You have finished your SketchUp model. You export a DXF. You open it in Illustrator and nothing is where you expect it — lines are enormous, strokes are thick, dimensions are wrong. This is the standard experience. Here is how to avoid it.
Why the default export causes problems
SketchUp's DXF export is built for CAD software like AutoCAD — not for laser cutters or Illustrator. The defaults it uses assume you are working in a specific unit system and at full scale, which almost nobody is when exporting for physical model making. The result is a file where:
- Lines appear at enormous or microscopic sizes when opened
- Strokes have weights that signal "engrave" instead of "cut" to the laser
- Geometry may be grouped in ways that prevent easy editing
- Scale is either wrong or unapplied
None of this is unfixable — it just needs the right settings on export and a short cleanup in Illustrator.
Before you export — set up your view correctly
This step is the most commonly skipped and causes the most problems. If you export from a perspective view, your DXF will contain distorted lines that do not represent real dimensions. Always export from a flat, parallel projection view.
1
Go to Camera → Standard Views → Top for a floor plan. For elevations, choose Front, Back, Left, or Right.
2
Go to Camera → Parallel Projection. This removes all perspective distortion. The view will look flat — that is correct.
3
Hide any layers you do not want in the export — furniture, annotations, terrain. Only the geometry to be cut should be visible.
The export settings that matter
1
Go to File → Export → CAD Format and choose DXF.
2
Click Options. Set the export scale. For a 1:20 model: In Drawing: 1 = In Model: 20. For 1:50: 1 = 50. This applies the scale to the exported file.
3
Set Export units to Millimetres. This ensures the numbers in the DXF match real-world millimetre dimensions.
4
Uncheck "Export edges as profiles" if that option is available. Profile edges export with heavier weights — you want plain lines.
5
Click Export. Save the DXF somewhere you can find it.
Cleaning up the DXF in Illustrator
Open the DXF in Illustrator (File → Open). In the import dialog, leave scale at 1:1 — you already applied scale in SketchUp. Then run through this checklist:
| Problem | Fix in Illustrator |
|---|
| Thick stroke weights | Select all → Stroke panel → set to 0.001pt |
| Coloured fills on shapes | Select all → set Fill to None |
| Wrong scale | Select all → Object → Transform → Scale → enter correction factor |
| Stacked duplicate lines | Select all → Object → Path → Clean Up |
| Lines not red for Trotec | Select cut lines → set stroke to RGB 255, 0, 0 |
Verifying before you cut
Always measure one known dimension before sending to the cutter. Use the ruler tool in Illustrator to measure a wall you know the real dimension of. If your model is 1:20 and the real wall is 6000mm, it should measure 300mm in the file. If it does not, fix the scale before cutting anything.
A note on exporting multiple elevations
If you need wall elevations (front, back, sides) as well as the floor plan — which you will if you are building a physical model — export each view as a separate DXF file. Set up each standard view, export, then combine them in a single Illustrator document, arranged so pieces fit efficiently on your sheet of material before cutting.
Nesting your pieces — arranging cut pieces close together to minimise wasted material — can save significant money on plywood. Leave at least 3mm between pieces to account for the laser kerf (the small amount of material the beam removes as it cuts).