Sketchup to Carrara

Box8068_31c338ee4b

Greetings
I try to do all my modeling in Carrara but on occasion sketchup is easier.
I haven't converted from sketchup to carrara in years once I started modeling in Carrara.
My memory is foggy but I believe I exported an obj file from sketchup using a Ruby plug in.
But needed to do some conversion in possibly meshmaker. It worked but wasn't elegant.
Is there now a more direct method of moving from sketchup to Carrara? I am using the free version of sketchup
before google sold it.
Thanks
Brad

MarkBremmer

If using the Pre-sale version, export as a .kmz and then change the extension to .zip and decompress it. You'll find all the parts in there.

Roygee

Glad this has come up - there is a relatively new application, Form.Z by Autodesk. http://www.formz.com/products/formzfree.html

I downloaded the free version for evaluation. It works exactly like Sketchup - imports SKP, KMZ, DWG, DXF, DAE, OBJ and STL files and the free version exports DAE, KMZ and STL.

I Tried DAE, but that doesn't work in any app I have; all I get is the camera and lights. STL works and can be converted to OBJ in Meshlab.

I tried what Mark said, to export as KMZ, change to ZIP and decompress, but 7-Zip reports an error.

Anyhow, don't think I'll continue with this - it gives the same problems as Sketchup OBJ - n-gons, non-manifold and messed up UV's. Too much effort to fix.

WendyLuvsCatz

the Sketchucation obj exporter works best for me in Carrara, iClone 3Dxchange quite good too

Box8068_31c338ee4b

Will try both of these suggestions
Thank you!
8068

otodomus

Hello! I do this quite often, depending on the SketchUp version you are running on, but basically what you need is a plugin called export to DXF or STL, in my case Do the following:

You need to make components on every models you do, Carrara recognises all the components made in SketchUp and this is cool as you will assign materials on every component.

When you export your models, choose the triangulate option, and the .dxf file extension, this will be helpful if you need to convert any component to Vertex Modeller.

Will bring some step by step samples to illustrate what I have said.

Cheers!

Otto

Box8068_31c338ee4b

otodomus
I'll give that a shot, never tried the dxf option.
Thanks
Brad

otodomus

OK, will try to illustrate the process in converting models from SketchUp to Carrara, in my personal experience this has been very useful, as Carrara brings a very detailed and well done renders, since I save time modelling in SU as you previously said.

Ok let's say that you need to model a logo, in this case the Starbucks logo:

1.- The best thing to start is having the logo in vector art, illustrator is one of the best things to manipulate vector arts, so in Ai, you need to convert that file to .dxf that makes that SketchUp can recognise the lines and you may model them.

2.- In SketchUp you need to convert the model parts in components, every part of the model that needs a different color must have their own component. Carrara recognises the name of the components the which is cool when you are assigning different materials in the shader room to a large component file.

3.- As I've said before you need a plugin called "Export to DXF/STL", depending your SU version download the version according to that, you can find some here:

http://sketchupplugins.com/plugins/convert-sketchup-skp-files-to-dxf-or-stl/

For some reason this plugin runs under the Tools tab, and not in the Export file option.

4.- Once you have named all the components in your model, select them all and choose the option above described, under the tab "tools" chose the Export to DXF /STL option, a window will display asking the options, select the following:

Export Units= Meters
Export to DXF=Triangular Mesh

Save the file as you want be saved

5.- Open Carrara and chose the Import option, in my case the most of the times I do use a wizard scene, as it has previous ambients and lightnings.

6.- When you open the file in Carrara you will see the model with the components, ready to be shaded.

Here you will see a group of images trying to illustrate the process, hope it helps.

Cheers!

Otto

Diomede

Thanks so much. Clarification. Are you importing the dxf shape as a vertex model? Or, are you importing the illustrator file to the spline modeler?

otodomus

diomede64 said:

Thanks so much. Clarification. Are you importing the dxf shape as a vertex model? Or, are you importing the illustrator file to the spline modeler?

Hello! The DXF file is imported directly to the assemble room, where you can shade every component, sometimes a mesh made through this process can make a mess or simply can't be textured in the right way, in that case what I do is convert that component in to "other modeller" as a vertex model, there you can manipulate the UV mapping or edit the model.

The illustrator file is to make the drawing enable to be modelled in SketchUp, in Ai what I do is to convert the vector file in .DXF file, SketchUp opens that and you can extrude the parts.

I have never tried to import a .DXF file directly to the spline modeller I wonder if that is possible...

Diomede

I ask because the spline modeler is supposed to be able to import ai shapes, although I have never done it. I was just curious if the dxf was coming in as a primitive, a vertex model, or a spline. Sounds like it is a primitive. In any case, thanks for explaining your workflow. I am adding it to my collection of tools and functions.

Edit - sounds like it is a primitive, not a spline.

otodomus

diomede64 said:

I ask because the spline modeler is supposed to be able to import ai shapes

Ok, I had no idea about this feature, I have just seen it but I couldn't open an Ai file at all, in this particular case (Starbucks logo) the process is through the SketchUp software, because the OP asked about that, but it would be nice to hear if someone has done the import vector arts in the spline modeller.

Cheers!

Otto

MarkBremmer

The Carrara Spline Modeller can import .ai v3 files. The file needs to have all of the compound (empty) spaces created in the software before import to Carrara. While it is possible to create simple compound shapes in in the Spline room, complex ones are tough to do.

otodomus

MarkBremmer said:

The Carrara Spline Modeller can import .ai v3 files. The file needs to have all of the compound (empty) spaces created in the software before import to Carrara. While it is possible to create simple compound shapes in in the Spline room, complex ones are tough to do.

OK, yes I did a proof and it extrudes automatically the shape:

Headwax

hi, I wondered if anyone else had any new work flows for this. ie convert a sketchup model cleanly to eg obj ?

is there an online converter, for example, that people can recommend?

thanks in advance :)

Jamy

Hello,

I use SKPviewer3D

cheap and good to open sketchup without sketchup and also others formats and export it. 

https://www.microsoft.com/fr-fr/store/p/skp-viewer-3d-rs/9wzdncrdkq36

https://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/skp-viewer-3d/id782903964?mt=12

Stezza

Jamy said:

Hello,

I use SKPviewer3D

cheap and good to open sketchup without sketchup and also others formats and export it. 

https://www.microsoft.com/fr-fr/store/p/skp-viewer-3d-rs/9wzdncrdkq36

https://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/skp-viewer-3d/id782903964?mt=12

sounds good but has bad reviews on the MS store 

WendyLuvsCatz

well my versions of sketchup with third party obj exporters can no longer access the 3D warehouse.

so it looks like I need the latest one now 

not bothered yet as the models are really rather roughly made in most cases.

Headwax

Thank you Jamy , Stezza et Wendy!,, :) 

yes they always come over as jumbled objs

i was after a model of the Sydney harbour bridge - I found a few , translated one from skp  to obj via online service babel

but then spent ages getting the textures to sit 

if you see a good free shb  please let me know :) too lazy to model it myself ... 

 

 

 

Stezza

try this Japanese site

it's what I use 

Stezza

I'll see if I can find the SHB and do a render of it

Stezza

ok.. just downloaded this from 3d warehouse and quickly rendered it.. didn't bother applying the textures that came with it

 

 

Stezza

There is also this thread in the commons but looks like the project has been abandoned... 

MarkIsSleepy

head wax said:

Thank you Jamy , Stezza et Wendy!,, :) 

yes they always come over as jumbled objs

i was after a model of the Sydney harbour bridge - I found a few , translated one from skp  to obj via online service babel

but then spent ages getting the textures to sit 

if you see a good free shb  please let me know :) too lazy to model it myself ... 

 

 

 

Thingiverse has a .STL version here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:43455.

You can open .STL files in Blender and resave them as an OBJ usable in Carrara. I tried it out and it looks like it arrives in Carrara in pretty usable condition. It's just half of it, so I had to duplicate and rotate to get the whole thing.

Headwax

Hya thanks so much Stezza and MDO2010

really appreciate that, that's very kind - not to mention helpful!

cheers from here :)

SileneUK

Sorry if this has been covered before (my eye problems keep me from too much screen or even paper reading, etc)  but I got a pesky skp file exported to Blender as an obj and all the bits opened up fine.  I could not get all of the elements of the city building to come into Car as an object likely because of all of what has been discussed.

I knew the obj file was complete because of the file size from the skp export as object... it was just missing most of the building!  Opened in Blender and it was fine. Of course it had those horrible piece-meal triangles of flat planes, and multiple surface layers, but I was able to clean them up in Carrara enough to be passable.  If I knew Blender, I likely could tidy up there?

Hope to be back to modelling by the New Year... missing it and all the cool ideas and art that is going on here.

 Silene