Article Number 888


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How to import a 3D symbol from an outside source

The information in this article applies to:
Home Designer Suite*
Architectural Home*
Home Designer Pro*
*version 8 and newer programs


QUESTION
I can't find the objects I want in the Library Browser and want to import a 3D symbol from an outside source.  How can I do that?

DESCRIPTION
The Home Designer Suite*, Architectural Home Designer*, and Home Designer Pro* (*version 8.0 and newer) software will allow you to import 3D symbols from outside sources in .obj, .3ds, and .skp formats.  Home Designer Pro can also import 3D .dxf files.

One excellent resource for free outside .skp symbols online is Google's 3D Warehouse, which has a wide variety of symbols such as furniture, accesories, musical instruments, electronics, people, animals, vehicles, plants, fixtures, appliances, and many more!

These symbols are created not only by individuals, but also companies such as Kohler®, GE Appliances® KraftMaid® and Whirlpool®.

RESOLUTION



In this article, we will walk you through importing a symbol from Google's 3D Warehouse, however, importing a 3D symbol in any of the accepted formats will be the same basic procedure.

  1. First, launch your internet browser and go to the 3D Warehouse website at: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/


  2. You can type in a word, or multiple words, to search for a Model, or a Collection. 



    For the purposes of this example, we will type in "musical instruments" and click on the Search button.


  3. Clicking on the Search button will display the 3D Warehouse Results.


  4. Once we have found the object we want, we will click on its picture to display the page where we can download the model.


  5. Click on the Download Model button.  In this case, it looks as though there are two versions of the model available, a Google SketchUp 6 (.skp) version as well as a Google SketchUp 5 (.skp) file.



    We will click on the Download option for the version 6 of the symbol.

    At this time, Home Designer does not support importing Collada or version 7 SketchUp files.



  6. Once we've selected to download the file, we will choose to Save the file onto the Desktop.

    You can choose to rename the file at this point, however, the file that we have chosen has a sufficiently descriptive name, so we will not make any changes here.


    Helpful Tip: If you plan on downloading multiple symbols to bring in to your design, you may find it helpful to create a folder on your Desktop, or in your Documents folder, in which to save all of the .skp, .obj, or .3ds symbols into for easy access.


  7. Once the file has been saved onto your computer, you are ready to bring it in to your Home Designer plan.


  8. Launch your Home Designer software and open the plan in which you would like to import this symbol.


  9. Select File> Import> 3D Symbol Data  to display the Import 3D Symbol Data dialog.


  10. Change the Look In: location drop down to your Desktop and select the file to display its name in the File Name: section of the dialog. 




  11. Click on the Open button.


  12. If you have already imported this symbol previously, or another symbol using a texture which has the same name as the one you are importing, you will receive the Texture Filename Conflict warning dialog at this point.



    This dialog will allow you to either Rename the imported texture, Use the existing texture instead of the imported texture, or Replace the existing texture with the imported texture.


  13. Then, simply click in your plan to place the imported symbol.


  14. Take a 3D Camera  view to see the results 


 

Remember: Some symbols may not come in at the scale you want or using the materials that you would prefer.

Once imported in to Home Designer, you can select these imported symbols and choose Open Object  to adjust its dimensions and materials as with other objects in the program.

 
Files can also be dragged from your Desktop, Documents folder, or other location, and then dropped directly into floor plan view.



MORE INFORMATION

For Bonus Content created specifically for Home Designer, see the Content Downloads in the User Center section of the Home Designer website.

In the Home Designer version 9 and newer programs, you can also add your imported and modified symbol to the Library Browser for future use in the program.  See Article Number 1030 for more information on this process.

Last updated on: 10-30-2009