Okay the first thing you might ask is…
How do I export an X file with the free version of Sketchup 7?
Answer: You don’t. That is not possible.
However, it is possible to export the KMZ format and then get the model out of that for a conversion into the X format.
First we need another program called WinZIP to decompress the KMZ file, so we can see its contents.
Hacker Note: The KMZ if simply a ZIP file with the extension re-named. That is why you can open it with winzip.
Once we have it open, then we can see a model folder and a .dae file inside.
The .dae file is a COLLODA format which will need to be extracted using winzip and then converted.
For the conversion we will need another FREE program called
MeshLab .
You can open the .dae file in MeshLab and then save that as a .3ds or .obj file , which can be open end edited with your favorite modeling program like
FragMOTION or
MilkShape 3d to be exported as an X file formatted model.
So, as a recap.
1) Export(Export>3D Model) from sketchup7 as a .kmz file.
2) Open the KMZ file with WinZIP.
3) Extract the .dae file from the model folder in the KMZ file.
4) Open the .dae file with MeshLab
5) Save As a .3ds or .obj file from MeshLab
6) Import that mesh into any program you want for further editing/texture remapping etc.
7) Export the final model as an X file for FPSC
8) Create other files for your entity, (.bmp thumbnail, .fpe for entity’s properties)
It may seem redundant having to convert into several different formats, but it costs a lot less than shelling out $495 for the pro version.
Also, buying WinZip is not free, but most people already have it or a similar program that can open ZIP files.
This method is NOT an illegal hack.
It is simply using free tools to convert a file format.
You simply now know that their KMZ format is nothing more than a ZIP file with a renamed extension.
