DWG and DXF are file formats that open in popular CAD programs. When exporting documents with SketchUp viewports to DWG or DXF, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • All tag naming structures within SketchUp viewports are preserved.
  • If multiple SketchUp viewports are located in the same space in your document, these models will now also be stacked on top of each other in the exported DWG model space.
  • LayOut exports all text hatches, and tables to include proper AutoCAD elements.
  • LayOut creates continued lines for all elements exported from SketchUp viewports when necessary.

To export a document to one of these formats, follow these steps:

  1. From the menu bar, select File > Export.
  2. Navigate to the location where you want to save the file.
  3. Type a name for the file and select DWG or DXF using the Save As Type dropdown.
  4. Click Save. The DWG/DXF Export dialog box appears
  5. Under Pages, choose All if you want to export all pages of your document. Choose Range and type in a page range to only export certain pages. Export Each Page as a Separate File is selected by default. Uncheck if you want all pages in the same file.
  6. In the Format area use the drop-down box to select the version of AutoCAD you want to export to.
  7. By default, LayOut creates a DWG/DXF layer corresponding to each layer in your document and exports hidden layers. Use the options in the Layers section to modify what layers appear in your exported file.
Tip: If a layer is hidden on all pages, the layer is exported as hidden. If the layer is hidden on some but not all pages, only the visible entities are exported.
  1. The following options appear under Other:
    • Select Export Entities as Color by Layer to export each layer's entities as a different color based on its layer.
    • Ignore Fills will appear selected by default. Deselect this option if you want fills included in your exported file.
    • Export All to Model Space exports all entities to model space at the current paper size.
Tip: LayOut exports dimensions, labels, circles, arcs, ellipses, and tables as native DWG/DXF entities.
Was this article helpful?