Ability to group like layers

austinryan

We do most of our upfront work in Revit. Then we export the file out to .DWG. once in sketchup we import the .DWG file. after that we have to click on the group (has all the layers in it ) then create groups within the group. after all the layers are grouped we explode the combined group. then in each group layer we click on the group and send all elements to Layer0.

what we have left is all groups keep the parent layer, but when we click in the group everything is on Layer0. this keeps us from having a nested layer issue.

I tries The rvt2skp PRO plugin but it has its own issues.

Thanks in advance for the help

Dave R

From your post it seems like maybe you have a misunderstanding of the concept of layers in SketchUp. They aren't layers in the traditional sense. They are simply visibility tags that can be given to groups and components Layers don't own anything and they aren't the sort of thing to be grouped. It's the components and groups that get tagged. All edges and faces should be tagged with Layer 0. If you are trying to get all edges and faces back to Layer 0 after importing, you could use TIG's Default Layer Geometry to go through the model in one step and take care of that.

austinryan

Yes I know what you are saying about layers. it is just easier to illustrate what I am trying to do. so with that let me rephrase.

steps

export out Revit file to .DWG (using a modified DWG/DXF Export Setup to get minimal geometry grouping)
open sketchup and import the DWG (delete the person first lol)
everything comes in on one complete group, within the group all geometry is divided up in sketchup layer identifiers.
since i can't explode the main group (to may merging geometry) I have to click in the main group and turn off all the layers but Layer0 and one of the layernames (for example O-EX-Beam).
I Then click the layer name 0-EX-Beam and make it default.
I then select all the elements and set them to Layer0.(using the pulldown)
once all the geometry is on Layer0 I right click and select make group (all the geometry is then set to the default layer (0-EX-Beam)
I continue this process for all the imported elements (for this example it is only 14 layers but this is a small one)

I was just seeing if there is an easier way of doing this since it is such a linear step by step path.

Thanks in advance for the help

Dave R

It sounds like you're working a little harder than you need to.

@unknownuser said:

open sketchup and import the DWG (delete the person first lol)

If you don't want the person in the model. Why don't you create a template without the person and use that instead?

@unknownuser said:

everything comes in on one complete group, within the group all geometry is divided up in sketchup layer identifiers.

Everything should import as a component and depending on the imported file, may be nested meaning there are child components in the parent. Layer tags are coming from the imported file.

@unknownuser said:

I Then click the layer name 0-EX-Beam and make it default.

I assume you mean you are making it the active layer. There's no need to do that. Leave Layer 0 active at all times.

@unknownuser said:

I then select all the elements and set them to Layer0.(using the pulldown)

The extension I mentioned in my previous post will do this for the entire model automatically.

@unknownuser said:

once all the geometry is on Layer0 I right click and select make group (all the geometry is then set to the default layer (0-EX-Beam)

This is not the correct way to use layers in SketchUp. ALL geometry (edges and faces) should have the Layer 0 tag. Only components or groups get layer tags other than Layer 0. And nothing is "on" a layer in SketchUp. As before, layers are simply tags that are used for controlling the visibilty of components and groups.

austinryan

OK it sounds like you are telling me how you would do things and not how to help me with my question. once again can i do what I asked in a script to maintain the way WE do things here. I dont want to try and learn ruby script or some other way if it is pointless.
(by the way the delete the person was a joke)

The reason we do this it to keep all revit exported elements out to and existing layer so the designers can do their thing without messing with the existing building elements. putting everything to 0 is not an option. you cannot control on and off elements to show to the client.

after the designers are finished we remake what they did in the revit model. I would love for them to design in revit but you can forget that.

Pixero

I think you're wanting to make SketchUp behave like Revit/AutoCAD but it works differently.
SketchUp needs to group geometry to keep them apart. Without groups/components you would end up with a model that is impossible to work with since edges and faces would be glued together into a gigantic messy mesh.

I have been working with SketchUp since 2000 and in the past I also tried to put loose geometry to different layers but since they are connected there WILL be problems.
Having all geometry on Layer0 and putting groups and components to different layers is what works best in SketchUp.

As a side note, I have found that SketchUp somehow is much faster if you have grouped geometry versus loose geometry.

Here is my current best workflow Revit to SketchUp:
https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=68000&hilit=+Revit