Getting Started Tutorials - MechDesigner > Tutorial 8: Import DXF Files, Convert to Solid Extrusions > Review: DXF Element, CADLine, & CAD-Line Dialog

Objective of this Step 8.1

To learn the terminology that we use in MechDesigner when we import and display a DXF-Drawing.

To review the elements that we use to import and display a DXF-Drawing.

Terminology of DXF related elements

Term :	Definition
DXF :	Drawing EXchange Format. DXF is a CAD data file format designed for sharing drawing data universally across CAD applications.
DXF-Drawing :	The original drawing that you want to import from your CAD and display in MechDesigner.
DXF-Element :	The DXF-Element is the container for the original DXF-Drawing that you import when you do File menu > Open \| file of type DXF. The DXF-Element is in the Assembly-Tree.
CAD-Line :	The element that you edit to display a DXF-Drawing.
DXF-Outline :	The efficient reference sketch that we use to display a DXF-Drawing. You cannot edit a DXF-Outline.
DXF-Entity :	Points, Arcs, and Lines are entities in the reference sketch of the DXF-Outline. You can use the CAD-Line dialog to convert Arc and Lines in a reference sketch to regular Arc and Line sketch-elements.

DXF-Element

To import a DXF-Drawing do:

1.File menu > Open | DXF file type

We add for you a DXF-Element to the Assembly-Tree.

The DXF-Element is the container for the DXF-Drawing.

DXF Element in the Assembly-Tree

DXF-Elements in the Assembly-Tree

The DXF-Element - - in the Assembly-Tree.

TOP-TIP

Rename the DXF-Element to the DXF-Drawing file-name.

Open the DXF-Element dialog:

1.Double-click a DXF-element in the Assembly-Tree.

See How to open an element's dialog

The DXF-Element dialog

DXF-Element dialog

The DXF-Element dialog shows the:

The DXF-Drawing file-name that the DXF-Element contains.

The Path from which you imported the DXF-Drawing

The Linear Units of the DXF-Drawing

To replace the DXF-Drawing with a different DXF-Drawing:

1.Click the button

2.Find and select a different DXF-Drawing.

3.Click - the Apply button

DXF Units

(mm), (m), (cm), or (inch)

DXF Units that scale the DXF-Drawing.

•Select the DXF Units equal to those of the original DXF-Drawing to give a 1 : 1 Scale

•Select different DXF Units to change the scale.

Close the dialog:

Click to close the DXF-Element dialog.

CAD-Line element

Each Part you add to the model has a CAD-Line from its start-Point to its end-Point.

You can add more CAD-Lines to Parts and the Base-Part.

1.Edit any Part or the Base-Part

2.In the Part-Editor, click Geometry toolbar > Add CAD-Line

3.Drag your mouse.

CAD-Line in the graphic-area

CAD-Lines in the Graphic-Area

CAD-Lines are usually a different color to other sketch-elements.

CAD-Lines have a Coordinate-System:

•Intersection of the XY-axes (0,0) is its start-Point

•+X-axis : the direction from its start-Point to its end-Point.

•+Y-axis : +90º from the +X-axis, on the Mechanism-Plane of the Mechanism-Editor.

CAD-Line in the Assembly-Tree

CAD-Lines in a Part in the Assembly-Tree

CAD-Line : in the Assembly-Tree

The CAD-Line is the only sketch-element to show in the Assembly-Tree.

The CAD-Line is a child to a Part.

To edit the CAD-Line

To edit a CAD-Line:

1.Double-Click a CAD-Line in the Part-Editor or the Mechanism-Editor.

1.Click a CAD-Line in the Assembly-Tree

2.Right-Click the CAD-Line in the Selection-Window

3.Click Edit element in the shortcut-menu

See How to open a dialog

The CAD-Line dialog is now open.

CAD-Line dialog >DXF tab

CAD-Line dialog > DXF tab

Select DXF Element

Select which DXF-Element : DXF-Drawing you want the CAD-Line to display:

1.Click in the CAD-Line dialog > DXF tab

2.Click the Select DXF element separator

3.Click the Select DXF Element drop-box down-arrow

Each DXF element in the list box has two parts:

•DXF element name | the element-name in the Assembly-Tree

•DXF-Drawing name | the CAD file-name of the DXF-Drawing

4.Select a DXF element from the list.

After you select a DXF element, the DXF-Drawing shows immediately in the graphic-area.

If you cannot see the DXF-Drawing, try to find it.

•Zoom-out if the DXF-Drawing is larger than the workspace.

•Zoom-in if the DXF-Drawing is small

•Change the background color of the graphic-area.

See: Application Settings dialog > Graphics tab > Graphic colors | Background

There are two buttons

to show/hide DXF Layers

to remove the DXF-Drawing from the CAD-Line.

Align DXF to CAD-Line

Default Alignment of the DXF-Drawing with the CAD-Line

The DXF-Drawing aligns its 0,0 and positive X-axis with the start-Point and positive X-axis direction of the CAD-Line.

The default alignment may be as you intend. However, you can edit the alignment of the DXF-Drawing relative to the CAD-Line.

To re-align the DXF-Drawing:

1.Click the Align DXF to CAD-Line

2.Click the DXF Point at CAD-Line's Origin box - the box should be orange.

3.Click a Point in the DXF-Drawing in the graphic-area

4.Click the DXF Point at CAD-Line's X-axis box - it should be orange.

5.Click a Point in the DXF-Drawing that you want to align with the X-axis of the CAD-Line.

After you click this Point the DXF-Drawing will move to align with the CAD-Line.

To re-align the DXF-Drawing with different Points, do 1 to 4 again.

Convert DXF to MD Lines and Arcs

To Convert a DXF Entity to a sketch-element:

1.Click the Convert to MD Lines and Arcs

2.Click in the Owner Part box - the box should be orange.

3.Usually, select the Part that is the parent of the CAD-Line

4.Click DXF-Entity box - the box should be orange.

5.Click a DXF Entity (a DXF-Line or DXF-Arc) in the DXF-Drawing

6.As options:

•Enable Select-Loop - to automatically find and covert to a sketch-loop from the DXF-Entity(see 5)

•Enable Select Entity - to convert to a sketch-element from DXF-Entity(see 5)

•Enable Free Points - to allow you to move the start-Points and end-Points of the sketch-element.

•Enable Locked Points - to lock the start-Points and end-Points of the sketch-elements that you convert from the DXF-Entity or Entities. You can unlock Points with the Point-Properties dialog.

•Edit the Merge Radius value to help make a sketch-loop with DXF-Entities

7.Click the button

Repeat 1 to 7 again and again, to convert more DXF-Entities to sketch-elements.

IMPORTANT:

Each time you want to convert a DXF-Entity to a sketch-element, you must click the DXF entity box to make it orange again, before you click a DXF Entity in the graphic-area.

Notes:

When you press the button, the new sketch-elements do not have a link to the CAD-Line; they have a link to the Part.

Therefore, you can press the button (in the Select DXF Element separator) to remove the DXF-Drawing from the CAD-Line, but the sketch-elements stay with the Part.

Step 8.1: A Review of the DXF Commands and dialogs