What is Geometry Mapping?
Geometry Mapping is what makes Helix go. It is how we track what a given piece of SketchUp geometry - each SketchUp Entity - should be recreated as in Revit. The Helix UI is designed to facilitate this transaction in a simple and intuitive way so that as you model in SketchUp, you can quickly see what you will be getting Revit as well.
How Mapping Works
Helix’s Mapping Engine works at a model level meaning that once a SketchUp entity is mapped, the rule that it is mapped by will apply to the entire model. It is designed this way in order to allow designers to quickly and efficiently map large quantities of geometry. Our base assumption is that if geometry is repeated with similar properties, it will be mapped similarly in Revit as well.
Mapping Methods
Helix provides the following methods for mapping SketchUp:
- By Material : Map each face painted with the selected material to the selected Revit type using the Face Mapping Algorithm.
- By Tag : Map the faces, groups, components and lines that exist on the selected tag to the selected Revit Type.
- By Component : Maps each instance of the selected group or component to the selected Revit Type using the Component Mapping Algorithm.
- By Line: Maps each line segment to the selected compatible Revit Type
- Custom: Custom mappings have specific algorithms due to the Revit element’s unique behavior and due to pseudo geometric elements (like materials)
NOTE: the By Tag method does not allow you to map the Untagged geometry.
Mappable Categories
Each Mapping Method has a unique set of Revit Types that it is able to map to. The following chart will help track what is possible using each mapping method as well as which algorithm is used and when. This should also provide a good framework for modeling as how you define and arrange your geometry may impact what it can be recreated as in Revit.
Here are the currently supported Revit categories & mapping options when translating them from SketchUp.
| By Layer | By Material | By Component | Line | Custom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall |  |
|
 |
— | — |
| Roof | |
|
|
— | — |
| Floor | |
|
|
— | — |
| Ceiling | |
|
|
— | — |
| Door | |
— | |
— | — |
| Window | |
— | |
— | — |
| Curtain Wall | |
|
|
— | — |
| Mesh (DirectShape or DXF) | |
— | |
— | — |
| Materials with Textures (for DXF mesh) | — | |
— | — | |
| Topography | |
— | |
— | — |
| Pipes | |
— | — | |
— |
| Levels | — | — | — | — | |
| Railing (Coming Soon) |  |
|
|
|
— |
NOTE 1: that mapping By Tag or by Component will ignore face based mappings.
NOTE 2: The highest level component in a nested structure will become the element, dismissing child mappings
To learn more about when to use one mapping system over the other, see this post: Helix BIM Workflow: Map by Materials OR Map by Layer (Tag)?
To read more about this see the about Helix post: About the Helix Category
To see what’s in the works for future mapping support, see: Helix Roadmap | SketchUp ⇌ Revit