The HEADER section
The HEADER section contains global data and curr ent settings of the DXF/DWG file. The used ones are listed below:
- $ACADVER: the version identifier of the DXF/DWG file. It isn’t used in input pr ocess. Used only during saving with a
template file.
- $TILEMODE: If you choose the ‘Space defined in the
document’ option in the Read DXF/DWG entities from: option, $TILEMODE determines whether Model space or Paper space entities ar e imported. If $TILEMODE is 1, Model space entities are imported; if it is 0 everything is imported (the Model space entities are transfor med into the Viewport and clipped).
- $FILLMODE: Depending on this flag, some objects (TRACE, SOLID) must or need not be filled.
- $EXTMIN, $EXTMAX: the extents of the drawing. If Model space entities are imported, they are used as zoom box to fit the drawing in the window.
- $PEXTMIN, $PEXTMAX: the paper space extents of the drawing. If Paper space entities ar e imported, they are used as zoom box to fit the drawing in the window.
- $DWGCODEPAGE: it contains the code page of the texts in the drawing.
If the drawing code page is the same as your system code page, texts in the drawing don’t have to be converted. If it isn’t, attempts ar e made to convert the texts. Sometimes the conversion produces acceptable results (e.g., between Eastern Eur opean and Western code page); but there ar e cases when the conversion fails (e.g., Russian to Japanese)..
The TABLES section
LAYER table
The original Ar chiCAD layers ar e deleted (except the ArchiCAD layer). Layer combinations ar e deleted, too. All the LAYER table items ar e imported with their locked and hidden flags.
ArchiCAD 6.5 DXF/DWG Conversion Guide
LTYPE table
The original Ar chiCAD line types are deleted (except the SOLID line type). All the LTYPE table items are imported. Complex line types (containing 2D shapes) can be imported now into SYMBOL line types of ArchiCAD, provided the necessary shape files (.SHX) ar e available.
VPORT table
The first active view port (named *ACTIVE) provides the following infor mation:
- grid on/off enables the floor plan grid display - main and auxiliary grid spacing
- grid snap base, step and angle
- zoom factor is disr egarded, the drawing will be displayed as fit in window
VIEW table
The plan views will be converted into named Quick Views. Only top views are processed. Name and zoom factor is used to create the corresponding quick view definition.
STYLE table
The STYLE table contains:
- Font file specifications for the styles defined in the drawing - Shape file specifications for complex line types (see above)
and for SHAPE entities
If the ‘Explode Vectorial Text’ option is set, the font files (only the SHX files!) ar e used to explode the texts into individual lines and ar cs (they ar e always grouped together). At least one valid SHX font file must be available (but pr eferably all the r eferenced ones) otherwise it can’t be done.
If you don’t set the option, texts will be imported as texts. In the #STYLECONV and #FONTCONV sections of the configuration file you may attach fonts used by Ar chiCAD to the expected AutoCAD style names (STANDARD style is always present). Styles that aren’t found in the #STYLECONV section are attached to a (country dependent) default font.
If your AutoCAD-using client or consultant has a font set (TTF+SHX fonts) similar to the ones used by you (usually the names ar e similar , too) there is no problem; otherwise you can experiment with the #STYLECONV and #FONTCONV tables.
APPID table
The presence of the AC650 entry is used to decide whether the drawing was exported from ArchiCAD. It affects the import of LINE TYPES (using their original ArchiCAD names instead of AutoCAD names) and the processing of ArchiCAD-specific extended data. Other tables are not processed.
The BLOCKS section
The way the content of the BLOCKS section is processed depends on several options:
- Open as... ArchiCAD Pr oject
Only the referred blocks’ data is used. Depending on the DXF/ DWG symbols option, they can be put on the Floor Plan (grouped or not grouped) or stored in Library Parts. Library Parts ar e made of the blocks directly referred from the ENTITIES section (“parent” blocks”). The content of a block referred to by another block is stored as part of the Library Part made of the “par ent” block.
- Open as... ArchiCAD Library
All the BLOCKs are stored as Library Parts. The contents of the ENTITIES section remains unpr ocessed. Nothing goes to the Floor Plan.
Note: anonym blocks (HATCH blocks) are never processed. - Add 3D data to Library Parts as:
If the reading pr ocess involves creating Library Parts, you can read the 3D infor mation stor ed in the blocks. It can be stored in either binary or GDL for m. Please refer to the 3D
infor mation section for mor e details. The ENTITIES section
Every entity will be placed on the floor plan.
AutoCAD ENTITY ArchiCAD element(s)
POINT Line (with 0 length)
LINE Line
CIRCLE Circle
ARC Arc
ELLIPSE Ellipse or elliptic arc
TEXT Text or exploded into lines, arcs (grouped) MTEXT (multi-line text) Text or exploded into lines, arcs (grouped)
ArchiCAD 6.5 DXF/DWG Conversion Guide SHAPE Contents of the Shape specification exploded POLYLINE, {VERTEX}*, - 2D: Line segments between consecutive SEQEND (that is, a vertices, solid fills (if it represents a POLYLINE entity POLYLINE)
followed by at least 2 - 3D: Polyface, Mesh or 3D POLYLINE VERTEX entities and a
SEQEND entity)
LWPOLYLINE (R14) Line segments between consecutive vertices HATCH (R14) Fill objects (they may contain holes)
LEADER Line segments between consecutive vertices. The arrowhead block is exploded at the beginning of the 1st segment (triangle for a default arrowhead)
SPLINE Spline
3DLINE Line
3DFACE Line segments and a fill if it is filled on floor plan PLANE_ as 3D
VPORT Lines around the viewport rectangle If the viewport is TOP VIEW the Model space elements are transformed and clipped into it for ArchiCAD; the model space is stored in the drawing in PlotMaker; the viewport will be a placed drawing
INSERT [{ATTRIB}* - Explode the contents of the referred block SEQEND] (that is an (substitute the ATTDEFs with the matching INSERT optionally ATTRIBs)
followed by a number - or store it into a Library Part and put an of ATTRIBs and a instance of that object onto the Floor Plan (treat the ATTDEFs treat the ATTDEFs as parameter specifications SEQEND entity) and the ATTRIBs as instance parameters) BLOCK, ENDBLK Nothing is generated (consistency checking only)
DIMENSION see INSERT
TRACE Lines around a triangle or rectangle and a fill inside, if it is filled
SOLID Lines around a triangle or rectangle and a solid fill inside, if $FILLMODE is set
MLINE Line segments, optional arcs and an optional solid fill
XLINE Line segment (although XLINE represents an infinite construction line)
RAY Line segment (although RAY represents a semi- infinite construction line)
If an entity r efers to a missing attribute, the default attribute of that sort will be attached to it, so that entity will have the corr ect attributes on the floor plan.