PRO If you’re a SketchUp Pro user, you can export files in the OBJ format. Wavefront Technologies developed the OBJ file format for its Advanced Visualizer software, and over time, other 3D software developers have adopted the open OBJ format. OBJ files are text-based and support free-form and polygonal geometry. When you export an OBJ file from SketchUp, an additional .mtl file describes materials defined in the .obj file.

Google Earth is a great tool for viewing a model in the context of its intended surroundings, such as the buildings on a city block. Although SketchUp has built-in tools for viewing your model in Google Earth, you might need to export a KMZ file if

PRO In SketchUp Pro, you can export a SketchUp file to the FBX format, which is a proprietary Autodesk format. The idea behind FBX is that, if you’re creating a film, game, or similar 3D content, you (and a team of other people) likely need to use several applications in your workflows. The FBX format enables all those applications to share 3D data. Because SketchUp Pro can export an FBX file, you can create scenes or movie sets in SketchUp and then export that data to FBX for use with other applications that support FBX.

SketchUp can import digital elevation models (DEM), which contain point data relating to terrain elevations. DEM files don’t come in a standardized format, but SketchUp supports the import of two file types:

COLLADA is an XML-based schema that enables you to transfer data among 3D digital content creation tools, such as SketchUp, Maya, 3ds Max, and Rhino. COLLADA files use the .dae file extension, which stands for digital asset exchange. In SketchUp, you can import and export COLLADA files pretty easily.

In SketchUp, images can help your model come to life on-screen. You can import images to create custom textures that you apply to faces in your 3D model. And you can export images to share a model with friends, clients, or colleagues or perhaps in an online portfolio of your work.Most of the details about importing images is covered in Creating a 3D Model, but this article outlines all the ways you import and export images and directs you to the pertinent details in other articles.

Like many SketchUp users, you may want to use your CAD files to create excellent, useful, and lightweight SketchUp models. Importing and exporting common CAD file formats has always been part of SketchUp's DNA, but CAD files imported into SketchUp do have a few known quirks that you can sidestep if you know the tips explained in this article. Here are the known issues that you may find after you import a CAD file into SketchUp:

PRO If you're a SketchUp Pro user, you can import or export CAD files, which use the .dwg or .dxf file formats.

When you want to use SketchUp with other modeling programs or tools, that typically means you need to either

Before you print a model on a 3D printer, you need to make sure your 3D printer can understand your model data. Here's a quick overview of how to set up your SketchUp model for 3D printing: