Exported SketchUp .skp file is empty

Rhino
1

I use Rhino often to convert STEP files to SketchUp, and Rhino generates empty SketchUp files until something in Rhino’s export code is “warmed up.” I find that I get empty SketchUp .skp files unless I first export one file as a Collada .dae file, then I export a second file as a the SketchUp .skp format I want. It doesn’t appear to matter whether I open an existing Rhino 3DM file with already existing geometry, or I create a new file by either opening the STEP directly or creating an empty Rhino file and importing the STEP file into it. Either way, an exported SketchUp file is an empty 6-7 kB file unless I first export a Collada format file. Very odd, but it appears that something is not initialized properly in Rhino’s export code in the case of the SketchUp format.

2

Hi Brock -

When you start Rhino from a factory-default template, create a simple box, and export that to .skp, does that work? If it does, please post a 3dm file that doesn’t export to .skp the first time.
Also, please run the Rhino SystemInfo command and copy-paste the output here.
-wim

3

Hi Wim.

When I start with the Large-Inches template and make a simple box, it exports properly as SKP. So it has something to do with the content of these imported files…

A thought that I just had… The geometry that I typically convert comes from hardware libraries of manufacturers, and they commonly come in as nested blocks (when the manufacturers model their hardware correctly). I’m attaching the most recent STEP that exhibits the buggy behavior, and it has a single block instance as its highest level geometry.

Ricon_100x40_EA.stp (107.0 KB)

SystemInfo.txt (5.8 KB)

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I exported this file with Windows Rhino 9 WIP:

image
image2063×1644 443 KB

test-step.skp (148.3 KB)

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Thanks Martin. I just pulled the Rhino WIP for Mac and tried it, but it too exports an empty SKP file using the supplied STEP file under the scenario(s) I mentioned above. So using your data point, it looks like a Mac-only issue.

1 Like
7

Hi Brock -

Thanks for that file.
I see that when I import that into Rhino with all viewports set to Wireframe and export it to SketchUp, the resulting file is empty. When I shade a viewport, the SKP file contains the object.

Exporting to OBJ (so that I can import the result back into Rhino, which is not possible with the Collada file format) when all viewports are wireframe results in the object getting exported as expected, so this should probably also work for SKP. When exporting to SKP right after exporting to OBJ, the resulting SKP file is still empty but I can reproduce exporting to DAE and then immediately to SKP being successful.

I’ve put this on the list to be looked at:
→ RH-85461 File IO: Imported STEP File Exports Empty to SKP

Thanks,
-wim

1 Like
8

Hi Wim.

Good find - Shaded viewing is an easy work-around :slight_smile: Definitely a low priority quirk, but thanks for adding the issue. Never know… It could be related to other issues and point out a solution to all.

Thanks again,
Brock

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RH-85461 is fixed in Rhino 8 Service Release 16 Release Candidate