Test driving a 3D PDF printer from these folks:
http://www.simlab-soft.com/3d-plugins/3D-PDF-from-sketchup-main.aspx

Here is the test file I made:
http://mikebeganyi.com/sketchup/schnell-3dPDFTEST.pdf

Still have a lot to learn before I commit to a full license - but this would be quite nice to use instead of sending along a full SKP model to clients that may send it off to a competitor... (although the 3D PDF contains plenty of information - and even measuring tools, and you can look at the model geometry to get a pieces parts list!)

Pretty cool. With the full version I think you can add watermarks and such.

Wow. That's pretty cool. A little awkward to move around the inside, but still - 3d PDF!

Clark -

I applied for a trial license - I think there may be more controls available in a full version - which might help with the moving around inside. It also saves out your scenes - so you could set up a scene that takes you to key points inside and then move around.

As I said - first try at it... I'm sure there are ways to tweak it - and if you can program - you can even load Java to it...

The one thing I haven't figured out yet is how to deal with hidden geometry. In some of those views I had components hidden - and it didn't take in the PDF. I'm going to test a file with components on layers turned on / off and see if that works.

Also - there are measurement tools, as well as sectioning tools. Pretty cool to be able to cut a section (derived by snapping 3 points on the model) through a PDF file and see what it happening inside...!

Clark -

Upon further use - this is pretty powerful stuff. Full license costs $95 and I'm going to shell out today for it.

You can save views, cut sections, adjust camera view, import all the SketchUp views, etc...

And - there is a 3d tape measure tool for measuring parts, angles, etc...

And - you can isolate parts with the PDF viewer - so if you wanted to see what a rafter looked like as a 'timber' - you can isolate it and see the birdsmouth cuts / joinery / etc.

Very very cool.

Still some learning to do, once I get the full version in my hands.

-Mike

SU has a free native viewer, and of course SU itself is free. But I imagine the biggest advantage of the PDF is that almost everyone already has the viewer installed on their machine. CB.

Hi Clark and Mike,

I have had a go at exporting a 100 layer SK-UP 3D model to PDF but I am having some difficulty determining if these layers have been preserved ?

Regards

Ken Hume

In the PDF? Not sure... Why do you want them in the PDF?

Hi Mike,

My model has infil panels which can be turned off or on in SU by using the layers feature however after exporting this file to Acrobat these panels obscure seeing inside the timber frame.

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken- in my limited use oif this plugin I haven't seen a way to retain and control layers in the PDF. I'll investigate further - but the software trends towards presentation as opposed to manipuation. I've been stripping the last 8 models down to essentials, then doing a 'Save As' prior to PDF export.

I do know that you can show/hide geometry with a model outliner in the PDF. Not sure if this saves states as you resave the PDF.