Master Scene to Multiple KMZ/DAE files?

[=Hollywood=]

Anyone know of any scripts to be able to take a master scene and export to multiple individual KMZ/DAE files.

I have a massive area with between 100-1000 different individual objects in the master file that I need to break apart into individual components.

Trying Google I'm finding it hard to come up with the right results to find a script that will do the job.

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Dean:

AFAIK, the Sketchup platform appears to use the term "component" to describe an entity that is an equivalent of a re-usable multi-instance FS scenery library object.

Are you instead describing a need to individually select each "grouped" and/or "component" 3D Sketchup object and export it as a separate entity (ex: in *.SKP, 3DS, *.DAE, KML (*.DAE within a KML wrapper) or KMZ (*.DAE within a KML ...ZIP-ed) etc. ?


Probably the best resource for such Ruby scripts would be the Plugins Forum at SketchUcation:

http://sketchucation.com/forums/ > Resources > Plugins

A search on "Export" and "Component" there, and a search on "Sketchup" AND "Export" and/or "Component" via Google may prove informative.


If your project has set the workspace Units at maximum precision, and if you have georeferenced ("Geo-located") your "Scene" using a Google Earth tile centered on ground at the Sketchup 3D world "Origin of Axes", it would be interesting to see if all "grouped" and/or "component" 3D objects placed in that scene may be exported to KML/KMZ, so that ModelConverterX (aka "MCX") can "Batch" import, convert to MDL, and XML-place individual objects ...at a matching location in the FS 3D world.


BTW: You may find these threads interesting in regards to working with groups and components in Sketchup "Scenes":

http://sketchucation.com/forums/vie...207&hilit=+export+group+component+KML#p288193

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=46020&p=411125&hilit=export+components#p411115

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=42048&p=372691&hilit=export+components#p372691

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=38009&hilit=export+components#p335779


PS: Note that Aerilius' "KML Tools plugin" 'Export KML File' function requires that models must be georeferenced first ex: via a Google Earth Terrain Tile ('File → Geo-Location → Add Location'), and that for each feature to be exported, entities should be grouped, but groups should not be nested.



Oh, and if one needs to create / view / edit KML files, a free KML editor is here:

http://www.northgates.ca/kmlbuilder/



Alternatively, one can export multiple grouped / nested grouped / component 3D model entities from Sketchup via WaveFront *.OBJ format, since MCX reads these files:

http://sketchucation.com/forums/vie...74&p=278209&hilit=+layer+export+group#p278209


Hope this helps !

GaryGB

 

[Captain7]

I too use one master scene in Sketchup. I've defined several layers for the different object types (runways, taxiways, vehicles, buildings, trees, etc....).
For the exporting process I uncheck every layer not needed, then select all objects and choose 'Export 3D object'.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the 'export selected objects only' option in the export dialog.

Ciao Volker

 

[kevintampa5]

I too use one master scene in Sketchup. I've defined several layers for the different object types (runways, taxiways, vehicles, buildings, trees, etc....).
For the exporting process I uncheck every layer not needed, then select all objects and choose 'Export 3D object'.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the 'export selected objects only' option in the export dialog.

Ciao Volker

i do this too. i also set dif layer for images so not to have many open.
I have a massive model. gotta stop adding to it.

 

[=Hollywood=]

Thanks guys. I ended up giving up. The scene was fair too big and broke everything I tried to load it in.

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Dean:

AFAIK, one can manually add a grouped model / object (or a manually selected number of grouped models / objects) to layer(s) in Sketchup, and then process them for export... so that the task is broken up into steps.

So IIUC, one could make a copy of the BIG multi-object project to work with, then:

1.) Incrementally add several layers at a time to the Sketchup stack of layers

2.) Export the current "set" of layers

3.) Delete that "set" of layers after export

4.) Repeat steps 1,2,3 until all object "sets" have been exported semi-automatically.


IIRC, there's a Ruby script somewhere at SketchUcation which did these steps of adding a "number" of objects to the Sketchup layers list in sequence, performing an action on them, then deleting them, so that the layer count and export cue would not get overloaded.

Perhaps Dick Ludowise might look into making this type of Ruby script, and/or Arno could enhance the MCX KML import features in the future, so that one can build "Geo-Located" scenes in Sketchup, then export all objects to ModelConverterX via KML to be batch processed and placed at (or close to) their target locations in the FS 3D world ?


Hope this might help avoid having to export all your objects manually !

GaryGB

 

[=Hollywood=]

That would be cool. Is there per chance a 64 bit version of sketchup? I think once I switch to 64 bit modelconverterx might be able to handle the data set yet that might depend on how much ram I have.

 

[arno]

Hi,

If Dean has a good example, I can check if modelconverterx can split it in some way. But it depends a bit on how the collada or kml file is structured.

 

[GaryGB]

That would be cool. Is there per chance a 64 bit version of sketchup?

I'm not sure if Trimble has undertaken making a 64-bit version of Sketchup yet, but in the mean time, if one sets the LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE flag in the 32-bit Sketchup *.exe file, one could access a bit more memory address space.


(see this tutorial for 32-bit windows that uses the 32-bit executable for FS as an example):

http://forum.simflight.com/topic/55994-set-fs-and-winxp-to-use-the-3gb-switch/


(see this tutorial for 64-bit windows):

http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php


I do this with each updated version of Sketchup, and have observed no instability or other problems thus far over several updates in the past few years.


PS: I also do this with 32-bit executables for other FS utilities such as SBuilder, again with no instability or other problems thus far.


Hope this helps !

GaryGB

 

[=Hollywood=]

Thanks guys, I'll look into things a little more as soon as I have my development system re-built

 

[arno]

Hi Dean,

Not sure if you are still looking for a solution for this. But I am working with a big COLLADA file here at the moment. I am modifying ModelConverterX to make a separate object out of each node of the COLLADA file, instead of making one big object. That way I can export multiple MDL files. Maybe this change would also work for you?

 

[kevintampa5]

Hi Dean,

Not sure if you are still looking for a solution for this. But I am working with a big COLLADA file here at the moment. I am modifying ModelConverterX to make a separate object out of each node of the COLLADA file, instead of making one big object. That way I can export multiple MDL files. Maybe this change would also work for you?

how would it decide what part goes with what object?

 

[arno]

Hi,

Each node in the master collada visual scene becomes one object. The file I got had each building modeled as a separate node.

 

[kevintampa5]

Hi,

Each node in the master collada visual scene becomes one object. The file I got had each building modeled as a separate node.

By node you mean structure or component or group?
To me, a node is a port or point in space (taxi node or a dial up port/node).

Whether or not my interpretation of a node is accurate is debatable.


I guess my question is, if I make 2 cubes 5x5x5 at 10 ft apart, how many nodes is that or how would I know which is a part of what node?

Now Im confusing myself more. lol

 

[arno]

Hi,

By node I mean node as defined in the collada specification. So thats more as scenegraph node I guess.

If two boxes become two objects or not depends on the exporter that wrote the file. Can't answer that.

I think sketchup will put everything in one object. I should check that.

Send from my phone using Tapatalk, so excuse the short sentences and possible typos

 

[kevintampa5]

Hi,

By node I mean node as defined in the collada specification. So thats more as scenegraph node I guess.

If two boxes become two objects or not depends on the exporter that wrote the file. Can't answer that.

I think sketchup will put everything in one object. I should check that.

Send from my phone using Tapatalk, so excuse the short sentences and possible typos

So its program dependent. It cant be a stable import then if dif progs code collada differently from each other. What would be cool is if components in sketchup could be marked in MCX to export to a split bgl or mdl.
Say I model 5 buildings but save each one as a component in a master dae. If dae holds component info, you could tell mcx to allow user to select a component from the import to then do an export or conversion.

I know sculptris wavefront objects are not the same as other wavefront objects such as blender saved and that has affected MCX import of it. If I can find the file I will send it to you so you can see where it goes wrong importing.

 

[arno]

Hi,

I'll check how sketchup makes the collada file, maybe components are recognizable in it.

Importing objects will always depends a bit on the tool that made the files. For other formats like obj or x files there have also been bugs in the past caused by other tools making slightly different files than expected. But each reported issue improves the importer and makes it more flexible.