Author: |
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Last Updated: |
2011-10-05 |
• ArchiCAD 15 |
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Platform: |
• Mac OS X |
Audience: |
• newcomers |
Contents
DXF-DWG Translation
File/File Special/DXF-DWG Translation Setup
By clicking on a Translator during import, you can see and edit its content in the fields below, which falls into five main groups:
DXF-DWG Translator Settings
Drawing Unit
Select the correct value of 1 DXF/DWG Drawing Unit in ArchiCAD according to the drawing unit used in the DWG. The correct size and distance conversion factor must be set to ensure that ArchiCAD interprets the data correctly.
The pop-up list has four items for standard drawing units (1 meter, 1 millimeter, 1 inch, 1 foot) and two custom units (Custom [mm] and Custom [inch]). Selecting either of the custom options will display a field to enter the custom value.The scale factor to ensure the correct ratios of elements drawn in AutoCAD can also be set. This particularly applies to texts, arrowheads, symbol line types and symbol fills:
- Set scale factor separately with each conversion: a dialog box to set the scale appears each time a DWG is imported.
- Use constant factor for all conversions: set a scale factor for ArchiCAD to use for all conversions.
- Always use the scale set in the currently active ArchiCAD window: The scale of the ArchiCAD floor plan will be used for conversion.
Open Options
In Open Options select the translation method of the following elements: AutoCAD Blocks, Dimensions and Pictures
Translate AutoCAD Blocks as:
- 2D Elements: imported AutoCAD blocks are exploded into basic ArchiCAD elements.
- Grouped 2D Elements: imported AutoCAD blocks are exploded into basic ArchiCAD elements, but remain grouped.
- Library Parts: imported AutoCAD blocks saved as ArchiCAD library objects. (In the appearing field you can choose between the Library formats of 3D data.)Translate Dimensions As:
- Lines and Text: imported dimensions are converted to lines, arrowheads and text, maintaining the same appearance and positions as in AutoCAD.
- Single Dimension Units: each dimension in the AutoCAD file gets converted into an ArchiCAD dimension. There may be some visual differences between ArchiCAD and AutoCAD. For example, AutoCAD allows custom arrowheads, whereas ArchiCAD has a fixed set.
- Dimension Chains: dimensions in the AutoCAD file get converted into ArchiCAD dimensions, which are linked as dimension chains where possible.Associative Dimensions where applicable: Checking this option will look for imported elements which to associate the processed dimensions. This may be time-consuming, so the default behavior is to create hotspots on the element and associate the linear dimension to the hotspots. The most recent versions of AutoCAD contain associative dimensions for certain elements, but these cannot be converted in ArchiCAD. ADT has also introduced a kind of associative dimension, but this can only be associated to ADT objects. Radial dimensions require a circular element to be associated to.
Import AutoCAD Hatch Blocks: This option converts AutoCAD fills into unnamed groups of individual lines (hatch blocks), which will not be recognized as fill types in ArchiCAD. When importing a file from AutoCAD R14 or later, hatches will be converted into fill types in ArchiCAD.
Import Viewports as Embedded Drawings: Check this box to ensure that AutoCAD viewpoints are imported as embedded drawings on ArchiCAD layouts. If this option is not selected, viewports will be converted to ArchiCAD views, linked to the model data.
Convert Pictures to Format: Select a file format to use in converting pictures, or retain the pictures' original formats.
Enable partial open: Filter the elements to be imported, by layer. The DWG’s layers and layers’ statuses will be listed in a dialog box allowing individual layers to be selected.
Attributes
The attributes (divided into five groups: Layers, Pens & Colors, Line Types, Fills, and Font-Style Conversion) of the dxf/dwg file can be imported with specialized settings:
Layers
Layer Name Conversion
When importing DWG data, any layers names that don't exist in the ArchiCAD project will be created. It is possible to specify that the data is moved to existing ArchiCAD layers instead, using layer name conversion.
Note: The newly imported AutoCAD layers will be available and can be set to locked/unlocked - visible/hidden separately from ArchiCAD layers in the Layer Settings dialog.
The data on each layer in the DWG can be moved to a specified layer in the ArchiCAD project by adding entries to the conversion table. The ArchiCAD layer can either by typed or selected from the drop-down menu. If a template has not been specified in the translator then the name of the DWG layer must be typed.
If a template has been specified, the DWG layers can be selected in the drop-down menu too.
Note that the template file can only be selected in the Save Options. This settings page can be accessed if the Translator is opened through the File>Save or File>File Special menus.
Custom layers are available from the drop-down menu if the Translator contains dxf-dwg Layers linked to ArchiCAD items. This settings page can be accessed if the Translator is opened through the File>Save or File>File Special menus.
Pens and Colors
Pens and Colors conversion settings match AutoCAD Colors to ArchiCAD Pens.
Pen-color conversion
When opening a DXF/DWG file, the AutoCAD pens will be imported and set as ArchiCAD's current pen table with the same ID numbers. With any other open operation (Merge, Attach XREF, Open Object, etc.) each AutoCAD color will be mapped to the ArchiCAD pen with the most similar RGB value.
Alternatively, the option to Use Pen-color conversion table can be activated.
While you create a new item or edit an existing one, the following dialog appears.
The pen-color conversion table pairs ArchiCAD pens with AutoCAD colors. During import the ID number of the pens will be converted according to this table. The pairs defined in the pen-color conversion dictionary will take precedence over automatic conversion methods.
All AutoCAD pens with an RGB value have a pen index number of 255 or lower. These will have their pen index changed to 255 in ArchiCAD.
Read more about color matching: How to match DWG colors to ArchiCAD Pen colors
If a template has been specified, more pens can be selected from the list.
Note that the template file can only be selected in the Save Options. This settings page can be accessed if the Translator is opened through the File>Save or File>File Special menus.
Line types
Methods
Line types defined in the current ArchiCAD project will be kept as well as the line types imported from the DXF/DWF file if you check Keep Existing Line Types on Open checkbox. If the same name is used in both files, the line type will not be imported from the DWG and the ArchiCAD line type will be kept.
If this checkbox is not checked, all line types from the DXF/DWG file will be imported, and none of the existing ArchiCAD line types will be kept.
The LTScale value in output File variable used in DWG files are correctly interpreted when opening or merging DWG files in ArchiCAD. New line types will be created as needed, regardless of the length of the original line pattern.
Linetype-Linetype Conversion
This conversion dictionary works exactly the same way as the layer conversion, but is used to control the import of linetypes.
Each linetype conversion item will translate a linetype from the DWG into a specified ArchiCAD linetype. You can create new item or the ArchiCAD line type name can be selected from the pop-up list and its name will appear in the ArchiCAD line type field. In the AutoCAD line type field, type the name of the line type that should be converted to the ArchiCAD type. If a template has been specified, the DWG lines can be selected in the drop-down menu too.
Note that the template file can only be selected in the Save Options. This settings page can be accessed if the Translator is opened through the File>Save or File>File Special menus.
Note: Hairlines (with zero line thickness) will be interpreted as lines appearing with the appropriate pen color. Polylines will be imported as Hairlines.
Fills
Fills from the dxf/dwg file can be imported to ArchiCAD. Their settings are defined in the following fields:
Methods
The inactive export options are used while DWG/Export. The activated Use the fill conversion table checkbox converts AutoCAD hatches to ArchiCAD fills using the Fill Conversion table.
Fill-Hatch Conversion
Click New to define each new correspondence which requires that you have selected an AutoCAD template file in the Save Options page of the DXF-DWG Translation Dialog Box, and the template file includes at least one placed instance of the desired hatch.
To load DWG fills, first select a DWG file to use as a template to load them. An AutoCAD template file must be selected in the Save Options page of the DXF-DWG Translation dialog box, and the template file must include at least one placed instance of the desired hatch.
Note that the template file can only be selected in the Save Options. This settings page can be accessed if the translator is opened through the File>Save or File>File Special menus.
Font-Style Conversion
Font names are stored differently in DXF/DWG files and in ArchiCAD. Even when one-by-one font matching is possible, a dictionary is necessary. (On Windows, ArchiCAD supports all available fonts including those installed by AutoCAD).
When importing a DWG, if a text's font is listed in the dictionary, it will be converted according to the conversion table, from the AutoCAD style to the ArchiCAD style. The ArchiCAD font can be selected in the drop-down menu. The AutoCAD style can be selected from the drop-down list if a template has been selected in the Save Options.
The Save Options settings page can be accessed if the Translator is opened through the File>Save or File>File Special menus.
With oblique angle option you can set the degree value of the font.
If the slant parameter is 15 (15 degrees) or greater, the imported text will be in italics. Usually, an italic style has an oblique angle of 75 degrees. Unless a template file is selected, the style will use the AutoCAD counterpart of the ArchiCAD font. (A font conversion file specifies the best match, regardless of the platform ArchiCAD is running on).
Miscellaneous
This group of settings contains options for Font conversion, for spline convert and the opportunity for purging the unused Attributes.
Font styles that are not listed in the font conversion tables will be replaced with the font defined under Replace Missing Fonts with setting.
Check Convert Splines into Polylines box to convert splines into polylines in ArchiCAD. ArchiCAD will approximate the AutoCAD spline using a series of connected straight line segments. This may be useful when in some rare cases, the converted ArchiCAD Spline still looks a bit different from its AutoCAD counterpart, or when converting a file containing splines with a huge number of nodes. If this box is unchecked, AutoCAD splines will be converted into ArchiCAD splines.
Use Purge all unused Attributes to eliminate all unused attributes when you import a DXF/DWG file. This is helpful in reducing file size.
Custom Functions
Open Extras
Custom Functions contains add-ons for both Open (Open Extras) and Save (Save Extras) operations. Several functions are loaded by default; you need only turn them on or off using the checkboxes.
Polyline
Segment curved edges of slanted polylines: the curved segments of any polylines not on the X-Y plane will become segmented.
Break slanted polylines at curved edges: the curved segments of any polylines not on the X-Y plane will become divided.
Hatch
Segment curved edges of slanted hatches: the curved edges of any hatches not on the X-Y plane will become segmented.
Point
Import points as hotspots: use this option to convert AutoCAD points to ArchiCAD hotspots. Without this option, points will be imported as lines.
Polyface Mesh
Convert polyface mesh to 3D: polyface meshes will be converted to vertices, edges, polygons and bodies. Without this option, the polyface mesh will be imported as separate planes. Note that poltface meshes are only imported with the Open Object method of import.
Mesh
Convert polygon mesh to ArchiCAD mesh: converts AutoCAD Polygon Meshes into ArchiCAD Mesh elements. Only non-vertical faces will be converted.
3D Face
Convert 3D face to ArchiCAD mesh: AutoCAD 3D faces will be converted into ArchiCAD meshes. Without this option, the faces will be imported as 2D lines.
Convert 3D face - compatibility
Convert 3D face - transparent
Convert 3D face - screen colour
Convert 3D face - contour colour
Block Reference
Load GOA Objects as GDL objects: imports elements written with the GOA add-on as GDL objects.
Graphisoft Object Adapter is an AutoCAD extension that allows AutoCAD users to use GDL objects with most of the flexibility available in ArchiCAD. The DXF add-on can interpret the extra data stored by this tool and writes the data into the exported DWG, which can then be imported.
Leader
Convert Leaders to labels: AutoCAD Leaders will be imported as ArchiCAD Labels, if the Leader's content is Text or Mtext. Without this option, leaders will be converted to text, polylines and fills.
3D Solids
Convert to GDL objects: converts AutoCAD 3D Solids, Regions and Bodies into GDL objects. Without this option, the 3D solids will not be imported.
Categories: CategoryDwg CategoryInputOutput CategoryMesh CategoryAttributes CategoryLayer CategoryFill CategoryLine
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