Many SketchUp projects eventually make their way into other programs for detailing and documentation. At the same time, projects from these programs find their way into SketchUp for better visualization, collaboration, and improved communication.
One popular program used to deliver construction documents and permit sets for many large architecture projects is Autodesk Revit. SketchUp makes it easy to export your SketchUp files to Revit and import Revit files into your SketchUp models.
Import your SketchUp files into Revit using one of the following methods:
As an "In-Place" Component
As a "Link"
As an IFC Export
“We love the Revit Importer. It has saved us lots of time, and to my amazement, the converted file sizes are much smaller than other methods. This importer has become essential to our workflows. “
-Shyam Singh, GLMV Architecture
Shave hours off your Revit-to-SketchUp workflow
“The Revit Importer sped up my importing and cleans up workflows from a couple of days to a few hours, even with complex models.”
-Carl Goodiel, VDC Manager
Revit Importer - Available to SketchUp Studio subscribers.
The import feature within a SketchUp Studio subscription allows you to accurately and efficiently convert your Revit models into SketchUp geometry for deeper collaboration across project phases, teams, and stakeholders. Various workarounds exist to export Revit models to SketchUp, but this new importer saves the most time, is more accurate in geometry conversion, and leads to much lighter models.
By preserving model structures between Revit and SketchUp – Revit families and layers neatly translate to groups, components, and tags in SketchUp – you can save hours or even days of model cleanup and progress your project with accuracy. A smoother transition between design phases allows you to focus on what’s essential: fine-tuning your vision.
Easily import Revit files into your SketchUp models. SketchUp looks at the Revit file and automatically:
Creates components
Generates tags
Creates sections
Optimizes geometry
Defines materials
Supports Revit links
For non SketchUp Studio subscribers, we've compiled a few other options that allow you to work with Revit inside SketchUp.
Note: The Revit Importer is only available for Microsoft Windows and requires a SketchUp Studio subscription. If you don't have a SketchUp Studio subscription, you can set up a trial account here.
Here are just a few reasons you may want to use a Revit file in SketchUp:
Develop shading and solar studies
Perform material studies
Create more complicated geometry
Add detail to a model
Collaboration with non-AEC stakeholders
Access to 3D Warehouse
Revit as a DWG Export
From an open Revit Project, select or create a 3D view. Once in a 3D view select File > Export > DWG > Modify Export Setup... > Solids, make sure ACIS is selected and finish the export.
In SketchUp, select File > Import, select the .dwg file you just exported, and click Import. The Revit families from your exported .dwg file become SketchUp components and tagged with the default CAD layer name. All elements act like normal SketchUp entities and allow you to manipulate and visualize them as you see fit.
Note: Revit will only export what is visible in your 3D view. Turning off unnecessary families can help maintain a clean and usable SketchUp model. The transition of materials to SketchUp can be vary based on your export preferences.
Revit as an IFC Export
Within an open Revit Project, select File > Export > IFC and finish the export.
Within SketchUp, select File > Import and select the IFC file you just exported. The Revit families from your exported .ifc file become components in SketchUp, are assigned as Untagged, and labeled in SketchUp's Outliner. SketchUp preserves the IFC classifications set in Revit.All elements act like normal SketchUp entities and allow you to manipulate and visualize them as you see fit.
Each Revit family instance becomes a unique SketchUp component due to Revit's schedulable parameters. For example, If there are 5 instances of the same door family in Revit tagged as "A101-A105", that will create 5 unique SketchUp components rather than five instances of the same component.
Tip: Check Extension Warehouse for extensions that can help import from Revit to SketchUp. For example, Material Replacer can help update shaded materials to a more realistic appearance, and IFC Manager can help with tags and geometry optimization.
Creates sections
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