them all to solid edges [with the setting View > Hidden Geometry > ON], use the Smooth tool [context-menu] and set the slider to minimum, all edges should turn to solid. If some do not change the original author might have also 'hidden' them. To fix those select all of the edges and context-menu > Unhide... Now all edges should be solid, dividing the surface into its facets. All smooth, soft and hidden behaviors having been removed Thank you!

Post moved to SketchUp Pro & Make Discussions. The Tutorials forum is reserved for tutorials already created.

It starts to be a real issue. I experienced this in a bunch of diffrent projects on several PC's (win 7,10 x64) SU2018 fails to perform autosave (no matter it's office server or local drives). I have a series of unreadable .tmp files (approx. 1/4 of original file size). 'Save as'\purging\saving in previos version won't help. The only workaround (if you are lucky not to miss the moment the mess with tmps has begun)is to copy-paste portion by portion to a blank file. A side observetion: all those files had a number of acad drawings for reference. It never bben an issue in last decade though.

Sorry. I don't use Vray.

We're all guessing, add the model and we can check it.

@Dave Cool ! Very practical one by one! Another trick is to export 3D in .kmz rename .zip Unzip you have all textures in one time in a folder (but they are renamed texture, texture_0 etc...) Not so bad!

In 3D Maybe use Artisan or SubD for subdivide them but you must have principally "Quads" In 2D you can use some Fredo tools (Beziers SPlines) for subdivide curves! Then Extrude with JointPushPull for some variety of 3D results

Nothing, huh?