I see, looks like it isn't possible then... I always thought you could export perfectly into illustrator with all the lines and gradients properly joined and defined in illustrator.

Does any1 here know any 3d modelling that can do that? Or am I just better off exporting everything as a raster image...

Thanks again for your help!

@pbacot said:

I bet AI is approximating a tone for each face. It does not have smoothing for 3d objects. So it looks choppy at the boundary between the slightly different tones. Unless there is a blend function...

Two things to try. Use weld plugin to weld the curves. Probably no good in itself, but try to increase the number of edges and faces in the curved shape so there are more facets and tones... So less noticeable.

Or, if you don't need the vector information, export-import as a png instead.

My CAD program acts similarly. If I export SU pdf I get colored and shaded faces without smoothing, which I can separate into polygons. If I export png I just get a raster picture that looks like the SU view. IDK in illustrator, but I can join and smooth polygons and lines after import too, but since SU really works in edges, not real curves, I doubt you can change EPS or PDF exports to show smooth curves.

.EPS & .PDF — both of which can be opened by Illustrator. I tried DXF/DWG but the gradients didn't appear.

@dave r said:

What file format are you exporting from SketchUp?

Hi guys,

I currently have a curved surface with a nice smooth gradient applied to it in SketchUp. However, when I export it into Illustrator, the gradient breaks into pieces and becomes really choppy. Is there a way to maintain the smoothness of the gradient when exported? Am I missing out some settings? I've attached an example to illustrate the issue I'm facing.

Separately, I realise the lines get broken up into many tiny bits too. Is it possible to have all the lines connected into one smooth curve after exporting to Illustrator?

Hope someone here can help!

Thanks in advance!