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I'm an old model builder, by that I mean I used to build wood (balsa, etc) from plans. Now there are plenty of these plans out there, google free model airplane plans, in pdf form. But how do I convert the pdf to some sort of format that I can use sketchup or a similar product to modify, add depth, etc?
Anyone tried this and had any success.
The key word here is "free".
Thanks,
GWFAMI
Perhaps give this a try?
Already tried it. Free sketchup will not import sdf files.
Perhaps give this a try?
The article talks about DXF files, which free Sketch up will import.
You can also use programs like Inkscape to outline many types of vector images like PDFs. But that's getting a bit complicated to produce 3d from that kind of input and workflow.
There are a couple ways to do this in Sketchup.
1) Convert PDF to JPEG. Import JPEG and trace the lines manually in Sketchup.
2) Use the method linked above...Convert PDF to DXF using Inkscape. Use this plugin to import DXF to Sketchup Make (the free version).
The article talks about DXF files, which free Sketch up will import.
Yeah, meant dxf, brains kinda goofy now I guess.
Anyhow, the free sketchup 2013 will not import dxf, that's a pro feature only.
Anyhow, the free sketchup 2013 will not import dxf, that's a pro feature only.
You can import DXF in the free version of Sketchup with the plugin I linked to above.
I realized you may not know how to install and use that plugin...let me explain.
1. Download the plugin. Link is on the bottom right of this page.
2. In Sketchup, go to Windows > Preferences, and select "Extensions" on the left side of the window. Click "Install Extension...", and find the RBZ file of the plugin you downloaded. Sketchup will ask "Do you want to install this Extension?", click "Yes"
3. Initiate the plugin from the "Plugins" menu.
This is all legit, although Sketchup would rather you use the official Extensions Warehouse for safety reasons. Jim, the author of the plugin, wrote the plugin long before the Extensions Warehouse was released. He's well known and trusted, so the plugin won't hurt your system.
Hope that helps!
Not working. Got it to be brought into sketchup as dwx, but couldn't do anything with it once it come in. Just sat there like a background pic.
Sure, Here's the file.
Thanks, I see what happened. The DXF comes in as a group, so you just have to double-click the group to open it, or you can right-click -> Explode to work with the geometry outside the context of a group.
BTW, I don't know how accurate you need your model, but those plans don't look like they converted well enough to give clean geometry. If I had to do this, I'd convert the PDF to a JPEG image, import the image and trace over it. Its a little more work, but the results would be worth it.
Thanks. I had hoped to avoid hand tracing, my hands are too shakey. Can't even draw a crooked line straight. 
Thanks, I see what happened. The DXF comes in as a group, so you just have to double-click the group to open it, or you can right-click -> Explode to work with the geometry outside the context of a group.
BTW, I don't know how accurate you need your model, but those plans don't look like they converted well enough to give clean geometry. If I had to do this, I'd convert the PDF to a JPEG image, import the image and trace over it. Its a little more work, but the results would be worth it.
There are many dual profiles and shared contacts as well...if you can get a better dxf, I could extrude them en masse!
I have actually wanted to do this as well. I have a few balsa wood plans for rc planes and I hated the thought of tracing it all by hand to get them into 3d space. I hope something gets figured out that would make it easier.
Here's one that is slightly better, just a test of the stabilizer so I could test extrusion.. Still can't get them to extrude.
There are many dual profiles and shared contacts as well...if you can get a better dxf, I could extrude them en masse!
Sorry, been away a while...
Yeah, this one is a bit better, but not much. The issue is that these look like they were scanned in from a manual drawing and still has too many extra entities and open splines, etc. to make automatic extruding difficult.
You'd need to spend so much time repairing the sketch, it might be easier to just redraw it correctly in CAD!
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