Importing a DXF/DWG File

You can import 2D geometric data (X,Y) contained in a disk-based DXF/DWG file to a drawing representation using several methods.

  1. In the DXF 2D tab of the Preferences
    1. Select the default standard file, or customized ones. See About Standards.
    2. Select a version:

      • DXF files correspond to ASCII format. The import supports also binary DXF files.
      • DWG files correspond to binary format.
      • DXF/DWG formats version 12, 13, 14, Autocad2000, Autocad2004, Autocad2007 to Autocad2018 are supported.

    3. Select other required options. Their behavior is described in the next chapters.
  2. Import the DXF2D (*.dxf) or DWG2D (*.dwg) file as explained in Import.
    • A progress bar is displayed while the content is converted and saved in the database. If the save operation fails, a failure message is displayed and the import is closed. See About the Report File for more information.
    • The import takes all DXF/DWG options into account except for the Drafting Standard. When inserting data in a 2D Layout, its standard is not changed.
      • When a view is inserted in the current sheet, the format of the current sheet is not modified.
      • When a new sheet is created, the best format is applied for this new sheet.
    • A new representation is created, see About User Exit for more information about identification.
    • The structure of the result is as follows:
      • If the DXF/DWG file contains only one sheet, this sheet is created in the current sheet. An auxiliary view is created in the current sheet for each view found in the DXF/DWG file.
      • If the DXF/DWG file contains more than one sheet, the first sheet is created in the current sheet, then a new sheet is created for each additional DXF/DWG sheet. The views in each sheet are created in the plane xy like auxiliary views. The names of the sheets and views are kept.
      • The created views are visible in the work area and put in the plane xOy. But you can change the view support for these auxiliary views after the import.
      • The background of the views is displayed. As a consequence, any 3D geometry is seen in all the views. If it is not whished, you can choose to make the background invisible for the views.
      • The default filter, which is applied to the created views entails that the other views of the 2D Layout are not visible.
    • If the model is far from the origin (more than 1000 km away), to support geometries with precision as well as texts, annotations, and hatches:
      • If Unit of the file is specified to Automatic in the Preferences, the unit used in the AutoCAD file is detected and used. The scale of the view is automatically specified to take the real size of the drawing into account.
      • The geometry is translated near the origin [0.,0.] and created in a view with the corresponding scale.
      • The geolocalization definition of the AutoCAD file is kept and only the information of the translation vector is displayed in the report file.
      • Performance issues that may occur when importing a civil plan far from the origin are solved provided the computed bounding box is in the correct design range. Data out of range design are not properly imported.

        Importing a very large file or a file where numerous DXF layers are mapped with 2D layout for 3D Design Sheets can still be time consuming.

      • Only the Model Space (not the Paper Space) is taken into account.
    • Entities are imported as follows:
      Note: The following DXF entity types introduced since AutoCAD2004 are not supported, nor mentioned in the report file: Helix, Image, Light, Mesh, Mleader, Section, Sun, Surface, Table, Underlay, Wipeout.
    DXF/DWG element DXF/DWG sub-type 3DEXPERIENCE Notes
    Geometry
    point point
    line line
    ray none
    xline none
    circle circle
    arc arc
    ellipse ellipse
    polyline/ 2D polyline/ lightweight polyline Non-adjustable width, made of line segments. polyline Not editable.
    Non-adjustable width, made of line and arc segments. segments and arc with no structure Structure is lost.
    Adjustable width. filled area (pattern) Structure is lost.
    Fit curve. polyline
    mline lines Structure and closing attributes are lost.
    spline NURBS Not editable.
    3D face none
    3D solid none
    UCS none USER COORDINATE SYSTEM is not taken into account.
    Annotations
    text text Mirrored text is not taken into account.
    mtext text Changing fonts, changing attributes and line break are not taken into account. Text alignment is not taken into account. Mirrored text is not taken into account.
    arc aligned text none
    rtext none
    dimensions Aligned, linear and rotated, radius and diameter, angular, ordinate (x or y). Dimension or details or geometry+texts About Dimension Conversion.

    In a few "dimensions" cases, the text of the dimension can be a text with an associative link. In all "dimensions" cases, the geometry support is in No Show.

    Note: associative dimensions are not supported.

    leader semantic arrow Editable in Drafting.

    The dimension style data is then applied to the arrow (color, line thickness, line type, ...). Drafting Standards impact the default arrow head. Since the arrowhead is automatically mapped to the default Arrowhead defined in the Drafting Standard, any specific arrowhead defined in DXF is lost.

    DXF standards may impact the line type mapping.

    Note: Automatic mappings apply to line thickness and color.
    The leader complies with the unit of the file. Spline leaders are automatically converted to polylines leaders (with precision defined by the fitting points included in the DXF file).

    tolerance semantic geometrical tolerance Editable with the Geometrical Tolerance in Drafting.

    DXF tolerances connected to a leader are imported as Tolerances with the leader.

    The dimension style data is then applied to the connected leader (color, line thickness, line type, text dimension, precision, tolerance,...). Drafting Standards may impact the default arrow head used by the standard tolerance.

    DXF standards may impact the font and line type mappings.

    Note: Automatic mappings apply to line thickness and color.
    The tolerance complies with the unit of the file. The first symbol of the DXF tolerance must be a tolerance symbol. If this is not the case, no tolerance is created and an error message is issued.

    hatch Non-associative. filled area (pattern)
    Associative. filled area (pattern) The contour of the hatch is created in the No Show and the associativity is created with this hidden contour.
    solid filled area (colored)
    block attribute text
    Structures
    block detail The details are created in a new Detail Sheet named "Imported Details".
    insert (block reference) ditto If the insert is defined with different scales, on x-axis and y-axis, no detail instance is created but only the geometry is transferred.
    group none The structure of the group is lost whereas its contents is transferred.
    viewport view or details See About Sheets and About Viewports Content Conversion.
    layout (paper space) sheet See About Sheets.
    OLE frame none
    proxy detail The proxy is converted into standard elements (lines, arcs, texts) that are imported at the place of the proxy.

    The proxy must contain its graphic representation.

    The graphic representation must be consistent with the proxy.

    region none
    Attributes
    color color See About Standards.
    line weight line weight See About Standards.
    line type line type See About Standards.
    point markers point type Markers may be different.
    layer layer Invisible layers are gathered in a filter named Invisible Imported Layers.

    Visible layers are gathered in a filter named Visible Imported Layers.

    layer name If Map DXF Layers with mapping table is not selected:

    When an AutoCAD layer has a name that corresponds to a number between 0 and 999, this layer is imported as a layer with the number associated:

    • If a layer with the same number already exists, the AutoCAD layer is imported in this layer, without changing its name.
    • If there is no layer with the same number, the AutoCAD layer is imported in a new layer, with the same name as in AutoCAD.
    • If the AutoCAD layer has a name that does not match any number in the available range, the layer is mapped on the first existing layer that has the same name, or a new one is created on the first available layer number.

    If Map DXF Layers with mapping table is selected, see About Standards.

    font font
    pattern pattern Automatic mapping
    BYBlock attribute attribute The value of the attribute of the block is specified to a default value.
    BYLayer attribute attribute The value of the attribute of the layer is applied to each element imported.
  3. Alternatively, in Drafting and 2D Layout for 3D Design, from an existing drawing:
    1. From the Annotation section of the action bar, select Insert From File .
    2. Or drag the file to import into the drawing.

    With these methods, the data are inserted in an existing drawing representation.

    Note: When new views are inserted in the current sheet, this sheet takes the name of the corresponding DXF/DWG layout and the format of the sheet is modified. To avoid this, insert DXF/DWG files in a new sheet.