3D Design
Community
Discussion
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Artifice 3D Design Community Discussion |
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Posted by Alex Smith on November 01, 1997 at 23:58:20:
In Reply to: Interface with other CAD software posted by Vincent Linarello on November 01, 1997 at 16:44:21:
Dear Mr.Linarello,
It is good to hear from you. What you're asking about is probably the
most important question for 2D/3D CAD integration in the Windows
environment.
The answer is a definate "yes", you can easily interface DesignWorkshop
for Windows with AutoCAD 2D drawings on Windows 95 (and NT, too). This
works equally well whether your process is to draw first and then model,
or to model first and then draw.
The current DesignWorkshop Lite at our web site should give you a
reasonable preview of how easily you can take AutoCAD drawings in DXF
format and read them into DesignWorkshop. Just use the "File" menu
"Import > DXF Drawing or Model" command to read the AutoCAD data into
DesignWorkshop.
The main trick to make the process smooth and productive is to translate
only the layers and graphics you need to - notes and dotted lines, for
instance, are not very useful in 3D, but they can bog down the the 3D
work space, so they should be left behind.
Some additional translation tips are included in the Help system of
DesignWorkshop Lite for Windows.
Going in the other direction, you can take a plan or elevation view of a
DesignWorkshop model, and instantly export it in 2D DXF format to read
into AutoCAD as a new drawing.
The full release version of DesignWorkshop for Windows will go way beyond
this, however, with the built-in ability to read and write your AutoCAD
DWG drawings directly.
The full release version of DesignWorkshop for Windows will also provide
upgraded 2D and 3D DXF import and export functions, which will continue
to be useful for connecting to hundereds of non-AutoCAD applications.
Artifice feels that strong integration between DesignWorkshop and AutoCAD
is an essential feature of our new Windows version. In fact, we would
like you to be able to think of DesignWorkshop almost as a powerful
accessory for doing faster and easier 3D graphics with AutoCAD.
I hope you will find that these capabilities meet your needs. Thanks for asking!
Alex Smith