Greets:
This is a shot in the dark, but - just wondering if anyone knows of a plugin that will allow Sketechup (freeware) files to be imported into Blender?
Thanks,
Mr Head
BTW, am using Blender v 2.45 and I haven’t had a chance yet to upgrade to 2.47, so please let me know if Sketchup files (.skp) are importable into the more recent versions of Blender. May save time on installing a plugin.
Whatever works is okay with me…
Thanks,
BH
Heya, there are quite a few posts in this forum about using Sketchup files with Blender, but for simplicity sakes, here’s a quick tutorial:
http://alexvaqp.googlepages.com/sketchupblender
Should work just fine with 2.45. You won’t be using the SKP’s as is, rather exporting them as KMZ’s (v. 4) first, then extracting them and importing them.
Right, I can’t post links yet, but there are a few topic on this already.
If you look at page 2 of this forum, there’s a post entitled “Sketchup to blender problem, weird lines from collada( with pics)” that contains a link to a full tutorial.
Essentially you’re not saving as SKP, but exporting as KMZ (v. 4), renaming to zip, extracting, and importing the DAE files within the archive into Blender using the Collade 1.4 importer.
Or export as earlier version of kmz (not version 4) and use JMS’s kmz import script avoiding the PITA that trying to import Collada can be.
http://jmsoler.free.fr/didacticiel/blender/tutor/py_import_kml-kmz_en.htm
Scroll down JMS’s site for import script 0.1.9k
Okay, I tried the JMS’s site for the import script, and this is the one I’ve downloaded:
<b> __version__= "0.1.9k, september, 11th, 2007" : very short correction on the create_LINE function. </b>
<b> [Download the script 0.1.9k with build in zipfile](http://jmsoler.free.fr/util/blenderfile/py/kmz_ImportWithMesh_Z019k.py) </b> <b> </b>
Am not sure if that is the right one, so please let me know if it is or isnt.
Supposing it is…
What do I do with it?
Ty.
Mr Head
BTW, the forum system here just included a lot of code I didnt intend, but it’s halfway down on the page yellow recommended.
Right, if you search the forums, you’ll find a better explanation than this, but again, to answer the question:
- export your model as a normal KMZ from Sketchup
- download kmz_ImportWithMesh_Z019k.py
- copy it to your .blender/scripts folder (it’s in the same folder as blender.exe for me)
- start Blender, and do file->import->Google Earth 3 (kmz)
And in the words of Wall.E: “tada!”
BlenderHead, once you have your sketchup geometry imported (or any imported geometry, for that matter) it always good practice to “clean up” the mesh geometry in blender:
- Enter edit mode with the imported object selected (Tab key)
- Select all the vertices of the mesh (A key toggles)
- Execute the “remove doubles” command (W key menu -> “remove doubles”) Pay attention to see if there were some removed in the little dialog that appears at your mouse cursor.
- Convert your mesh’s tris to quads (if needed, like if you intend to subsurf or deform the mesh in animation - anything that might present anomolies due to tri-sided polys - not that common, but it happens.) (Spacebar menu -> Edit -> Faces -> Convert to quads (or Alt-J))
- Recalculate your face normals outward (ctrl-N) This may have to happen periodically as you edit and add faces to your model
Even after these cleanup steps, you may occasionally encounter “extra” faces in some places, or ones that are close enough apart to cause some render anomolies (due to z-depth accuracies at render time.) Don’t be afraid to select a vert and move it about (g key) to see if there are hidden faces that don’t need to be there. X key deletes selected (and the spacebar menu provides access to a lot of editing functionality right at your mouse cursor.)
Suggest, as always, to run thru a few basic-level tutes that will guide you on your way to the promised land of blenderbliss™ 
Cheers…