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    How to Vectors -> Sketchup object

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    • HelmiH Offline
      Helmi
      last edited by Helmi

      Hi,

      i got a a vector logo that i'd like to import into sketchup anyhow to cut it's silhouette out of an object i created in sketchup for 3d printing.

      The Logo was originally strapped from a pdf - I've done that in illustrator CS 5.1. I tried importing it as a PDF in sketchup but it doesn't look like sketchup is handling that as a vector.

      Can anyone help here? Think lots of you have done this several times.

      Here's a screenshot of the logo so you have an idea what it's like: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/sh/ff27929f-6b2e-41fe-a66e-ec6e134653f6/59e6146c27c2c2f04359617bb2865871

      Thanks for helping,
      Frank

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      • Dave RD Offline
        Dave R
        last edited by

        Your image doesn't show.

        What format is your vector file? With the Pro version of SketchUp you can import a number of vector file types. With free you're limited. An alternative would be to import it as an image and trace it to get the lines.

        Etaoin Shrdlu

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        • HelmiH Offline
          Helmi
          last edited by

          I'm on free at the moment unfortunately - thinking about pro but it's a really hard price for just few improvements for me.

          I corrected the image link to a normal link above - it should work this way...

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          • Dave RD Offline
            Dave R
            last edited by

            Does it have to be a lines in SketchUp or could it just be an image and work?

            Etaoin Shrdlu

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            • D Offline
              d12dozr
              last edited by

              If you need to import vector lines in Sketchup, export from Illustrator to DXF and use this free plugin to import them: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=339558#p339558

              3D Printing with SketchUp Book
              http://goo.gl/f7ooYh

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              • HelmiH Offline
                Helmi
                last edited by

                @DaveR: i need to have the outer shape (those are not lines now but shapes) of those "lines" to be able to push them into a body as a kind of cutout. Hope that's understandable (english isn't my maiden language, sorry)

                @d12dozr thx will have a look at that.

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                • GaieusG Offline
                  Gaieus
                  last edited by

                  @helmi said:

                  The Logo was originally strapped from a pdf - I've done that in illustrator CS 5.1. I tried importing it as a PDF in sketchup but it doesn't look like sketchup is handling that as a vector.

                  I think the free version of SU can also import PDF (and vector PDF) on Mac, cannot it? Are you sure your PDF is in any vector format (and not just a raster image)?

                  Gai...

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                  • pbacotP Offline
                    pbacot
                    last edited by

                    @gaieus said:

                    @helmi said:

                    The Logo was originally strapped from a pdf - I've done that in illustrator CS 5.1. I tried importing it as a PDF in sketchup but it doesn't look like sketchup is handling that as a vector.

                    I think the free version of SU can also import PDF (and vector PDF) on Mac, cannot it? Are you sure your PDF is in any vector format (and not just a raster image)?

                    Would like to know if something like this is possible. There's no settings for other than Image, texture, matched photo, so how would the vector version come over.

                    I imported a vector pdf (i.e. another application I have was able to make it into polygons), but in SU it was just an image, and a very crumby image at that.

                    The dxf option seems like a possibility for Helmi.

                    MacOSX MojaveSketchUp Pro v19 Twilight v2 Thea v3 PowerCADD

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                    • M Offline
                      mac1
                      last edited by

                      There was a long thread not long ago on this issue will try and find.
                      The main problem is many of the rater files do not have good edge definition and the conversion to vector does not go well.
                      I some times use GIMP in its edge detection mode to get the edges and then a raster to vector converter. For simple items Win Top works but there are better ones around . Again those were addressed in the thread.
                      The link http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=179&t=43988&hilit=+raster

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                      • pbacotP Offline
                        pbacot
                        last edited by

                        I thought Gai was suggesting SU on Mac could read a vector pdf file as edges. I can export a pdf from SU that my CAD app can make into lines and polygons. That sort of thing.

                        MacOSX MojaveSketchUp Pro v19 Twilight v2 Thea v3 PowerCADD

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                        • HelmiH Offline
                          Helmi
                          last edited by

                          So the dxf plugin seems to work basically - thanks for pointing that out - i'll need that for other things, too.

                          Unfortunately it doesn't really work in this case but the reason seems to be with illustrator that can't export the shape like it looks but only a shape based on the lines with the curves rendered down to even more points. This basically works for this shape to but in some cases this doesn't work well so the form that comes out in the export doesn't look similar to the original.

                          Here's a shot of the left end of the log how it looks in sketchup:

                          https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/sh/7cf51cc4-ef99-4721-aa75-a5cb4fcd280a/57347d6c657d19656f5ef04605e736e6

                          I already tried different export- and import settings but this is the best result i could get so far. Maybe anyone of you has good advice how things could go better. I'd also need to know how to combine all these party crossing paths to a closed shape/face.

                          Re: PDF - i can only see possibilities to import a pdf as an image - don't see anything else.

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                          • D Offline
                            d12dozr
                            last edited by

                            I'm not too familiar with Illustrator, but I think there's a way to increase the resolution of the DXF before exporting.

                            I'm afraid the line cleanup is going to be manual though - lots of erasing 😞

                            3D Printing with SketchUp Book
                            http://goo.gl/f7ooYh

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                            • beginnerB Offline
                              beginner
                              last edited by

                              Hi Helmi,
                              Do you know or use AutoCAD ?
                              I did some short guideline on how to vectorize PDF -> AutoCAD -> SU - assuming that PDF has linework.
                              http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=45500

                              I was checking other options using Free Inkscape - from PNG directly to DXF R13
                              Result below...


                              20120922-SUskitch.png


                              beginner_skitch.zip

                              Regards, SU 'beginner'

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