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    MAC version 3 non functioning DWG/DXF export?

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    • B Offline
      bjanzen
      last edited by

      Exporting to paper space or model space? If you export to model space, you could open them up in SketchUp and see if anything is there. SketchUp will NOT show anything exported to paper space. I usually look at them in TrueView on PC as well. What are you viewing them with.

      b

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      • O Offline
        otb designworks
        last edited by

        Well, short answer is, I have no idea which.

        I just chose export/dwg and I get nothing. Where do I choose model/paper space as an export option?

        I use edrawing and Illustrator as my viewers for dwg's, and I often times import dxf's into SU.

        I guess I am still getting hung up on the whole model versus paper space; I thought Layout exports were all paper space. Is this not the case?

        Thanks barry, I would be lost without you.

        Cheers, Chuck

        OTB Designworks is on Youtube

        6 core nMP, 32 gig RAM, (2) D700 GPU's, dual monitors

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        • B Offline
          bjanzen
          last edited by

          Paper space, and it'll be on paper the size of your model. It wont be importable by SketchUp, and will only show up in a "Layout" in TrueView (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=6703438), but not in model space.

          If you export to model space (and you can provide scale here), you can use it to model in AutoCAD and import it back into SketchUp to see if it looks right. DWG.png

          b

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          • O Offline
            otb designworks
            last edited by

            Thanks for bearing with me, Barry; I am still trying to figure this out.

            I am using edrawings as my viewer, as well as illustrator.

            If I export out in model space as a DXF, or a DWG, then import into SU, everything is as expected.

            If I open the DXF in illustrator, everything is as expected, but, if I open it in edrawing, then some of my layers are visible and some aren't. In the example I am using, the model is invisible, but the grid, which I drew in Layout, is visible, but the title block, also drawn in layout, isn't visible.

            If I open the DWG in edrawings, the behavior is as if I used the DXF. If I open the DWG in Illustrator, everything is there, but invisible because the color of the vectors are unfilled and unstroked on a white artboard. Changing the artboard to black does not make them visible. However, selecting all geometry and choosing to fill with black makes everything visible. In edrawing, though, there is nothing I can do to make it show up.

            Am I just missing something, or, since I obviously don't know anything about ACAD, is this an expected behavior? MY concern is sending dwg's to a client without being able to easily ascertain whether I am sending something useful, or not.

            Thanks for the help

            Cheers, Chuck

            OTB Designworks is on Youtube

            6 core nMP, 32 gig RAM, (2) D700 GPU's, dual monitors

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            • B Offline
              bjanzen
              last edited by

              We tested using other CAD products, but unless it failed in AutoCAD or TrueView (Autodesk products), we didn't consider it a bug. I contacted one 3rd party vendor when I saw that things were OK in AutoCAD but not in their product (thinking I'd do them a favor), and one of their engineers responded back with incorrect assumptions that I was talking 3D (thinking SketchUp, not LayOut), and sent me hence this long incorrect explanation. OK, I tried. It wasn't the company you mentioned, but it doesn't surprise me that something might be off in some products (other than Autodesk products).

              Fills are off by default. Again, take a close look at the export panel: "Ignore Fills" is checked, meaning you'll get no fills. We're assuming people would export this for vector lines for ACAD. You'll have to ask the right questions of you client to get the right combination.

              b

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              • EdsonE Offline
                Edson
                last edited by

                TrueView, as should be expected, is a windows-only application. for mac, as far as I know, eDrawings (by solidworks) is the only dwg/dxf viewer available.

                edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                • T Offline
                  tfdesign
                  last edited by

                  Edson,

                  Two more here;

                  Link Preview Image
                  DWG Viewer | Easy to use AutoCAD DWG viewer for mac | Microspot Ltd.

                  Open, View, Annotate and export your AutoCAD DWG files as PDF on your Mac.

                  favicon

                  (www.microspot.co.uk)

                  and

                  Link Preview Image
                  404 Not Found 2

                  At Punch!CAD, it is our mission to make computer aided design software that matches up perfectly with your needs, regardless of your industry or expertise. Whether you’re an architect, engineer, CAD drafter, 3D printing expert, furniture designer, student, or DIY hobbyist, you can always find the right tools for the job.

                  favicon

                  (www.punchcad.com)

                  Shark FX is actually a demo. You get 30 days of trial, then you can't save anything. But it will carry on working as an excellent DXG/DXF viewer. Shark is also built on ACIS, and has 3D capabilities.

                  While not a viewer, Rhino is still in beta, and can also be had as an excellent 3D viewer for many files including AutoCAD's.

                  So 3 more perhaps? 😄

                  Tom

                  My book "Let's SketchUp!" Download from here

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                  • EdsonE Offline
                    Edson
                    last edited by

                    thanks, tom. it always good to have more options.

                    regards.

                    edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                    http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                    • B Offline
                      bjanzen
                      last edited by

                      Some friends at Vectorworks also gave us a copy, so we'll run tests through that. But again, the final arbiter is AutoCAD.

                      b

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                      • AnssiA Offline
                        Anssi
                        last edited by

                        Note too that if your Layout viewports are set to raster (or hybrid) rendering, the exporter creates a separate raster image that is xref'd into the resulting DWG file. I wonder if all DWG viewers are able to display xrefs or inserted raster images.

                        Anssi

                        securi adversus homines, securi adversus deos rem difficillimam adsecuti sunt, ut illis ne voto quidem opus esset

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                        • GaieusG Offline
                          Gaieus
                          last edited by

                          One more thing; if you explode a SU model in LO, when in raster mode, you get an editable image file, in vector mode you get an editable vector set (and can change line weights and such) and when in hybrid mode, you get both.

                          Obviously hybrid mode gives you the best possibilities however I can imagine it is the most resource hungry mode as well.

                          Gai...

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                          • EdsonE Offline
                            Edson
                            last edited by

                            I am afraid I must return to this topic as I am following barry's suggestions but cannot export to dwg/dxf. I have tried to open the resulting files with edrawing, microspot's dwg viewer and vectorworks. nothing appears in any of them.

                            chuck: are you having any luck with exports from LO?

                            edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                            http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                            • EdsonE Offline
                              Edson
                              last edited by

                              the dwg export was not working for me because I did not have my models set to vector in LO. after changing that it worked. text does not export 100% correct but the problems are minimal.

                              as for reading the files, no dwg reader was able to read the files correctly. I had to download and install an educational version of autocad to check on them and make sure they were ok.

                              edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                              http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                              • GaieusG Offline
                                Gaieus
                                last edited by

                                Edson,

                                The default format is dwg2010 and there are a bunch of CAD apps which cannot read that yet. Export as dwg 2007 and you will have better results.

                                As for the text - is that some unicode characters for Portuguese?

                                Gai...

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                                • EdsonE Offline
                                  Edson
                                  last edited by

                                  csaba,

                                  I did export in autocad 2000 format and it still would not appear well in those readers. but in autocad it was ok. as much as I dislike autocad, it is no big deal to have it installed to check on my exports.

                                  edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                                  http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                                  • GaieusG Offline
                                    Gaieus
                                    last edited by

                                    Hi Edson, check your PM's, please.

                                    Gai...

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                                    • O Offline
                                      otb designworks
                                      last edited by

                                      I can't figure out what isn't working as expected, but, I too, also have difficulties with getting the dwg/dxf exports to work in the readers.

                                      I have no access to Autocad, but I know that the dwgs I sent to a local engineer was exhibiting weirdness in his autocad. Text was coming in as hatching blocks was the most annoying, and finally not solved, issue.

                                      I kind of gave up and did no further experimenting

                                      Cheers, Chuck

                                      OTB Designworks is on Youtube

                                      6 core nMP, 32 gig RAM, (2) D700 GPU's, dual monitors

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                                      • EdsonE Offline
                                        Edson
                                        last edited by

                                        @unknownuser said:

                                        I can't figure out what isn't working as expected, but, I too, also have difficulties with getting the dwg/dxf exports to work in the readers.

                                        I have no access to Autocad, but I know that the dwgs I sent to a local engineer was exhibiting weirdness in his autocad. Text was coming in as hatching blocks was the most annoying, and finally not solved, issue.

                                        I kind of gave up and did no further experimenting

                                        chuck,

                                        following barry's suggestions, I changed my LO pages to vector mode and exported them to model space. it worked fine, with minor text problems.

                                        if you like, send me your exported dwgs and I will open them with acad.

                                        edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                                        http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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