@davidboulder said:

Well, you could name your scenes, clipa01, clipa02, clipb-01 . . .

Create a new file for each animation, and insert your master file as a component. So each animation is its own file, but they are all linked back to changes made in the model.

David can you explain how you link the changes to the main model. Is this a kind of xref?

Well as promised I'm posting things as I keep working out the bugs. At the moment I am working on a Vectorworks file, and the same thing happened when I tried to import to SketchUp using the .dwg, .dfx import function, it imports as a 2d image.
So following the same prescription out lined above for the ACAD drawing I put the Vectorworks drawing into an isometric view before exporting it, and the imported to SketchUp again using the dfx/dwg import function. and this is what I got after about a half hour of the computer crunching numbers....
Had a good chuckle, and although I haven't confirmed the actual skewed angle, Im making the assumption it is based on the 60 degree angles of the isometric view. Not wanting to deal with the axis shift, and inherent problems, I reverted back to 3DS format, and imported. The import was quick, and although a few door components were altered all in all it was a workable 3d model.
After working with the file for a bit, here are some observations:
Although you have a reasonable 3d model altering it can be cumbersome. Individual wall sections, as in whenever a wall changes direction, are imported as components within groups ,so its a fair number of mouse clicks to alter anything. I haven't tried ungrouping the lot of them and regrouping as one, because I really am also trying to get a massing study to the client.
The way that the Cad programs treat the construction of certain entities brings in some strange geometry. this I have found, particularly in roofs in both Vectorworks and Acad Architect. So when you do go to alter there is some major work usually.

I don't know if this is of any benefit to anyone, but I would appreciate any experience that folks have had in this. I will keep posting as I go along. (unless I get booed off the stage)

Oh so in conclusion. The AutoCad Architect file comes in fine as a .dwg file, but in Vectorworks, I think the 3DS format is the answer.

Cheers

I posted your question as a new topic in the discussion forums in case there is someone who hasn't been following this thread that can answer your animation question. I'm really not sure you can.

In case there are people who can help, who haven't been following the "Create solid-appearing 3d models of a subsurface" thread by gealagie, the question has been asked if you can create multiple scene animations within the same file in SketchUp?

Actually I'm not sure you can without creating separate files, but I'll do a little digging.

Sorry I'm a little late as there have been several posting since my last one.

This isn't the best form of animation, but you can make some pretty simple and dynamic presentations with it.

Scenes are actually fairly easy to use. I use them when someone else in our office is going to do a presentation without being present myself because they are fairly foolproof, so they don't get caught floundering around trying to make things work.
I think it should still work quite well even with your file size.

Drop down the "Window" menu from your menu bar, and select "Scenes"

The "scenes" menu will be added to your desktop and should look something like the above.(I'm on a mac currently so it may be slightly different)
If you rotate your model to where you would like to start and press the "+" button (at the top of the scenes menu) it will add the scene. At the top of the SketchUp desktop you will see "Scene 1" will appear as well it will be in the Scenes menu as well.
Rotate your model again and find the second position you like and once again hit the"+" button in the scenes menu and it will add Scene.
You can add as many scenes as you wish to show the model.
Now go to the "View" menu in your main drop down menu, select "Animation" and from the drop down menu choose "Settings"
This dialog box will allow you to set the number of seconds the scene remains static (Scene Delay), and how fast you move from scene to scene (Scene Transition)
You can play with these setting until you get the combination you like.To get the animation to work without manually clicking each scene, check the "Include in animation" check box which is in the "scenes menu"
This is really just the basics, and I hope I haven't confused more than helped

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but have you tried using scenes for your presentation rotations?

Matt
Interesting that you brought this up, because it has just started to happen to me, and it is only in SketchUp that it seems to want to save to this old file.
First place I look though when I can't find the file icon.

Well at least in ACAD we have the ability to do a reasonable export in the dwg format. I will be finishing off a Vectorworks drawing today (which is the one I was using the 3DS export on), and I'm going to try to export from it in dwg format and I'll keep posting results.

As for the the ACAD drawing, you can see that it came in with the walls colored to the appropriate ACAD layer colors, and we are looking to developing a template that we can import our drawing into in ACAD, before exporting to SketchUp, that will require less work in SketchUp to clean up.
As I say I will keep posting my flounderings, and I appreciate all the help from everyone.

There is a little tutorial on terrain at 3D Warehouse http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=64102e4f2ef3e0166ff2743b86cddd2f

@unknownuser said:

3DS has some limitations of numbers Objects/polygons/facets/vertices...65535...

Now a question for Pilou if he see's it...

Does the limitation of Objects/polygons/facets/vertices in 3DS format only affect whether you can import the file or not?
In other words, if you can import it, once it is in Sketchup you can add all the Objects/polygons/facets/vertices you wish?

To continue and try to clarify the greying issue.
When we began trying to do this we were told to just export to dfx/dwg,and all would be fine, however when I went to get the file off the server using the import option in SketchUp, the file name would be grey, indicating that the file type was not recognized.
This is probably because when you go to the "File" and then to the "Export" menu, the options that appear are "3D DWF(*.dwf)" and "(3D DWFX(8.dwfx). I see that now after looking closely, since my colleague sent the file I didn't realize at the time it was not a dxf file, but a .dwfx file. Apparently this file format is a collaboration between AutoDesk, and Microsoft and is a paper specification/plot file designed for Vista.
In all actuality when you use the steps taken in the above post, the only option you get is a .dwg file, which is fine because it seems to work as an import file.
I should also say that I am still in SketchUp 6 Pro, on a Mac, and my ACAD colleague, is running Windows XP. So aside from going between software, we are going cross platform as well.

Sorry honoluludesktop, some times I find putting the actions I do on a computer into words difficult, and I sometimes don't get my point across correctly. I'll try it again, and see if I can better explain. We tried a whole variety of things to get the results we were after, which was to take the models already created in Vectorworks 12 and AutoCad Architect 2009 and import them into SketchUp as 3d models, not as flat plans that needed to be pushpulled up, and windows and doors added. This seemed to us redundant.

In a lot of cases these were not fully completed models, but floor plans that we had been working with clients through the revision process to the point where we were ready to give them 3d models, and therefore, in 3d they were wall entities with windows and doors in place.
Once you get outside of the normal roof types the computer will generate automatically, we find it a lot easier to move into SketchUp, so that we can try out different roof configurations. Our roofs in particular tend to be quite complex, and although we are quite capable of modeling them in the cad programs we use, it is way more difficult and time consuming, than in SketchUp.
After a whole host of failed attempts, and some damn good advice from Anssi and others we have talked with, we were able to import a basic model from ACAD by doing the following:
Before starting the process we change the view from "Plan" view and be sure it is in a 3d view as suggested by Anssi.
In ACAD, under the "File" menu,we choose the "Export to AutoCAD" option. From the cascading menu we choose "2007 Format". The typical screen comes up to choose the file, name it and choose the file type. WE follow through, and in our case place the file on our server to access from other workstations. Since it is my colleague that works in ACAD, I pick up the file from the server amd do the import into Sketchup via the dfx/dwg import . Under import options I choose the units required for the project (in this case feet), and check the preserve drawing origons, and merge coplanar faces boxes.(again thanks to Anssi)
The result is a grouped 3d model that imports into Sketchup as in the test model we were using attached.

Thanks Pilou. Now that I am getting the .dwg function to work, I'll use it.

Using Anssi's advice we tried another export, but when I went to the import window on SketchUp the file was greyed and therefore I couldn't open it. Using something we did in our earlier attempts we used the File/Export to Autocad/2007 Format, and chose the .dwg option. The file has an ACAD prefix, and a.dwg suffix. It opened as a 3d Sketchup drawing and looks like it is all intact.
We tried the same Export to Autocad function using the dfx option, and it once again showed up as a greyed file.
I used the "Delete coplanar edge" box, and it got rid of the excess triangulation.

Wow, there is a Lard information Council.....

Thanks Anssi, I will change viewports and retry the dfx, (and especially for the advice on getting rid of the extra triangulation).

Would you know if there is an advantage of using dfx over using 3DS that you would know of?

If that is the case then I need to figure out what I am doing wrong as indicated in the attached files. The two flat 2d drawings, one is a dxf export from Vectorworks, the other is from ACAD Architect 2009. The third is the same Vectorworks file transferred via 3DS.

We have been working on importing drawings from both AutoCad 2009 Architect, and Vectorworks 12 into SketchUp. Since we are basically using the 3d modeling capabilities of both programs, what we would like to import into SketchUp is the 3d model we have already created rather than the flat dfx/dwg flat version.
I have been experimenting with the 3DS format, and although it imports a little extra baggage in the form of geometry it appears at first glance that everything is intact, and can be manipulated in SketchUp.
The reason for this stems from our usual workflow, which starts with floorplans, going through revisions with the client on these, and then evolving to 3d. With all the wall parameters set correctly in our cad programs, the drawings at this point are 3d models, although not necessarily with roofs, which is why I want to be able to do the import into SketchUp, because modeling complicated roofs and being able to experiment is so much easier in SketchUp
Is there anyone using 3Ds to accomplish this, or is the usual method of importing exploded dfx/dwg's and pushpulling from there the norm?
Are there any drawbacks to this that anyone can site.
Thanks for the help on this.

Had me thinking of Myst also, and how visually far ahead of its time it was.