ArchiCAD 6.5. DXF/DWG Conversion Guide. Graphisoft

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ArchiCAD 6.5

DXF/DWG

Conversion Guide

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Visit the Graphisoft website at http://www.graphisoft.com for local distributor and product availability information.

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ArchiCAD 6.5 DXF/DWG Conversion Guide

Image: National Theater Budapest Competition Winning Entry. Design: Ferenc Bán and ”A” Studio ‘90. Graphics: Dune Studio. Modeling in ArchiCAD, rendering with Art•lantis Render.

First printing.

Trademarks

ArchiCAD is a registered trademark and PlotMaker is a trademark of Graphisoft R&D Rt.. Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks and DXF is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc. TrueType is registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Art•lantis Render is a registered trademark of Abvent S.A.

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Introduction

The purpose of the DXF/DWG interface is to fit ArchiCAD into the workflow: in a broader sense, to communicate with the outside (CAD) world, where DXF/DWG is the de facto standard of document exchange. Some manufacturers publish electronic catalogs of their product line in DXF/DWG format. When communicating with owners, consultants, engineers, and subcontractors, the need for translating floor plans, sections, elevations to and from DWG drawings, or for saving or inputting a 3D DXF/DWG model arises often. And those needs may vary from time to time, and from partner to partner.

Over the years, Graphisoft has refined the DXF/DWG interface into a sophisticated subsystem with customizable and

configurable options. The functions and settings are even divided into Novice and Expert modes: depending on your needs, you might need to know as little as "from the floor plan window you output the floor plan drawing, from the 3D window you save the 3D model", or you might consider tiny details like using the pen index in ArchiCAD or based on the AutoCAD color table. CAD managers or power users can set up configuration files (see the Customization chapter) with the desired settings for each repetitive task, and then can switch between the different configuration files as the project requires. If you are new to the topic of DXF/DWG conversion, we suggest you begin by reading the Command Reference (in Novice mode), Troubleshooting, Q&A, and Tips and Tricks chapters. If you require more detailed

information, go to the Technical Details and the Command Reference (in Expert mode) chapters.

When you are organizing a repetitive task either for yourself or -as a CAD expert- for your entire office, check out the Workflow Models chapter for case studies, and the Customization Chapter for how to set up the system to accommodate the model you choose. This is an evolving topic, and further information is available on the Graphisoft website.

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ArchiCAD 6.5 DXF/DWG Conversion Guide

Overview of the Manual

New Features in 6.5

Introduces the new features of ArchiCAD 6.5, including the various enhancements made to the DWG/DXF interface. Command Reference

Provides detailed information about how the different components of the DWG/DXF Add-On work and the settings used to modify the input or output of data.

Customization

Deals with those parts of the DWG/DXF solution that allow users to create special ways of reading and writing data for optimum communication with their partners. Explains the tools users can apply to achieve this: the configuration file and the template file. Gives information about how data flows during the conversion. Workflow Models

Suggests a general approach to setting up a project for better communication through DXF/DWG, and explains a method for DXF->PLN->DXF communication using XREFs.

Technical Details

Offers a precise explanation of how the DWG/DXF Add-On works, giving data about what DWG/DXF elements are converted into what ArchiCAD elements and how the configuration and template files are utilized in this process. Recommended for users who wish to obtain a more thorough understanding of the technical aspects of the Add-On.

Tips & Tricks

Discusses various scenarios, and offers tips for dealing with them. Troubleshooting, Q&A

Provides answers to common problems related to DWG/DXF input/output, plus answers to frequently asked questions.

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Installation

The ArchiCAD DWG/DXF I/O Add-On is based on ArchiCAD’s API (Application Programming Interface). It is a separate file housing all the features provided by the interface.

By default, the file is located in the Add-Ons folder in the ArchiCAD program folder, so ArchiCAD automatically loads it at start-up.

If it is located elsewhere on your hard disk, you can load the Add-on using the ‘Load Add-On…’ command in the Tools menu to display the corresponding dialog box.

Find the folder where the file is located, select it, then click the Load button to load it. An information message appears, showing that the load operation was successful and where the new options were added in ArchiCAD.

The DWG/DXF options will then be available in the Open… and Save… dialogs.

Note: This documentation covers information related to DWG/DXF Add-On versions 6.50 and later.

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AutoCAD Compatibility

The DWG/DXF Add-On included with ArchiCAD 6.5 is capable of reading and writing AutoCAD R12, R13 and R14 version DWG and DXF files. Please note that data structures generated by AutoCAD applications (e.g., the ARX application) cannot be read by AutoCAD R14 on another machine if the same application that created the data is not available. For this reason, the ArchiCAD DWG/DXF Add-On doesn’t support these kinds of data either.

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Chapter 1 New Features in

ArchiCAD 6.5

This section briefly covers the new featur es of ArchiCAD 6.5’s DWG/DXF Input/Output Add-On. For mor e detailed information, see the appr opriate section of the manual.

XREF Management

ArchiCAD 6.5 pr ovides the same functionality as AutoCAD’s XREF (External Refer ence Files) file handling methods. It handles both DWG and DXF version Xr ef files. The same operations and algorithms found in AutoCAD R14 ar e implemented here, and even the user interface is the same.

These functions are implemented using ArchiCAD’s API technology and can be found in the AutoCAD commands submenu in the Tools menu.

ArchiCAD 6.0 read and wrote DXF/DWG files, but their maintenance was not solved the way it is now with the help of these commands.

Paper Space/Model Space Handling

ArchiCAD now allows the user to write out DXF/DWG data that contains both Paper space AND Model space information at the same time. In the previous version, only one or the other could be exported, depending on the choice of the user as specified in the Save as DWG/DXF… dialog box. The way this works in ArchiCAD is that if there is a layer combination called ‘Paper space’ then all elements on layers that are part of this ‘Paper space’ layer

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will go into Model space. In PlotMaker, the layout will go into Paper space and all the placed drawings will go into Model space.

When opening DWG/DXF files that contain both Paper space and Model space information, Ar chiCAD will handle only those Viewports created of the file that ar e Top Views. Viewports that ar e not Top Views will not be converted. Flags in the file containing clipping, scaling and layer infor mation will convert properly, but they will not be preserved as in the case of XREFs. In PlotMaker, a drawing is generated fr om the top view of the Model space entities, which will be placed onto the layout generated from the Paper space entities. Viewports are converted into drawings and will be placed.

Configuration Files

At both input and output, the user can choose fr om among

multiple configuration files in the DWG/DXF Open/Save… dialog, box where the required configuration file is selected from a pop-up. Now a separate configuration file can be cr eated for

communication with each unique consultant or co-worker .

Now PlotMaker also processes the configuration file at both input and output just as ArchiCAD does. All interpretable configuration file options have an effect on the operations during the I/O procedure. PlotMaker version 2.1 and earlier did not use the T emplate file, which it now does.

Enhanced Character Matching

The Add-On perdèrms a complete code page conversion. It reads and writes DWG/DXF data with the corr ect character set without editing the configuration file. The conversion gives the correct results also in a cr oss-platform envir onment. For example, a DWG file saved on Windows from a German version of AutoCAD R14 can be automatically r ead on the Macintosh platfor m with a Fr ench version of ArchiCAD with proper character conversion.

In earlier versions, the #CHARCONV option in the configuration file served this purpose. The option remains, but its use is recommended only for exception handling.

Texts referencing TrueType fonts will keep their font references. Editing the configuration file is needed for its operation. This is done by Graphisoft and shipped products will contain the necessary information.

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New Configuration File Options

#BYLAYER: A new switch in the configuration file that allows the user to specify the ‘BYLAYER’ logical attribute reference value when saving as DWG/DXF.

#TEMPLATE_FILE: Allows the specification of a template file for output, because the parameterization of the configuration file and the template file closely interrelate.

#FONTCONV: TrueType font matching table with default values provided by Graphisoft.

#NATIONAL: Makes it possible to write out national characters in the names of layers and line types in DWG/DXF files.

#DIALPARS: The dialog settings can be specified in the configuration file. The dialog only shows the options set in the configuration file, but does not allow the user to change these values. This feature can be used by a CAD manager to fix Dialog Sets for communication with others in DWG/DXF, so CAD operators just need to open/save a file without having to modify dialog settings.

#SPECLAYERS: Doors and windows are placed on the layers of the walls that house them. In some cases, you may need to place them on special layers. Special layer names can be defined in this section. If needed, it is possible to merge into these special layers the layers of the walls. In special cases, you may also want to place fills into special layers, e.g., wall fills can be separated this way from the walls’ own layers. Examples are given in the template file.

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Chapter 2 Command Reference

The following chapter pr ovides a detailed explanation of the dialog boxes associated with the DXF/DWG Add-On, as well as how the configuration file and the template file work. It also covers the technical aspects of DXF/DWG input and output in ArchiCAD 6.5 and PlotMaker 2.2. It assumes that you have a thorough knowledge of the Ar chiCAD, PlotMaker and DXF/DWG (AutoCAD) terminology.

ArchiCAD Functionality

With this add-on pr operly installed, you can do the following: - Save your ArchiCAD projects, Sections/Elevations, 3D models

and images in AutoCAD for mats

- Open AutoCAD drawings as Ar chiCAD projects or ArchiCAD Library Parts

- Save your PlotMaker drawings and layouts in AutoCAD for mat - Load AutoCAD drawings into PlotMaker drawings and layouts The I/O mechanism supports AutoCAD version R14 and earlier, including both DXF and DWG drawings. The infor mation

provided below gives you an overview of how you should define the settings in the dialog boxes in order to get the required results.

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Open DXF/DWG Document

This dialog box controls the loading of an AutoCAD drawing into the ArchiCAD floor plan. It appears when you choose the Open… command fr om the File menu and select the DXF or DWG file option from the file format pop-up list.

When this dialog box appears, you will see the name of the DXF/ DWG file to be opened (DEMO.DWG) next to the name of the dialog box in the Title Bar. You will also see in parentheses the version (R-14) of the file to be opened.

The next paragraphs describe the available options.

Selecting a Configuration File

You can select the configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/ DWG file to be opened. The configuration files need to be located in the same folder as the DXF/DWG IO Add-On. There can be several configuration files to choose from in the pop-up list. The configuration file contains various keywords that you can use to influence how parts of a DXF/DWG file are input and output. You can find a complete description of these keywords in the Customization chapter of this manual.

Clicking the Details button next to the configuration file pop-up menu will bring up a dialog box that pr ovides information about the curr ent states and enabled options within the configuration files. You can modify these files directly from the dialog box, making them mor e convenient to handle.

The content of the tab pages of the dialog box varies, depending on whether you are opening a DXF/DWG file or saving into one. This is because there ar e certain options that only have an ef fect at

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output, so they are not displayed when opening a file. For detailed infor mation on this dialog box, please consult the ‘Customization’ chapter of this manual.

Opening the File as Project or Library

You can choose between two options when opening a DXF or DWG file: as an Ar chiCAD Pr oject or as a Library. The default

value is ArchiCAD Project/Explode but keep grouped.

Open as... ArchiCAD Project

When choosing the ArchiCAD Project radio button, t he drawing

is loaded into the floor plan. All the elements of the ENTITY section in the DXF/DWG file appear as drawing primitives (lines, cir cles, arcs, ellipses, texts). The contents of BLOCKs referred (dir ectly or indir ectly) from the ENTITY section are processed as well. In most cases, you get exactly what you see in AutoCAD.

With this option active, the DXF-DWG Symbols radio buttons

become available. They determine how the referred BLOCK definitions of the DXF/DWG file should be processed while importing the drawing data.

- Explode: If you choose this option, the content of BLOCKS will be exploded into primitive elements and displayed on the

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ArchiCAD Floor Plan.

(Technical note: When the curr ent entity [in the ENTITY section] is an INSERT, the entities in the r eferred BLOCK are processed as if they were in the ENTITY section. The only differences are: The INSERT’s transfor mation is applied to every coordinate and size of the primitives within the inserted BLOCK. In the case of embedded INSERTs, the

transfor mations ar e combined. The ATTDEF entities (they occur only in BLOCKs) ar e substituted by the matching ATTRIBs and then imported as TEXTs. If there is no matching ATTRIB, the default value of the ATTDEF is used.)

The selection nodes show that the couch is made of individual lines - Explode but keep grouped: If you choose this option, the

content of referred BLOCKS will be exploded into primitive elements and these elements will be displayed on the ArchiCAD Floor Plan. The primitives cr eated from the BLOCK will be automatically gr ouped together. They can be selected and manipulated together until you ungr oup them.

The selection nodes show that the couch is made of individual lines grouped together

- Create library parts: If you choose this option, BLOCKs will be converted into ArchiCAD Library Objects and placed onto the ArchiCAD Floor Plan.

(Technical note: The contents of the BLOCKs directly referred from the ENTITY section go into Library Parts. They will contain the elements fr om those BLOCKs that are [directly or indir ectly] referred from the block that makes up that Library Part. The contents of the ENTITY section go directly to the

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Floor Plan. The block references are transfor med into OBJECT instances.)

The selection nodes show that the couch is made of one Library Object

Note: The drawing must be exploded to ensure full color, layer and line type pr eservation. When creating Library Parts, the color, layer and line type attributes may change because ArchiCAD does not allow multiple layers in a Library Part. Instances of a Library Part cannot have dif ferent – floating -attributes like in AutoCAD.

Open as... ArchiCAD Library

When choosing the ArchiCAD Library radio button, all the

BLOCKs are stored as Library Parts (except for anonym blocks). The contents of the ENTITY section remains unpr ocessed. Nothing goes to the Floor Plan. This is helpful when you have a library in DXF format. Manufactur ers commonly provide their products in DXF format to ar chitects/builders, etc. Using this option, you can create an Ar chiCAD library of the AutoCAD library parts included by the opened DXF/DWG drawing.

Note: When you choose this option, the ‘ArchiCAD Pr oject’ and the ‘Read DXF/DWG entities from’ parts of the dialog box will be grayed as these do not apply when this option is active.

Drawing Unit Conversion

The Translate one DXF/DWG Drawing Unit into: field specifies the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within Ar chiCAD. Please refer to the section ‘Drawing units’ in this chapter for mor e details and

examples. The default value depends on Preferences data

Default Values and Additional Options

Near the bottom of the dialog box, you can click the Use Defaults

button to revert all options (in both the Novice and Expert portions) to their default settings.

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Clicking the Expert button will expand the dialog box to display additional options that may be changed less fr equently.

Expert Options

In its expanded format, the dialog box contains additional options for importing the DXF/DWG file. These are described in detail in the following sections.

Read DXF/DWG Entities from

This ar ea specifies from which space of AutoCAD to read data. For more information on Paper space and Model space in AutoCAD documents, please see the ‘Paper and Model space’ section later in this chapter.

The options are:

- Space defined in the document: In the drawing’s header info there is a flag called $TILEMODE. It is set to:

1 if the AutoCAD user chose MODEL SPACE 0 if the AutoCAD user chose PAPER SPACE

Choose this option if you expect to find the entities you are inter ested in there. This is the default setting in the dialog box. - Model space

- Paper space: Choose one of these options to override the $TILEMODE setting.

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Restore ArchiCAD Elements

If a drawing was saved fr om the same version of ArchiCAD you ar e loading it into, you might wish to see not just walls, but the exported windows ,objects, slabs, roofs, etc. But since AutoCAD does not support these elements — only lines, circles and 3D objects that could represent anything — all you can get back is lines, cir cles and 3D objects (in the Library Parts). Fortunately, ArchiCAD can save all the infor mation needed to r estore the original floor plan elements into the drawing, so you can choose to use this information (called extended data).

The options are:

- If extended data is available: All the ArchiCAD-specific infor mation is used. Entities that do not have such infor mation ar e processed as native AutoCAD entities. This is the default setting.

- Never: Choose this option when you do not want to use the ArchiCAD-specific information. Everything will be processed as native AutoCAD entities.

Note: When r estoring ArchiCAD elements, all the referred attributes have to exist. Some of them (layers, line types) are restored from the native AutoCAD data, others (composite walls, etc.) ar e not. Missing attributes cause an err or. For more infor mation about how to utilize the Extended Data featur e, please consult the ‘Working with Extended Data’ section later in this chapter.

Add 3D Data to Library Parts

If you choose either Open as... ...ArchiCAD Project and Cr eate

Library Parts Open as... ...ArchiCAD Library, this pop-up menu

allows you to optionally load 3D infor mation fr om the drawing. It will be stored in the Library Parts and you can see it in the 3D window. This option is enabled/disabled depending on the conditions. Set it on if you need the 3D infor mation contained in the DXF/DWG file. If you don’t choose this option, only the 2D infor mation contained in the files will appear on the Floor Plan in ArchiCAD and no 3D element originally contained in the file will be displayed in the 3D Window.

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Three options are available fr om a pop-up menu:

- Don’t process: Library parts will be cr eated but there will not be any 3D infor mation in their 3D Script. Only the 2D parts will be created. This is the default setting.

- Binary 3D: 3D DXF/DWG information will be cr eated in the resulting Library Object files. However, you will only see a couple of coordinate transfor mations and a BINAR Y statement in the 3D Scripts of the objects; the actual GDL commands cr eating the 3D shapes will be hidden.

- GDL Script: 3D DXF/DWG information will be cr eated in the resulting Library Object files and you will also see the GDL commands that pr oduce the 3D shape. This enables you to edit the 3D Script of the Object, although sometimes it can be quite challenging to find which LIN_ or PLANE (3D GDL commands for cr eating lines and planes in 3D) command cr eates the entity you’re trying to modify or delete.

Explode Vectorial Text

If you encounter incompatibilities in your national alphabet between the fonts used by ArchiCAD and the AutoCAD font file, try this option. It will be time-consuming and you need the original AutoCAD font file (.shx) to explode the texts into lines and ar cs, but you will get something that visually r epresents the texts the same way. This option is only effective on those text entities that have AutoCAD shape (.shx) files associated to them. Texts associated with TrueType or other font files are not exploded. By default, this checkbox is not active.

Color Matching

Checking the Match colors to AutoCAD color table box

instructs the DXF/DWG Add-On to match the colors of the resulting Ar chiCAD file to the colors defined within AutoCAD in its color table. Please refer to the section ‘Color matching’ later in this chapter for more details. By default, this checkbox is active.

Open DXF/DWG Document as

Library Part

This dialog box controls the loading of an AutoCAD drawing (including all the 3D infor mation) into an Ar chiCAD Library Part. It appears when choose the Open Library Part command in the File

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menu and select the DXF or DWG file type in the format pop-up menu.

The available options ar e detailed in the following section.

3D Data Handling

The Keep model’s 3D data in Library Part ar ea has two checkboxes:

- Binary 3D: If you choose this option, 2D and 3D DXF/DWG infor mation will be cr eated in the r esulting Library Object file. The 2D information will be placed into the 2D Symbol of the library object. However, you will only see a couple of coordinate transfor mations and a BINAR Y statement in the 3D Scripts of the objects and the actual GDL commands that ar e cr eating the 3D shapes will be hidden. This is the default setting.

- GDL script: With this option, 2D and 3D DXF/DWG

infor mation will be cr eated in the r esulting Library Object files. The 2D information will be placed into the 2D Symbol of the library object. You will also see the GDL commands that produce the 3D shape in the 3D Script. This enables you to edit the 3D Script of the Object, but in some cases it can be difficult to find which LIN_ or PLANE (3D GDL commands for creating lines and planes in 3D) command cr eates the entity you wish to modify or delete.

Drawing Unit Conversion

The Translate one DXF/DWG Drawing Unit into: field specifies the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within Ar chiCAD. Please refer to the Drawing units section in this chapter for mor e details and examples. The default setting depends on the Preferences set in ArchiCAD.

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Match colors to AutoCAD color table

Instructs the DXF/DWG Add-On to match the colors of the resulting Ar chiCAD file to the colors defined within AutoCAD in its color table. Please refer to the Color matching section later in this chapter for more details. By default, this option is active.

Save 2D AutoCAD document

This dialog box controls how an ArchiCAD floor plan is exported into an AutoCAD drawing. It appears when you choose the Save as… command in the File menu and then select the DXF or DWG format in the pop-up list. The available options ar e described below.

Select Configuration File

You can select a configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/DWG file to be saved. The usage of the file at output is the same as with input (described earlier in this chapter), including the Details button that will open the Configuration File Details dialog box for editing the content of the configuration file.

Target Application

You can save your pr oject as a DXF or DWG drawing in or der to allow AutoCAD users, or users of other applications capable of reading DXF/DWG files, to read them. It is important to know which version of AutoCAD (or the other application), it will be read in. While the newer versions can r ead files written by older versions, older versions of a program usually fail to r ead files cr eated by newer versions.

You can select fr om among thr ee versions of DXF/DWG file to save into from the pop-up in this section of the dialog box. The default setting is AutoCAD R14.

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Drawing Unit Conversion

The Create one DXF/DWG drawing unit from: field specifies the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within Ar chiCAD. Please r efer to the Drawing units section in this chapter for mor e details and examples. The default setting depends on your curr ent Pr eferences setting.

Expert Options

There ar e additional options that may be changed less fr equently; therefore, they are placed in the lower ‘Expert’ part of the dialog box, which is not visible until you click the Expert button. These options are detailed below.

Extended Data Handling

When saving a drawing with the intention of loading it back after changes have been made by an AutoCAD user, you most likely want to restore your floor plan elements as they were. If you check the Add extended data to entities to reload in ArchiCAD

option, the resulting drawing file will contain additional drawing information attached to every floor plan element. In AutoCAD terminology, this is called extended data. AutoCAD preserves these attached extended data blocks unless the INSERT entity that holds them is deleted or exploded in AutoCAD. (When something is deleted, the extended data associated with it is also deleted. However, when a wall is exploded in AutoCAD, it is difficult to recreate elements from the extended data that was attached to it.) The default value for this setting is OFF.

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Layer Construction

As layering in Ar chiCAD is typically based on inter nal of fice standar ds, any element can be assigned to any layer , r egardless of the element’s type. When exporting the project in DXF/DWG

format, the Construct layers according to pop-up menu lists the

following options to organize elements into layers:

- ArchiCAD layers: Select this option to faithfully reproduce the layer names and element assignments of the Ar chiCAD Pr oject. This is the default setting.

- Pen colors: The post-processing of the DXF/DWG file may require the user to have full control over the colors of the elements, while other criteria ar e less significant, for example, at a plotter bur eau. In this case, we r ecommend this option. Layers of the exported file will be associated to the 255 pen colors of ArchiCAD. Layers will be named PEN_1 to PEN_255 in the r esulting file. Please note that in such a case you will have at least 256 layers in the DXF/DWG file.

- Element types: To get a simplified but still well structured layering scheme in the DXF/DWG file, choose this option. The generated layers corr espond to element types of ArchiCAD, meaning that every wall will go to the same layer, no matter which layer it was put on.

Model Space or Paper Space

The Write DXF/DWG entities into radio buttons allow you to specify which space of AutoCAD to write data into. For mor e infor mation on Paper space and Model space in AutoCAD

documents, please see the Paper and Model space section later in this chapter.

Select the required option to place the generated entities into the Model or Paper space of the output file. Please refer to the Paper and Model space section later in this chapter for mor e details. The default value is Model space.

Note: The $TILEMODE variable of the template file will be overwritten. This is the variable in AutoCAD that indicates whether the project file was in Model space or Paper space. It means that elements of the ArchiCAD project will go the requested space regardless of the default setting in the template file.

Handling Complex Elements

ArchiCAD can generate a complex hierar chy of BLOCK definitions, which may cause some CAD programs to refuse to import the drawing. T o keep the DXF file as simple as possible, check the

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Explode complex ArchiCAD elements option. By default, this option is inactive.

Color Matching

The Match colors to AutoCAD color table checkbox instructs the DXF/DWG Add-On to match the colors of the resulting file to the colors defined in AutoCAD’s color table. Please refer to the Color matching section later in this chapter for mor e details. By default, this option is active.

Binary DXF

The syntax of DXF files is rather simple so they are not very compact. They are basically text files. In order to reduce both the size and pr ocessing time, AutoDesk introduced a file specification

called binary DXF . Check the Write Binary DXF option to save

disk space and processing time if absolutely necessary. By default, this option is inactive

Notes: There ar e incompatibilities between the R12 and R13 formats.

This option is not relevant and ther efore grayed when exporting as a DWG file.

Use Defaults

Clicking this button will r estore any changed option to its default value.

Save 3D AutoCAD document

This dialog box controls the way an Ar chiCAD 3D window is exported into an AutoCAD drawing. It appears when you choose the Save as command and then select the DXF or DWG option in the pop-up menu. Available options ar e described below.

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Note: Since 3D entities can exist only in Model space in AutoCAD, there is no space selection here between Model space and Paper space.

Select Configuration File

You can select the configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/ DWG file to be saved. For information, please r efer to the ‘Open DXF/DWG document’ section earlier in this chapter. Clicking the ‘Details’ button will open the Configuration File Details dialog box from where you can view and modify the content of the

Configuration file.

Target Application

You can save your pr oject as a DXF or DWG drawing in or der to allow AutoCAD users, or users of other applications capable of reading DXF/DWG files, to read them. It is important to know which version of AutoCAD, or other application, it will be read in. While the newer versions can read files written by older versions, older versions of a program usually fail to r ead files created by newer versions.

You can select from among three versions of DXF/DWG file to save into from the pop-up in this section of the dialog box. In all three cases, 3D information will be included in the resulting DXF/DWG file. The default setting is AutoCAD R14.

Drawing Unit Conversion

The Create one DXF/DWG drawing unit from field allows you to specify the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within Ar chiCAD. Please refer to the section Drawing units in this same chapter for mor e details and examples. The default setting depend on your current Drawing Unit Pr eferences.

Layer Construction

Elements in an Ar chiCAD project can be assigned to any layer regardless of the element type. Layering in ArchiCAD is typically based on inter nal of fice standar ds. When exporting the project in

DXF/DWG format, the Construct layers according to pop-up

menu lists the following options to organize elements into layers: - ArchiCAD layers: Select this option to faithfully reproduce

the layer names and element assignments of the Ar chiCAD Pr oject. The generated 3D information will inherit the layers of

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the floor plan objects they are generated from. This is the default setting.

- Materials: The post processing of the DXF/DWG file may require the user to have full control over the surface materials of the elements, while other criteria are less significant, for example, in a r endering program. In this case, we r ecommend this option. Layers of the exported file will be associated to the surface materials.

- Element types: To get a simplified but still well structured layering scheme in the DXF/DWG file, choose this option. In this case, the generated layers correspond to element types of ArchiCAD.

Color Matching

Write Polygon Edges

When exporting a 3D model, both the surface polygons and the wireframe lines ar e exported. You may want to suppr ess the wireframe lines. All you have to do is uncheck this option which is active by default.

Additional DXF Options

When saving the 3D Window as a DXF file ther e ar e two options available in the dialog box that ar e not visible when saving the project as DWG.

Create Simplified File Structure

ArchiCAD may generate complex hierar chy of BLOCK definitions, which may cause some CAD programs to refuse to import the drawing.

To keep the DXF file as simple as possible, check this option (it is active by default)/ Everything will go into the ENTITY section. In this case, the layering option ‘Construct layers according to…’ will be disabled and the entities will have layers named 3DF ACES or 3DLINES.

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Note: The option is not available when saving as DWG files. Drawings that ar e imported into other CAD programs need to meet AutoCAD standards.

Write Binary DXF

The syntax of DXF files is rather simple so they are not very compact. They are basically text files. In order to reduce both the size and the pr ocessing time, AutoDesk introduced a file

specification called binary DXF . It is a means by which you can save disk space and processing time if absolutely necessary. On the other hand, ther e ar e incompatibilities between R12 and R13 formats. By default, this option is on.

Use Defaults

Save Section as AutoCAD document

This dialog box controls the way an Ar chiCAD Section window is exported as an AutoCAD drawing. It appears when you choose the Save as command and then select the DXF or DWG option in the pop-up menu. Available options ar e detailed below.

Select Configuration File

You can select the configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/ DWG file to be saved. For information, please r efer to the Open DXF/DWG document section earlier in this chapter. Clicking the ‘Details’ button will take you to the Configuration File Details dialog box from where you can view and modify the content of the Configuration file.

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Target Application

You can select fr om among thr ee versions of DXF/DWG file to save into from the pop-up in this section of the dialog box. By default, files ar e saved in AutoCAD R14 for mat.

Drawing Unit Conversion

The Create one DXF/DWG drawing unit from field allows you to specify the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within Ar chiCAD. Please refer to the section Drawing units in this same chapter for mor e details and examples. The default setting depend on your current Drawing Unit Pr eferences.

Handling Complex Elements

ArchiCAD can generate a complex hierar chy of BLOCK definitions, which may cause some CAD programs to refuse to import the drawing. T o keep the DXF file as simple as possible, check the

Explode complex ArchiCAD elements option. By default, this option is inactive.

Color Matching

Write Binary DXF

specification called binary DXF . It is a means by which you can save disk space and processing time if absolutely necessary. On

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the other hand, ther e ar e incompatibilities between R12 and R13 formats. By default, this option is on.

This option is not relevant and is ther efore grayed when exporting as a DWG file.

Use Defaults

PlotMaker Functionality

The following sections explain how to work with DXF or DWG files in PlotMaker. The information pr ovided below gives an overview of how you should define the various settings in the dialog boxes to get the required results.

Open DXF/DWG Document

There ar e two ways to open a DXF/DWG file in PlotMaker: Using the ‘Open’ command in the File menu or the ‘Add Drawing’ command of the File menu. The ‘Open’ command includes an additional option to place Model space entities in a drawing and place Paper space entities on the PlotMaker layout

This dialog box contains an option that plays a significant r ole in the way the DXF/DWG file is read into PlotMaker.

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Placing in Paper Space or Model Space

When the ‘Paper Space to Layout, Model Space as Drawing’ checkbox is checked, all Paper space entities contained in the DXF/DWG file will be placed on the PlotMaker layout, while all Model space entities of the file will be included in a drawing placed on the layout. With this option, it is possible to reconstruct the look of the DXF/DWG file in PlotMaker as it was in AutoCAD.

When you check this option and click the ‘Open’ button, the ‘Open DXF/DWG File’ dialog box appears. The information displayed in the dialog box will depend on whether or not you checked the checkbox in the previous dialog box.

If this option is checked, it will not be possible to select which entities (Model space or Paper space) you want to read; all entities will be read and put in their appr opriate locations. The dialog box will infor m you about this, as shown above.

If the option is not checked, the “Open DXF...” dialog box will display the following information and options to choose from:

This is the same dialog box that appears when you choose the ‘Add Drawing’ command fr om the File menu. Available options ar e detailed in the next paragraphs.

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Select Configuration File

You can select the configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/ DWG file to be saved. For information, please r efer to the ‘Open DXF/DWG document’ section earlier in this chapter. Clicking the ‘Details’ button will take you to the Configuration File Details dialog box from where you can view and modify the content of the Configuration file.

Drawing Unit Conversion

The Create one DXF/DWG drawing unit from field allows you to specify the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within PlotMaker . Please refer to the section Drawing units in this same chapter for mor e details and examples. The default setting depend on your current Drawing Unit Pr eferences.

Read DXF/DWG Entities from

This ar ea specifies from which space of AutoCAD to read data. For more information on Paper space and Model space in AutoCAD documents, please see the ‘Paper and Model space’ section later in this chapter.

The options are:

- Space defined in the document: In the drawing’s header info there is a flag called $TILEMODE. Choose this option if you expect to find there the entities you are interested in. This is the default setting, and is set to:

1 if the AutoCAD user chose MODEL SPACE 0 if the AutoCAD user chose PAPER SPACE - Model space

- Paper space: Choose one of these options to override the $TILEMODE setting.

Color Matching

The Match colors to AutoCAD color table checkbox instructs the DXF/DWG Add-On to match the colors of the resulting PlotMaker file to the colors defined in AutoCAD’s color table. Please refer to the Color matching section later in this chapter for more details. By default, this option is active.

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Use Defaults

Clicking this button will r estore any changed option to its default.

Save DXF/DWG Document

This dialog box controls how a PlotMaker layout or drawing is exported into an AutoCAD drawing. A vailable options ar e described below.

Select Configuration File

You can select the configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/ DWG file to be saved. For information, please r efer to the ‘Open DXF/DWG document’ section earlier in this chapter. Clicking the ‘Details’ button will take you to the Configuration File Details dialog box from where you can view and modify the content of the Configuration file.

Target Application

You can select fr om among thr ee versions of DXF/DWG file to save into from the pop-up in this section of the dialog box. By default, files ar e saved in the AutoCAD R14 for mat.

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Drawing Unit Conversion

The Create one DXF/DWG drawing unit from field allows you to specify the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within PlotMaker . Please refer to the section Drawing units in this same chapter for mor e details and examples. The default setting depend on your current Drawing Unit Pr eferences.

Layer Construction

As layering in PlotMaker is typically based on inter nal of fice standar ds, any element can be assigned to any layer , r egardless of the element’s type. When exporting the project in DXF/DWG

format, the Construct layers according to pop-up menu lists the

following options to organize elements into layers:

- PlotMaker layers: Select this option to faithfully reproduce the layer names and element assignments of the PlotMaker layout. This is the default setting.

- Pen colors: The postprocessing of the DXF/DWG file may require the user to have full control over the colors of the elements, while other criteria ar e less significant, for example, at a plotter bur eau. In this case, we r ecommend this option. Layers of the exported file will be associated to the 255 pen colors of PlotMaker. Layers will be named PEN_1 to PEN_255 in the r esulting file. Please note that in such a case you will have at least 256 layers in the DXF/DWG file.

Model Space or Paper Space

The Write DXF/DWG entities into radio buttons allow you to specify which space of AutoCAD to write data into. For more infor mation on Paper space and Model space in AutoCAD

documents, please see the Paper and Model space section later in this chapter.

Select the required option to place the generated entities into the Model or Paper space of the output file. Please refer to the Paper and Model space section later in this chapter for mor e details. The default value is Model space.

Note: The $TILEMODE variable of the template file will be overwritten. This is the variable in AutoCAD that indicates whether the project file was in Model space or Paper space. It means that elements of the PlotMaker file will go the requested space regardless of the default setting in the template file.

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Color Matching

Write Binary DXF

specification called binary DXF . It is a means by which you can save disk space and processing time if absolutely necessary. On the other hand, ther e ar e incompatibilities between R12 and R13 formats. By default, this option is on.

This option is not relevant and is ther efore grayed when exporting as a DWG file.

Merge Layers

In PlotMaker versions prior to 2.2, when saving a layout as DXF/ DWG, all layers of all placed drawings wer e created in the resulting file, even if several placed drawings had the exact same layer set. For example, if there were two drawings placed on the layout and both contained a layer named ‘walls,’ then in the resulting DXF/DWG file there was a layer named ‘walls_pd1’ and another named ‘walls_pd2’, r eflecting the name of the drawing from which it came. This was so even when the same drawing was placed several times in a layout. This could gr eatly incr ease the number of layers in the DXF/DWG file, which beyond a certain point was not very usable.

In PlotMaker 2.2, the ‘Mer ge Layers’ checkbox makes it possible to create only one layer for each instance of a certain layer name in all placed drawings. This can r educe the number of layers in the DXF/DWG file greatly. So, in the above example only one ‘walls’ layer will be created when this checkbox is checked, and all elements in all placed drawings that wer e on the ‘walls’ layer will go to this layer in the file. By default, this option if not active.

Use Defaults

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Conversion Options

The following sections contain the detailed description of options that ar e available for both importing and exporting DXF/DWG files, including drawing unit, color , 3D infor mation and drawing space conversion.

Drawing Units

ArchiCAD stores coordinates in meters (although you may see millimeters or feet/inches depending on your current‘Pr eferences’ settings). AutoCAD doesn’t attach dimension units to coordinates; in other words, it is up to the user to take a coordinate as if given in meters, millimeters, inches or miles.

- Output: You need to scale the coordinate values to the units expected by the person you export your plan file for.

- Input: You need to know how to interpret the coordinate values in the drawing in order to scale them to meters.

Note: ArchiCAD doesn’t store coordinates outside the (-108_{, 10}8₎

interval because distances on the Earth’s surface are never outside these limits. Still, using a wrong scale factor on input may transform coordinate values outside it with undesirable results.

Default Values

The Open/Save dialog boxes offered the following default values:

- 1000.0 mm if you have set metric units (meters, centimeters or millimeters) in Ar chiCAD’s Pr eferences dialog box,

- 1.00 inch in all other cases. Examples

The following table shows useful values to enter into the ‘Translate one DXF/DWG Drawing Unit into’/‘Create one DXF/DWG

Drawing Unit fr om’ field in the Open/Save DXF/DWG dialog box:

Drawing Unit Drawing Unit Value to enter used in AutoCAD used in ArchiCAD in dialog box

mm Metric (m, cm, mm) 1 (mm)

mm feet-inch 0.039370 (inch)

m Metric (m, cm, mm) 1000 (mm)

m feet-inch 39.370079 (inch)

feet-inch Metric (m, cm, mm) 25.4 (mm)

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Color Matching

ArchiCAD has 255 colors. They ar e predefined but you can change any of them. AutoCAD has 256 colors. These colors ar e predefined and unchangeable. Both pr ograms use indices to refer to them. Their default color mappings don’t match.

On Input

If you activate the color matching option, the ArchiCAD color table will be redefined to reflect the predefined color values of the AutoCAD color table. If you choose this option while reading in a DXF/DWG file and then look at the Pens & Colors settings you will see the AutoCAD color table in ArchiCAD.

If you choose not to activate the color matching option, the ArchiCAD color table r emains as it was befor e the DXF/DWG file was imported. Elements will be displayed with the colors the indices ar e associated with (e.g., elements drawn with Pen 1 in the DXF/DWG file will be drawn with Pen 1 in Ar chiCAD, too). This means that the colors of drawing elements in Ar chiCAD will dif fer from the colors of elements in AutoCAD.

On Output

If you activate the color matching option, for every ArchiCAD color the closest matching AutoCAD color will be determined by the Add-On and this color index will be assigned to the element. This means that color indices of elements will change (e.g., it is possible that an element drawn with Pen 1 in ArchiCAD will be drawn with Pen 251 in AutoCAD because that predefined color is the closest to it in AutoCAD). Because of this color approximation and the predefined nature of AutoCAD colors, the colors might not be exactly the same in the DXF/DWG file as they were in ArchiCAD. If you choose not to activate the color matching option, no color matching will be attempted at output. Elements in the r esulting DXF/DWG file will be displayed using the colors the indices are associated with (e.g., elements drawn with Pen 1 in Ar chiCAD will be drawn with Pen 1 in the DXF/DWG file, too). This means that the colors of drawing elements in the DXF/DWG file will differ from the colors of elements in ArchiCAD.

3D Information

You can include 3D data into the cr eated Library Parts in either binary or GDL for m.

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- The 3D data is stor ed in binary form.

It takes less room and can be drawn faster . It is instantly tested during r eading. If the 3D infor mation cannot be pr ocessed, you will get an err or message. For troubleshooting, use the next option.

- The 3D data is stor ed in GDL scripts.

No testing is done with this method, as the import does not fail on such pr oblems. Later you can test, examine and - if needed - modify the script and even save it as binary fr om within Ar chiCAD.

Note: These methods only allow you to add 3D information to the ArchiCAD Library Parts. 3D information in the ENTITY section cannot be translated into Library Parts and will be lost. If the entire DXF/DWG file is opened as an ArchiCAD Library Part using the Open Library Part... command, it will be

transformed into a single real ArchiCAD library part that contains the whole drawing with all the 3D information. In this case, you must place this Library Part on your Floor Plan to see it.

Paper and Model Space

AutoCAD has two spaces to put entities into: the Model space and the Paper space. The Model space can contain both 2D and 3D entities, while the Paper space can contain only 2D entities. Apart from this restriction, it is up to the AutoCAD user to decide where to put the entities. Usually the Model space is where construction elements are created in AutoCAD. This is the ‘equivalent’ of ArchiCAD’s Floor Plan and 3D W indow. The Paper space is where users prepare their designs for printing/plotting and is provides a function similar to PlotMaker .

In Ar chiCAD, you have thr ee options at input/output. The first is to import elements that ar e in the space defined in the opened DXF/DWG file. This option is available at input. The other two choices are to either read/write only those elements that are in Paper space or those elements that are in Model space.

In PlotMaker, at input you can either instruct the program to place all Paper space entities onto the Layout and all Model space entities in a drawing or you can select the space from which to place elements into a drawing/layout. When saving from PlotMaker as DXF/DWG, elements on the layout will always be saved to Paper space and elements in drawing will always be saved into Model space. When you save a drawing you can specify which space you want to save into. You can find information on the available options at each dialog box’s description earlier in this chapter.

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Working with AutoCAD Tools

In Ar chiCAD 6.5, it is now possible to work with external reference files the same way you work with them in AutoCAD. External r eferencing is a way of saving disk space and work. This means that you can attach a DWG or DXF file to your drawing, which will be loaded into the project and displayed. You will be able to snap to all drawing elements within the XREF (Exter nal Reference File) and they ar e printed and plotted. A common use for XREFs is drawing elements that ar e common to several kinds of drawings within a pr oject (e.g., the outlines of exterior and interior walls). If you have a file containing this data, you can attach it to other drawings that can use the geometric infor mation contained in the XREF file without the need of the data actually being in the Pr oject file. Also, if the source of the data in the exter nal r eference (the DWG or DXF) is changed, then these changes can be updated immediately so the latest data is always available.

With these new capabilities in Ar chiCAD, you can now attach and detach XREF files, unload and r eload them, bind them to the project file and view infor mation about them. These functions ar e available fr om the Tools menu under the AutoCAD commands submenu.

XREF Management

The first command in the menu list is the ‘XREF Management’ command. Clicking it will display the following dialog box:

Most XREF-related functions can be completed in this dialog box. Options are detailed in the next few paragraphs.

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View Mode Buttons

There ar e two buttons in the upper-left corner of the dialog box that contr ol how the list of attached XREF files is displayed. The one on the left will display all attached in the or der they were attached.

If you click the second button, it will display attached XREFs in a hierar chical tr ee structure. Since DWG files used as external references can also contain additional exter nal r eferences, nesting can occur . This simply means that certain files ar e nested into other files that ar e referenced from the ArchiCAD project file. This nesting can be quite complicated, r eaching down several levels.

Viewing external r eference files as a hierar chical file structur e lets you see which files refer to other externtal files, indicating what should load into the project when attaching an exter nal r eference file. If an attached file r efers to other files, a + sign will appear on

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its left. Clicking the + sign r eveals the names of files refered to from this file. In the above example, you can see that the external reference file named ‘3D STUFF’ has one file r efered to from it named ‘MISC’. Knowing this, you will expect the content of MISC to also appear on your Floor Plan.

The next part of the dialog box is the list that contains the infor mation about the attached files. If you ar e in list mode you will see data about each file, including:

- Reference name: The name of the reference, usually the same as the name of the attached file.

- Status: The exact status of the file after each operation that affects it, such as ‘Loaded’, ‘Detached’, ‘Reloaded’, ‘Unloaded’ or ‘Bound.’

- Type: The type of external r eferencing, either ‘Attach’ or ‘Overlay.’

- Date: The date at which the first instance of the exter nal reference was attached.

- Insts (Instances): The number of instances of a certain external reference file attached to the Project. As with library objects, you can attach an external reference several times to a Project file and in various locations (layers, different floors etc.).

Attach

The command buttons r elated to XREF operations are located on the right side of the dialog box next to the list field. The first of these is the Attach button. Clicking it will display the Attach XREF dialog box.

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In the XREF Name ar ea, you can specify the name of the file to be attached:

- If you click the Browse button, a file selection dialog box will appear where you can select the DWG or DXF file to be attached as an exter nal r eference.

- Alternatively, you can select fr om the pop-up list of already attached files if you want to place another instance of the file in the Pr oject.

The Path field will always show the exact path to the selected file.

In the Reference Type section, you can choose between the

Attach and Overlay XREF attachment methods. The dif ference

between the two methods is how nested XREFs are handled.

Nesting occurs when you load an external r eference to a file that has exter nal r eferences loaded to other files. When you attach an exter nal r eference, all levels of nesting can be displayed in the Pr oject file. When you ‘overlay’ an external reference, nested XREFs from the referenced file will not be visible in the Project.

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The following tables what happens when you attach/overlay DWG files that contain attached/overlaid XREFs.

XREF visible Nested XREF visible

(yes/no) (yes/no)

XREF attached,

nested XREF within YES YES

originally attached XREF attached,

nested XREF within YES N O

originally overlaid XREF overlaid,

nested XREF within YES YES

originally attached XREF overlaid,

nested XREF within YES N O

originally overlaid

Examples:

1. A DWG file named BASE.DWG that has an attached XREF named COMMON.DWG is attached to the ArchiCAD Pr oject. Both files will be visible on the Floor Plan.

2. A DWG file named BASE.DWG that has an overlaid XREF named COMMON.DWG is attached to the ArchiCAD Pr oject.

BASE.DWG will be visible on the Floor Plan but

COMMON.DWG will not be visible.

3. A DWG file named BASE.DWG that has an attached XREF named COMMON.DWG is overlaid to the ArchiCAD Pr oject. Both files will be visible on the Floor Plan.

4. A DWG file named BASE.DWG that has an overlaid XREF named COMMON.DWG is overlaid to the ArchiCAD Pr oject.

BASE.DWG will be visible on the Floor Plan but

COMMON.DWG will not be visible.

In the Parameters portion of the dialog box you can define

where and how you want the XREF to be placed on the ArchiCAD floor plan. You can specify coordinate and r otation values and scale factors.

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- Insertion point: In the X and Y field, you can enter the exact coordinates of the location of the lower left corner of the enclosing rectangle. Alternatively, you can check the ‘Specify On-Screen’ checkbox, in which case you enter these

coordinates by clicking on the floor plan.

- Scale Factors: You can specify a scale factor in both X and Y dir ections. You can also define them on the scr een.

- Rotation: You can define an angle by which the whole placed XREF will be rotated ar ound its insertion point. This too can be defined on the screen.

Note: if you checked any ‘Specify On-Screen’ checkboxes, the input pr ocess will happen the following way: If you specified X and Y coordinates, then the lower left corner is placed. If not, you can click the point on the Floor Plan that will become the insertion point.

If you specified scale factors, the XREF’s enclosing box will be scaled to its appropriate size. If not, you will be able to stretch the enclosing rectangle just as if you wer e stretching an Ar chiCAD object. It is possible to input or specify negative or positive values for scale factors. By specifying negative values you can achieve mirr oring effects.

If you specified a rotation angle, the XREF is r otated and then drawn. If not, you can r otate the enclosing rectangle until you input the value with a mouse click or coordinate input.

If you don’t check any of the above three checkboxes, the XREF will be immediately placed with the values specified in the dialog box. Clicking the Options button displays a simplified input/output dialog box containing options that apply to XREFs:

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- Select configuration file: You can select the configuration file that will pr ocess the DXF/DWG file to be saved. For infor mation, please r efer to the ‘Open DXF/DWG document’ section earlier in this chapter . Clicking the Details button will take you to the Configuration File Details dialog box fr om where you can view and modify the content of the Configuration file.

- Translate one DXF/DWG Drawing Unit into: This field specifies the conversion ratio between one drawing unit in AutoCAD and the drawing unit within Ar chiCAD. Please r efer to the Drawing units section in this same chapter for mor e details and examples. The default value depends on your Pr eferences settings.

- Match colors to AutoCAD color table: Instructs the DXF/ DWG Add-On to match the colors of the resulting ArchiCAD file to the colors defined in AutoCAD’s color table. Please refer to the Color matching section later in this chapter for mor e details. By default, this setting is active.

- Use Defaults: Clicking this button will r estore any changed option to its default value.

Note: When you attach an exter nal r eference file to an ArchiCAD Pr oject, a layer will be cr eated for it. The resulting layer names will have the following format:

‘XREF_NAME | LAYER_NAME’.

Layer names of attached XREF files in the Layers list

For example, the PEN_56 layer of a DWG file that was attached to the project with the XREF name 3D_STUFF will become the layer 3D_STUFF|PEN_56.

Detach

The next command button in the XREF Management dialog box is the ‘Detach’ button. Clicking it will detach the XREF fr om the drawing, meaning that after closing the dialog box the detached XREF will be removed from the Project file. If you want to use it again you will have to attach it again. The ‘Status’ column will reflect this ‘detached’ state.

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Reload

When the DWG or DXF file used as an external r eference has been modified, and you want to have the latest changes appear in your ArchiCAD Pr oject file, you can do so by clicking the ‘Reload’ button. The program will load the whole file into ArchiCAD again and display this latest state. Also, if you unloaded an exter nal reference from the Project file, you can load it again with the Reload button. The status column of the dialog box will reflect this state.

Note: The reload process does not display an options dialog box to specify the input parameters. They are present in the database: the same data will be used as specified earlier with the Attach command.

Unload

Clicking this button will keep the selected external r eference file attached to the project file, but it will be unloaded fr om memory and its content will not appear on the Floor Plan. As opposed to “detaching,” which r emoves the file from the project and the XREF Management file list, the Unload command keeps it attached. Simply clicking the ‘Reload’ button will make it r eappear. You will see information about this in the ‘Status’ column of the dialog box.

Note: After you unload an XREF , a text will appear at the insertion point of the XREF notifying you of this fact. For example if you unload the XREF file ‘WALLS,’ the message ‘ Unloaded XREF “WALLS” ’ will appear on the Floor Plan in place of the XREF.

Bind

It is possible to take the content of the attached XREF file and make it become part of the project using the ‘Bind’ command. Clicking the Bind button will mer ge the content of the external reference to the Project and delete the external r eference to the file from the list.

Note: Binding will make all instances of the r eference file part of the Project. It is not possible to bind only one instance of the XREF file.

When you bind an XREF , the layer names of the XREF will r eflect the change, taking on following format:

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Layer names of bound XREF files in the Layers list

For example, the PEN_5 layer of the XREF file with the name ‘WALLS’ was converted to layer WALLS|PEN_5 while it was attached. When it is bound to the pr oject file, its name is

automatically changed to W ALLS$36$PEN_5, with the number ‘36’ being a number in the list of layers.

XREF found at – Browse

Clicking the ‘Br owse’ button in the XREF Management dialog box will open a dir ectory dialog box where you can change the file that the selected XREF points to. After you select another file and return to the XREF management dialog box, you need to click the ‘Reload’ button for the change to actually take ef fect. After exiting the dialog box with the OK button, ArchiCAD r eloads the new file, which will then be associated with the given XREF name.

This featur e is particularly useful when you have an XREF in your project whose original file was changed and saved under a new name.

For example, consider a Floor Plan that is attached to the interior design project with the name ‘Floor Plan990728.DWG’. Later , as the floor plan changes, it is saved under the name ‘Floor Plan 990801.DWG’. Clicking the Br owse button and selecting this new file will associate the link with this latest version of the Floor Plan, enabling the Interior Designer to quickly update it and use it for further work.

Show Log

Clicking this button will expand the XREF Management dialog box downward and a list will appear showing all steps per formed in the curr ent session of the XREF Management dialog box.