Sample Dae Files Blender
1.5.0(August 2008; 11 years ago ( 2008-08))Type of formatExtended fromWebsiteCOLLADA ( COLLAborative Design Activity) is an interchange for interactive applications. It is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the, and has been adopted by ISO as a publicly available specification, ISO/PAS 17506.COLLADA defines an for exchanging among various graphics that might otherwise store their assets in incompatible file formats. COLLADA documents that describe digital assets are XML files, usually identified with a.dae (digital asset exchange).
.Contents.Legacy Resources.Resources.Design note: the following relates to Blender but is equally applicable to any 3D software supporting the specific mesh formats discussed below. PrerequisitesA basic understanding of both SketchUp and Blender will be needed for the following, as will having a model ready and available for export (from SketchUp). The ability to open.zip files is also required (using Windows own native support or through third-party programs, e.g. WinZip, WinRAR, 7zip etc.) and it may be a necessary to install Python for full import/export script functionality.Design note: Python API may be needed if import into Blender fails. This issue/requirement is version dependant due to script changes and the way they reference the API. Which version of SketchUpThere are two versions of SketchUp; SketchUp Pro and SketchUp Make. For the most part the latter is generally the more popular, and often used to make content for games, because it's free. Dell poweredge sc430 drivers review.
It has two major limitations however, one being its. The other its export capabilities generally being limited to.kmz (all versions), or latterly.dae (newer versions from c. V6 or above). A simple building model in SketchUp with various architectural features ready for export - note that textures used are from SketchUp default library. The model is built using SketchUp's default units of measurement and scaled/sized appropriately Export models from SketchUpOnce a model is ready nothing else needs to be done except to simply export it to.dae or.kmz. From the ' File' menu select ' Export » 3D Model.' The ' Export Model' dialogue will appear.
Browse to a location where the files are to be saved; change the ' File name:' as needed; select an ' Export Type:' option, either ' COLLADA File (.dae)' or ' Google Earth File (.kmz)', and then click the ' Export' button. Depending upon the amount of data being parsed SketchUp will pause momentarily before returning full functionality back to the user, completing the export process.
The end result should be a file and/or set of assets of either filename.dae or filename.kmz respectively saved to the location of choice.Design note: after export to DAE an additional window may appear; ' Collada Export Results' displays information about the scene including the number of faces, triangles, textures, etc. Metadata generated by the export process. SketchUp does provide some basic export options for Collada DAE files that change the way mesh data is exported - using one or more may mean less work cleaning up models once imported into BlenderKMZ also has a number of export options but due to the format itself being a container, these are generally limited to properties that don't necessarily affect model data Using SketchUp KMZ filesWhen files are exported as KMZ they will need to be 'processed' before use. This basically involves a change of format and an extraction of contents, possible because KMZ files are actually simple containers and can be managed, packaged and extracted in much the same way as a ZIP or RAR.
To do this locate the exported.kmz in Windows Explorer (' Win+E'), make a duplicate copy and then change its extension to '.zip' from '.kmz' - ' houser2. Kmz' to ' houser2. Zip' for example.Design note: there are several ways to access Windows Explorer; by pressing the ' Windows Key+E', using ' Start » All Programs » Accessories » Windows Explorer', or double-clicking the ' Computer' (' This PC') Desktop icon. To rename a file right-click its icon and select ' Rename', or click the file name twice (slowly) to enable 'edit mode'.
Delete ' kmz' and type' zip' - 'houser2.kmz' to 'houser2.zip' as shown below for example. Press ' Enter' to confirm or click elsewhere on screen.Additionally, note that Windows may need to be set up so ' Hide extensions for known file types' is disabled otherwise files appear in Explorer as just a name, absent their respective file extension, making it sometimes difficult to know if a file has indeed changed, i.e. The file will always display as ' houser2' instead of ' houser2.kmz' because the file extension is hidden.
To resolve this problem, with Windows Explorer open, click ' Organise » Folder and search options' then on ' View' to access the respective options. In the list view scroll down to ' Hide extension for known files types' and deselect the checkbox to the left. Click ' OK' to close and exit (this procedure assumes Windows 7 or 8). KMZ files need to be 'converted' before they can be of use. Duplicate and rename the exported file from KMZ to ZIP - this may require ' Hide extensions for known file types' to be enabled to see the file extensions, otherwise they appear in Windows Explorer (or the Desktop) as just file names Extracting the contents of the (KMZ) zip fileOnce the KMZ becomes a ZIP its contents can be extracted using Windows own native archive management system, or a third-party application like Winzip or WinRar. KMZ typically contains three types of file - kml (XML), dae (XML) and jpg images - all of which are accessible once the file extension has been changed from KMZ to ZIP (file can then be opened in WinZip or other 'zip' file management application)The contents of the renamed KMZ extracted and showing the main items to be imported into Blender - a set of textures (if assigned to the mesh and exported as per ) and a single dae file.
Exporting as DAE would show a similar folder structure where-ever the assets were saved during the process Import SketchUp.dae into BlenderThe important file from this process is the Collada DAE file, ' houser2.dae' in this instance, which is then imported directly into Blender. To do this, with Blender open, from the ' File' menu select ' Import » Collada (Default) (.dae)'. The ' File Browser' view will appear. From here browse to and select the extracted.dae file then activate ' Import Units' in the ' Import COLLADA' sub-section lower-left.
Click the ' Import COLLADA' button top-right to import. Blender will pause momentarily whilst the data is parsed before returning back to the main 3D View with the mesh visible in the viewport, completing the SketchUp model import process.Design note: there is no need to separately import texture assets as these are automatically pulled in and set based on Material metadata held in the dae file. The scene may need to be zoomed outwards because of - the object may appear very large. With the DAE file available it then simply needs to be imported into Blender using an appropriate Collada import script. From the ' File' menu select ' Import » Collada (Default) (.dae)' to start the processThe 'File Browser' view showing the DAE file selected and ready for import.
Ensure ' Import Units' is active so the 'units of measurement' used to make the model are replicated in Blender, making it easier to continue working where needed (Blender will set the Scenes ' Units' options relative to the content)The SketchUp made and exported model finally imported into Blender and shown in the 3D View - displayed in ' Solid' shading (meshes typically display untextured initially). Note the units of measurement top-left of the 3D View set using the metadata included in the dae ConclusionSketchUp's simplicity is its strength, making it an application favoured by beginners to 3D in general, and although it can be used to produce relatively complex models and content, as with everything this takes time and practice. Having said this, because it is not a fully fledged 3D application like Blender, it can be tricky to use for the production of efficiently optimised content for games directly - one of the reasons for importing content for further work in other applications.
However, and this is vitally important to keep in mind, ( Non-Commercial and Education versions) making its use for content creation problematic. Be sure to read through the licence and fully understand its implications before using it to any extent producing content for games.
Free Dae Files
VideoVideo outlining the basics of importing SketchUp models/files into Blender. Available export options from SketchUp may vary depending on the version used.