CAD-Line | DXF tab

See also:

File menu > Open DXF file-type

CAD-Line dialog-box

Note:

Before you can use the CAD-Line | DXF tab to show a DXF drawing, you must File menu > Open DXF file-type to add the DXF element to the Assembly-Tree.

Use the CAD-Line dialog-box | DXF tab to:

•Show a DXF drawing that is linked to a DXF-Element

Options:

•Re-align the DXF Drawing with the CAD-Line
•Show or Hide different DXF Layers, and to change their colours
•Convert DXF Entities into MechDesigner sketch-elements
•Clear (remove) the original DXF Drawing from the CAD-Line

CAD-Line dialog-box

DXF tab

Dialog-13.2-CADLine-DXFtab

tog_minus Select DXF-Element 

Dialog-CADLine-DXF-Select DXF Element-1

Select which DXF-Element : DXF Drawing you want to link to the CAD-Line and show in the graphic-area:

Select DXF-Element: drop-down list-box

1.Click the down-arrow and select a DXF-Element in the list-box

Each DXF-Element has two parts - see example.

The DXF drawing shows in the graphic-area immediately.

If you want to move the DXF-Drawing relative to the start-Point and X-axis of the CAD-Line, see Align DXF to CAD-Line

Buttons - optional

•Edit DXF Layers : open the DXF Layers dialog-box (Note: does not work - 14-2-34)
•Remove DXF : remove the DXF Drawing from the CAD-Line.
E.g. Do after you do Convert DXF Entities to MechDesigner sketch-elements', you can remove the DXF drawing.

Example:  DXF2 : clean. DXF 

First Part : DXF2 - DXF2 is the element-name in the Assembly-Tree

Second Part : clean.DXF - is the DXF drawing-name that will show in the graphic-area.

If you cannot see the DXF Drawing, then...:

Change the background colour of the graphic-area

See Application Settings | colour tab. Mid Gray is often good colour.

The DXF drawing may be outside of the current graphic view.

See View menu > Zoom-Out. (or use Scroll-wheel on mouse)

The Linear Units of the DXF Drawing may be incorrect, which may make the drawing very small or very big. It is normal to use the same Linear Units as the original DXF drawing.

See Edit DXF-Element dialog-box.

tog_minus Align DXF to CAD-Line 

Dialog-CADLine-DXF-AlignDXF2

To change the alignment of the DXF Drawing with respect to the CAD-Line, you must select two DXF Points.

DXF Point to CAD-Line's Origin

1.Click the box to make the box Orange - see Note
2.Click the DXF-Point in the DXF Drawing that you want to move to the start-Point/ and Origin of the CAD-Line

The DXF-Point shows in the box and the box becomes Green

The box below, the DXF-Point to CAD-Line's X-axis box becomes Green

DXF Point along X-Axis / CAD-Line

3.Click a DXF-Point in the DXF Drawing to align with the X-axis of the CAD-Line.

The DXF-Drawing moves to be aligned with the two DXF-Points.

You can re-select the DXF-Points at any time.

Note:

If you can see the DXF Drawing but cannot see DXF-Points, then:

1.Click the Display Filter toolbar > DXF Points (the toolbar is below the graphic-area)

Toolbar-DisplayFilterA-DXF-Point

tog_minus Convert DXF Entities to MD Lines and Arcs 

Dialog-CADLine-DXF-ConverDXFtoMD

DXF Line, DXF Arc, and DXF Point entities are dumb.

Use this separator to convert the dumb DXF entities to MechDesigner sketch-elements.

Owner Part

This box specifies the Part to which you will add the sketch-element

Usually, you will add the sketch-elements to the same Part as the CAD-Line.

1.Click the Owner Part box to make it Orange
2.Click a Part in the graphic-area or the Assembly-Tree.

The Part should now be in the Owner Part box

DXF Entity

This box is the DXF-Entity you will convert to a MechDesigner sketch-element.

3.Click the DXF Entity box to make it Orange

Before you click a DXF-Entity, you may want to:

•Click the Select Loop radio-button so that you will convert a number of DXF-Entities to a sketch-loop
•Click the Lock Points radio-button to fix the Points in the sketch-elements to the Part, after they are converted to MD sketch-elements
•Optionally, edit the Merge Radius value to help make a sketch-loop with those DXF entities inside the Merge-Radius' value.
4.Click a DXF Entity (a DXF Line or DXF Arc) in the graphic-area
5.Click the Convert to MD Entities button

Repeat 1 to 5 again and again to convert other or the same DXF Entities to MD sketch-elements.

Note: After you Convert DXF to MD Lines and Ar, you can click the Remove DXF button, in Select DXF Elements.

Tutorials and Reference Help Files for MechDesigner and MotionDesigner 14.2 + © Machine, Cam, Mechanism, and Motion Design Software by PSMotion Ltd