Tutorial: How to model Terrain from Autocad to Sketchup

This is the second tutorial of Edgar Navas in this site. This time, Edgar share his knowledge on on how to model a Terrain in SketchUp from an imported model in Autocad.

First of all in Autocad, I remove anything that does not serve me in SketchUp

Step 1: Layer Walk

Use the Layer walk in AutoCAD to isolate the contours. See the image toolbar below.



With Layer walk, I manage to identify the layers (road and contours) that I wanted to isolate.





Step 2: Turning off the unwanted layers

All the other unwanted layers that does not serve me were all turned off.




Step 3: Copying and pasting to a new Autocad drawing file
After isolating the layers that I need, I copied them all and pasted them to a new Autocad drawing file and saved.




Step 4: Importing the Contours into SketchUp.
In SketchUp, I imported and loaded the dwg. file. Be sure the Autocad Drawing and SketchUp scale are the same.

Select all the contour lines.



Step 5: Using "From Contours"
Once all the contours were selected, open the sandbox toolbar. Click the icon "from contour" (see below image).



Below shows the progress of terrain surface generation. The time to complete the process depends on the complexity of the contours.

Presto! The terrain surface has been completed.



Step 6: Removing Unwanted Geometries

Deactivate the layer of the imported contours in Autocad. Also begin removing some unwanted geometries. To view these geometries, click view..hidden geometry and delete the unwanted lines and faces. (see the unwanted geometries below)



This image shows the deletion of unwanted geometries.



Step 7: Applying Texture Colors
Finally, we will apply texture Color.





And if I want the contour to display, all I have to do is to activate the layer where they are.



Check out the other tutorial of Edgar Navas HERE. Setting up the DR Spawner