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File | Open

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File menu > Open

File toolbar > Open

Top-Tip: How to Restore window size of the 'Save' and 'Open' dialogs

You can open different file-types in the Windows® Open dialog.

File-types:

CXL

CXL file-type is the MechDesigner model.

The MTD file is for the motions in MotionDesigner. The CXL file and the MTD file should be in the same path.

OLD MODELS: MechDesigner may find a sketch-element that is over-constrained.

A pop-up will ask if MechDesigner can delete the constraint to allow the sketch to be solved. Click YES if you want to open the file. Please check the important sketches in the model.

LXL

LXL file-type is a Library file-type that you have previously saved in MechDesigner.

Before you open a Library file-type, you must pre-select the Plane onto which you want to add the Library file.

See more: Open LXL File

ZXL

ZXL file-type is a ZIP file-type that you have previously saved in MechDesigner.

Extract all file-types to one path.

The files include:

•	CXL and MTD file-types

•	STL, SLDPRT, SLDASM and DXF file-types that you have linked to CAD-Lines.

The STL, SLDPRT, SLDASM file-types become linked to the path in which you extract the ZXL files.

Note:

You can choose to specify the path into which to extract ZXL file-types:

Application Settings | General tab | File Options > Extract ZXL files to:

◉	Create sub-directory automatically ( a sub-directory to the path location of the ZXL file )

◉	Specify ZXL output directory.

I recommend you select Specify ZXL Output Directory. I usually specify the path of the ZXL file itself, but you can also select or create a new path.

See more: File menu > Save as... ZXL file-type.

DXF

When you open a DXF file-type, you add a DXF element to the Assembly-Tree as a child to the Model. The DXF element is the container for the DXF drawing.

To show the DXF Drawing in the graphic-area, you must link it to a CAD-Line.

Thus, to show a DXF drawing

1.	File > Open DXF file-type

2.	Edit a CAD-Line and use the Cad-Line dialog-box > DXF tab.

The DXF drawing becomes linked to the Part to which the CAD-Line is a child.

You can link the DXF Element and DXF Drawing to one and many different CAD-Lines.

See more CAD-Line dialog-box > DXF tab

MEC [Camlinks]

MEC is a Camlinks file-type.

See more: Open MEC files

Why so many .CXL and .MTD files?

If you explore to your model files, you will see many file-types. Why so many files?

They are different backup files

DEFAULT-FILE-TYPES

•	CXL & MTD file-types: the default MechDesigner and MotionDesigner file-types.

•	ZXL the ZIP file-type for MechDesigner

BACKUP FILE-TYPES

When you open a model:

1.	CXL.n and MTD.n are copied to CXL.n+1 and MTD.n+1

2.	CXL.2 and MTD.2 are copied to CXL.3 and MTD.3

3.	CXL.1 and MTD.1 is are copied to CXL.2 and MTD.2

4.	CXL and MTD are copied to CXL.1 and MTD.1

5.	A copy of CXL and MTD are saved to RAM

AUTO-SAVE

After every # commands:

6.	The copy of CXL and MTD in RAM are saved to ~CXL and ~MTD on disk

7.	A new copy of CXL and MTD are saved to RAM

WARNING : You overwrite the original model each Auto-Save

See Application Settings > General tab > File Options Separator to edit:

•	Number-of-Back-up copies : n

•	Number-of-Commands between each Auto-Save : #

•	Do you want to use Auto-Save?

•	Do you want to save model to ZXL on exit?

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