how to open a dwg file without the part file

#HOW TO OPEN A DWG FILE WITHOUT THE PART FILE HOW TO#
#HOW TO OPEN A DWG FILE WITHOUT THE PART FILE WINDOWS#

So no matter what AutoCAD file format you use (such as 2013 or 2018), the end result is essentially the same. When SketchUp imports a CAD file, SketchUp strips the information to its basic geometric components. Save in a SketchUp-compatible CAD file format If SketchUp is unable to determine what unit of measurement was used to create the CAD file, it will default to 1 CAD unit equals 1 inch in SketchUp. In the Units dropdown, select Model Units from the list, which tells SketchUp to attempt to match the units saved in the CAD file. In SketchUp 2018 and later, you also have the option to import the model using the units specified in the CAD file. That way, you can match the SketchUp model's units to the CAD file's units and thus maintain the scale and dimensions of your imported CAD geometry. When you import the CAD file into SketchUp, you need to know whether your file uses inches, feet, or a metric unit of measurement. If possible, find out the unit of measure used to create the CAD file. For example, one imported CAD file can contain site plan information, another can have a floor plan, and a final file can have a specific detail. If your CAD file holds lots of necessary geometry, consider whether you break one file into a few smaller files. Separate levels of detail among different CAD files.

#HOW TO OPEN A DWG FILE WITHOUT THE PART FILE WINDOWS#

You might simplify the CAD file to just walls - and maybe doors and windows if you want to model those in your SketchUp file, too. In your CAD file, clean up or remove any content that you don't need to use after you import the CAD file into SketchUp. However, SketchUp is not designed for the same type of line-intensive drawings done in CAD software. SketchUp models can be designed to be as accurate as models in CAD. Here are a few tips for minimizing a CAD file before you import it into SketchUp: Tip: For best results with imported CAD files, keep the size of imported files to a minimum. That's because lines and faces in SketchUp contain more data than their CAD equivalents. Also, after a complex CAD file is imported into SketchUp, you may notice that SketchUp's performance slows down.

Conversely, the smaller your CAD file size, the quicker and easier the import. When you import larger CAD files, the import can take a long time or may fail. Generally, CAD files import into SketchUp successfully when the file size is 15MB or less. If the graphic or geometry is far away from the origin, move it close to the origin before importing the CAD file into SketchUp.Īlternatively, deselect the Preserve Drawing Origin option in SketchUp's DWG/DXF import options, as explained in Importing a CAD file into SketchUp, later in this article. To avoid these problems, check the placement of geometry in your CAD file before you import the CAD file into SketchUp.įor example, say you're importing Autodesk AutoCAD DWG files, such as civil site plans, in order to work with the contour lines. In SketchUp, geometry that's many miles or kilometers away from the origin (0,0) can cause performance problems. To avoid a bunch of empty layers in SketchUp, you may want to purge any unused layers through Statistics on the Model Info dialog. However, SketchUp won't discard the layers holding these entities. In an imported CAD file, SketchUp automatically discards any entities that have no 3D relevance, such as text, dimensions, hatching, and so on. If you explode the CAD block entities into polylines, the polylines import into SketchUp as lines or polylines. If you need to import unsupported CAD elements into SketchUp, try exploding those elements in CAD so they become primitive CAD drawing elements that SketchUp does support.įor example, when you explode CAD objects into block entities, they import into SketchUp as components. Remember to create a copy of the CAD file and prepare that copy for importing into SketchUp. Tip: You don't want to lose details in your original CAD file.

#HOW TO OPEN A DWG FILE WITHOUT THE PART FILE HOW TO#

The following sections outline what you need to look for and how to resolve any potential conflicts between CAD elements and SketchUp. When you take a few steps to check and prepare your CAD file before import, you can make sure all the data you need imports into SketchUp and streamline the import process. Preparing a CAD file for import into SketchUp If an element isn't supported, SketchUp simply ignores it when you import the CAD file. The following table outlines what CAD elements SketchUp does and doesn't support. Understanding what CAD elements SketchUp can import Exporting a SketchUp Model as a 3D CAD file.Exporting a SketchUp Model as a 2D CAD file.Understanding how SketchUp data is exported to CAD format.Preparing a CAD file for import into SketchUp.Understanding what CAD elements SketchUp can import.

How to open a dwg file without the part file