Articles in Category: FAQ

Using Rhino to Help Transfer Complex Surfaces from Revit to SketchUp

    SketchUp sometimes does a very poor job of reading the DWG or DXF file that Revit exports -- especially if you're transferring complex, curved surfaces. It may omit many edges, which can create random holes in the curved surfaces.

    I tried another strategy -- using Rhino to create an intermediate 3DS version -- and it seems to yield a much better result. 

Updating a Linked IFC File in Revit

If you're working in ArchiCAD and transfer your model into Revit using the IFC file format, follow these steps to make it easier to incorporate the updates from ArchiCAD into the Revit model.

The key is to open the IFC file, save it as a separate Revit model file, and then link this intermediate Revit model into your main project model. Keeping the IFC data in a separate, linked Revit model will make it easy to update that part of the model as your ArchiCAD model continues to evolve.

Creating a Toposurface for Your Project Site

You can use SketchUp to import location and topographic data from Google Earth and easily create a toposurface for your project model.  This article details the essential steps...
  • Capture the topographic data from Google Earth
  • Export the topographic data as a DWG file
  • Import the topographic data into Revit
  • Convert the linked DWG file into a toposurface
  • Adjust your view of the toposurface

Transferring Rhino Models to SketchUp

This video tutorial illustrates the essential steps for transferring a Rhino model to SketchUp:
  • Exporting the Rhino elements as a 3DS file and choosing the export settings
  • Importing the 3DS file into a SketchUp model
  • Scaling the imported component (if needed) and exploding it into individual elements

Transferring Revit Models to SketchUp

This video tutorial illustrates the essential steps for transferring a Revit model to SketchUp:
  • Preparing and exporting the Revit model as a DWG file
  • Importing the DWG file into a SketchUp model
  • Scaling the imported component (if needed) and exploding it into individual elements