DXF  

• Import DXF/DWG options:
  • Standards,
  • Unit of the file,
  • Paper Spaces in Background,
  • Keep Model Space,
  • Create end points,
  • Convert dimensions as,
• Export DXF/DWG options:
  • Exported sheets,
  • Version,
  • Export mode.

Impact of Large Scale and Small Scale

You can switch from the Standard Scale to a Large Scale or a Small Scale with Tools > Options > Parameters and Measure >Scale.

• DXF/DWG files generated by an export with Large Scale will be correctly handled by V5 with Large Scale.
• When the bounding box of the resulting import is too big for the current scale, a warning message recommends that you define a scale factor in the Import Options or that you adapt the scale configuration.
• DXF/DWG files generated by an export with Small Scale will be correctly handled by V5 with Small Scale.
• The import of such files in another configuration (Standard Scale or Large Scale) may result in visualization problems, just like DXF/DWG files generated by another application with very small coordinates.
• Other applications like AutoCAD that have a less accurate modeler than V5 are more robust considering the scale of the model and are not impacted.

Import

Standards

Drafting:
The element you import will be placed in a Drawing, the root document of Drafting.
This Drawing uses styles defined in a pre-defined or a customized standard such as ISO, JIS, ANSI, ASME.
For more details about Drafting standards, please refer to Administration Tasks in the Interactive
Drafting User's Guide.

In insertion mode, the standard chosen in the import options is not taken into account (even if it is dumped in the report file): the standard of the current Drawing is applied.

DXF:
Those options applied only to the current session whereas a given standard applies to all the sessions
using that standard.
For more information, please refer to the Infrastructure User's Guide Customizing Standards.

Some AutoCAD elements require a mapping:

• AutoCAD color is mapped to V5 line thickness,
• AutoCAD line type is mapped to V5 line type,
• AutoCAD text font is mapped to V5 text font.

These mappings are defined in a DXF standard file. For more details about DXF standards,
please refer to DXF/DWG: Administration Tasks in this User's Guide.

Select the requested standards from the drop-down lists.

Unit of the File

Paper Spaces in Background and Keep Model Space

The Interactive Drafting workbench provides a simple method to manipulate a sheet. A sheet contains: 

• a main view: a view which supports the geometry directly created in the sheet 
• a background view: a view dedicated to frames and title blocks 
• interactive or generated views.

An AutoCAD file is usually made of:

• a model space that contains the geometry,
• a paper space (or several in AutoCAD 2000 and above). 
  AutoCAD recommends that the paper space contains the title box and one or several viewports 
  (A viewport is a window to the model space). However other configurations are possible.

Select this option to put the Paper Spaces in the Background view.
The viewports will be created in the working view.
By default, this option is not selected.

In insertion mode, the fact that a Working view or the background view is active does not change the result: only the above option is effective.

Select this option to keep the entire Model Space in its own sheet.
By default, this option is not selected.

If the option is not selected:

• when the model space is referenced at least partially by one or several viewports, it will not be created in its own sheet,
• when the model space is referenced by no viewport (or if there is no viewport in the DXF file), it will be created in its own sheet (unless it is empty).

If the option is selected:

• the model space will be created in its own sheet (unless it is empty).

Create end points

It is not easy to modify and stretch geometry of imported elements the way you can do it in a V5 native elements.
A solution is to create end points when needed, but to the detriment of performances.
Create end points offers you three options to fit your needs:

• Never: it is the default option. It ensures the best performances.
• For few entities: creates end points only for hatch boundaries and mixed polylines.
  This is an intermediate choice between performances and edition capabilities.
• Always: creates end points for arcs, ellipses, lines, mlines, leaders and not standard polylines and splines.
  Use this option only when edition capabilities are required.

Information on the option selected is given in the report file:

Convert dimensions as

Select the required option:

Dimensions:
This option preserves the semantic of AutoCAD dimensions in V5 as best as possible. 

• In most cases, the whole semantic of the dimension is kept. 
  This means the position, the layout and the text are preserved. 
  The position, color, thickness, text caption (symbol, value, tolerance, font, color) can be edited. 
• In some cases, text with redundant information 
  (e.g. tolerance present both in the dimension field and in the dimension text) or dual dimension, 
  or other unrecognized information will be dealt as a text with an associative link with the dimension.
  This dimension has a "fake value" that is blanked.
  To display the true dimension value, delete the associated text and enter the data in the properties
  of the dimension.

• Angular dimensions, problems may occur while positioning texts,
• Following attributes are not yet supported :
• suppression of one of the dimension lines (for half dimensioning),
• offset extension or suppression of extension lines,
• arrowhead choice (the default arrowhead of the Drafting standard is used),
• automatic suppression of arrowheads if space is not sufficient.

Details: dimensions are turned into details. 
This is an halfway notion between the previous two, in which the geometry is preserved and
the dimension is easy to handle (it can be all selected at once).

See also the FAQ

Export

Version

Select the required export file format from the combo box.

Exported Sheets

Select the required option to export either all sheets or only the current sheet of a multi-sheet drawing.

• The option Only current exports the data to a file with the name entered in the Save as dialog box. 
• The option All exports the data to several files. 
  The name of each file is made of the name entered in the Save as dialog box and the name of the sheet
  (Drawing1_sheet_1.DXF, Drawing_sheet_2.DXF, ...).

Export mode

This option offers the choice between two export modes:

• Graphic:
  This mode is quick and reliable. It is useful if you want to export a CATDrawing to AutoCAD and print it without modifying it.
• Semantic:
  The exported file can be modified.

The Semantic mode offers the following options:

Export dimensions as Dimensions:
If you select this check box, linear, angular and circular dimensions are exported as true dimensions (with a default dimension style).

• None
  Does not create any DXF BLOCK at export (DXF or DWG).
  The report file of export takes into account the change in the conversion summary.
• One level
  It is the default option and corresponds the previous V5 behavior:
  • Details are retrieved through their Dittos.
  • A Detail not referenced by a Ditto is thus lost,
  • A Detail referenced by several Dittos is duplicated in BLOCKS.
  • The entities included in a Detail are not structured into sub-blocks.
  • The graphical representation of each Ditto is exported to an INSERT/BLOCK.
• Full:
  • The export of 2D Component as BLOCK is active. Each Detail instantiated by Ditto inside a sheet will be translated as such.
    Details which are not directly defined inside the CATDrawing (e.g. coming from a catalog) will be exported as one INSERT/BLOCK per Ditto, visually identical.
  • The options Export dimensions as Dimensions, Export layer number and Export layer name are also applied to entities gathered by supported Detail.
  • If necessary, the name of the Detail will be changed according the following rule to map DXF/DWG file format constraint:
    
    • If the V5 Detail name is an empty string, the corresponding BLOCK name will be “BLOCK_EMPTY_NAME_” followed by a number to guarantee the uniqueness of the name (for any AutoCAD export version).
    • If AutoCAD R12, R13 or R14 is selected as the export version, only the first 20 characters are exported, and if required followed by an underscore '_' and then a number to guarantee the uniqueness of the name. The only characters exported are letters (from 'a' to 'z' and from 'A' to 'Z') all converted in upper case, digits (from '0' to '9') and the following special characters: the hyphen '-' and the underscore '_'. All others characters are exported as underscore '_'.
    • If AutoCAD 2000 or above is selected as the export version, only the first 250 characters are exported, and if required followed by an underscore '_' and then a number to guarantee the uniqueness of the name (with the same constraint about characters as previous except that lower case letter are not modified in upper case letter).
  • For each supported 2D Component:
    • Ditto will be positioned inside the Sheet coordinate system according to its insertion point and its transformation.
    • The graphical properties (color, line type, line thickness) of each Ditto will not be visually kept (no overload will be seen).
    • The Detail entities will keep their layer according to the DXF layer semantic export option (the name or the number is exported).
    • For Supported Detail, contained geometric entities like Nurbs, Spline or ellipse will be exported semantically (not as polyline).
    • The Nested Detail will be exported as such.
    • The invisible (No Show) entities will not transferred.
    • No External Reference will be created.
    • The report file will take the number of exported entities into account
      (exported Detail will correspond to only one BLOCK with as many INSERT as exported Ditto).

Export layer name, Export layer number:

With the exception of the None layer, each V5 layer is defined by three data:

• Its number,
• An optional name,
• An optional comment.

In AutoCAD applications, layers are defined by:

• a name,
• a status,
• some graphical attributes.

You can choose how you want to export layer number:

• Export layer number:
  Each V5 layer is exported with an AutoCAD layer name that is the number of the V5 layer

• Export layer name:
  • If the V5 layer name is an empty string, the V5 number is exported (whenever the AutoCAD export version chosen).
  • If AutoCAD R12, R13 or R14 is selected as the export version, then only the first 26 characters are exported.
    The only characters exported are:
    • letters (from 'a' to 'b' and from 'A' to 'Z') all converted in upper case,
    • digits (from '0' to '9')
    • and the following special characters: the hyphen '-' and the underscore '_'.
    • All others characters are exported as underscore '_'.
  • If AutoCAD 2000 or above is selected as the export version, then only the first 255 characters are exported, with the same constraint about characters as above,
    except that lower case letters are not changed to uppercase letters and space character is authorized.

    Some different layers could be translated into the same AutoCAD Layer. When this case happens a message is added inside the report file.