Printable View
HD Pro 2014
I export my plan (all floors) to a DXF file, but then I cannot read the plan/file in Auto Cad. It is just a blank screen.
The file is appx 5mb, so there must be data in there.
Anyone have any suggestions?
I tried to open the file in a free DXF reader and I get an error prompt.
I have yet to try exporting current view to a DXF
I never use the "All Floors" command because "ALL FLOORS" get exported one on top of the other in a jumble of lines that are (unlike an AutoCAD .dwg file) on the same named layer when exported and imported into another application.
What I do use is the "Export Current View" command which exports a view just as you see it on screen as 2D lines which when imported into another application make it easier to tell one floor from another instead of a chaos of lines stacked on top of each other.
It may be that the application you are trying to import into does not support the latest version of .dxf files as to why you got no results. I export files regularly for sharing with Engineers and Architects who use AutoCAD with no problems at all. If you keep getting no results please contact Chief Architect Inc Tech Support for help.
DJP
Well that (current view) didn't work in the free viewer I am using. I'll email this file to the Blue Print company who couldn't open the "all Floors" file today...but I'm betting that it won't work either. They were trying to open my original file in Auto Cad LT, but I have no idea how recent of a version it is. I assume since they are a Blue Print company, that deals with architectural plans all the time, they should have a fairly current version of AC Lite, but that may be a flawed assumption.
I think I have read somewhere that because AutoCAD uses White on Black not Black (ink) on white paper so to speak like HD, that when you import the DXF you have to reverse the colours otherwise you get black (ink) on a black page and think nothing is there....
M.
Mick,
Assuming that reversal would take place in AutoCad?
I think it is an option during import ,don't have AC myself to try , ask your printer to try the orig. file again....
M.
In HD Pro, you are able to change the background color (I changed it to black), "Move" color (I changed it to white) in Edit>Preferences>Colors>
This did not help. He still cannot open the file...all he gets is a black screen. His mouse pointer disappears when he floats it over the "open" file in AC (reappears when he brings the pointer back to the tool bar area)
This is the 2nd different plan printer that cannot open my Chief plan exported to a DXF file. I'm beginning to think it can't be done. I emailed the file to a plan printer in Calif who could not open the file, And then locally it cannot be opened. When I try to open the file in a DXF reader on my PC I get a error prompt.
Certainly the common denominator is that I must be doing something wrong, or it can't be accomplished. I posted on this forum several months ago about this issue. David Potter seemed to think their version of AutoCad must be out of date, but 3 swings and a miss from 3 different aspects indicate something else is amiss. How hard can this be?
For now, I am going to print to a PDF file, but I cannot seem to be assured the scale will be correct. I'll post scale questions on another thread.
If anyone else has any ideas, I'm all ears. None the less, thanks for the help
Hey John, wish I had better news but I'm getting the same results as your plan printers.
I tried exporting "All Floors" and "Current View" to DXF files and I also tried changing the
background in AutoCAD from black to white. In all cases I got the following error message
from AutoCAD when opening the file:
Unknown value "AC1027" encountered in drawing version
Invalid or incomplete DXF input - - Drawing discarded.
As was the case with your plan printers the mouse does not display in the work area, only on
the menus. Don't know exactly what all this means, but it seems like a compatibility issue
between DXF versions (if there is such a thing?). Because I'm using an old version of AutoCAD
(2005) I tried opening the Home Designer Pro 2014 DXF file with my SolidWorks eDrawings
which is a communication and collaboration tool for SolidWorks and AutoCAD data. It opens
DXF files saved in AutoCAD 2005 with no problem but it won't open the HDP DXF file either
(see image). All this being said everything points to the HDP saved version of the DXF file
being invalid or corrupt in some way. Have you tried running this by Tech Support?
If they don't have a solution I think you may be SOL on this one.
I also am trying to use Solid Works to view the DXF files created in HD Pro, to no avail (error prompt).
I have not contacted tech support, but if there is a bug, they have to know about it. I've wasted way too much time on it. I'm now just going to print to a PDF file (I've installed Cute PDF creator) and try to get a hi rez PDF file printed to scale for my builder.
It's pretty ridiculous that creating DXF files is this much of a pain. They probably just expect you to upgrade to one of their higher end design products. I'm not getting sucked into that trap again. I've already upgraded to HD Pro (from Architectural) in an effort to fix an issue I was having with my plan (and that didn't help)...so I've reached a ceiling (no pun intended) of my upgrades.
I've started breaking ground on the home, and I need to get a better set of plans for the builder to work with. PDF it is...but now I'm dealing with a different issue with PDF, which may or may not be due to HD Pro, Cute PDF creator or my lack of understanding, but that is a topic for another thread (which I may start)
Well John, this won't make you feel any better. I went ahead and tried exporting
the exact same floor plan that wouldn't convert to a usable DXF file in HDP14
using Chief Architect Premier X6 instead. Take a look at the thumbnail. There
are a myriad of choices that are not available in HDP14. I merely selected the
choice in the drop down menu that matched my version of AutoCAD and got
a perfectly usable DXF file that opens just fine in AutoCAD. I'm guessing that
unless there is an even bigger issue, the DXF file created by HDP14 will only
open in AutoCAD 13 or 14. Probably a little late now but do you know what
version of AutoCAD the plan printers were using to try to open the DXF file?
Home Designer Pro ONLY exports to the latest version of AutoCAD (2013-14) so older versions of AutoCAD or free viewers would not be able to read-display newer versions of exported files. It is a built in limiter in HD titles and not a limiter in Chief Premier. You should be able to view such file imports in a free application offered by AutoDesk called "True View" and another one called "Autodesk Design Review" both are free downloads from the AutoDesk website.
Free software often means limited usability and utility. I have the two Auto Desk applications because they work and have discarded several others that proved to be junk.
DJP
As I only have HD Pro 10 I cant test further but when I exported to DXF I was able to Choose AutoCAD 2010 and lower Versions , so I choose 2010 for this test and it opens Fine in the TrueView Program David mentioned , large program for "just a viewer" about a gig installed , 300+mb download. AC Design Review is needed for DXF infact it asked for TrueView to be installed, but if you use other AutoCAD files it maybe a worthwhile download too.
My guess is you NEED TO KNOW the version of AutoCAD you are exporting for..... does 2014 not let you choose Auto Cad 2014 and all versions under that on the drop down menu? pro 10 lets you choose ACad Release11-2010 editions....so maybe 10 different versions....
M.