TOPIC:

I also wanted to do something similar, but found that Visual Building Basic to be inexpensive enough to be able to provide my client with a copy to enable them to edit the project and return it to me.

Word of warning: You must have the same version of Visual Building otherwise your client will return a project with less detail .e.g no extended roof features.

Eventually I realised the best form of collaboration was to use GoTo Meeting and more recently Skype desktop sharing that allows the remote client to view and use my Visual Building to demonstrate their requirements / changes.

Sadly not all my clients are that capable (not even to use GoTo meeting) and so I still need to leave the house.

A Sketchup model contains less detail than the drawing from which it was created, so there would be data loss in the conversion process. The 3D model can be imported into Visual Building (via 3DS file format) and it will be visually the same model as exported, but you will have lost all the original 2D detail.

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is being developed to enable all CAD software to communicate 2D and 3D data via the IFC file format. We intend to support IFC in Visual Building in a future release.

See also:
Import a Sketchup 3D model into Visual Building
Importing Sketchup files
Export Visual Building 3D model to Google Sketchup

For the purposes of a total building renovation. If I was to create a 3D building and then export it to SketchUp and give it to the customer so they can use it to visualise/plan out the renovation, could it then be imported back into a 3D drawing package and converted back into plans, by another party.

Basically what I'm saying is if plans are provided and a SketchUp file is added to the deal as bonus, can it be 'reverse engineered' so they get all the planning work to alter/adjust themselves or by another party.


With Thanks


Clivo