DXF Import

The import of DXF plate parts is done in a similar way, however here more possibilities are available to control how the DXF file shall be interpreted by the system. The default behavior, when no additional settings are made, is to interpret close contours as the outer contour and holes, while non-closed contours are interpreted as marking.

Analyzing the DXF Files

The more advanced setup to control the import is based on the actual layers, colors, line types and line weights that are used in the import files.

To simplify the setup the import file needs to be analyzed and this is done on selected files when the Analyze autodesk files button is used.

The result of the analyze is shown in the Import log tab and all dropdown lists in the Geometry and Texts tabs are updated to reflect the content of the analyzed DXF files.

Setup of Geometry Interpretation

The tab Autodesk - Geometry contains the setup to identify entities for outer contour, holes to be cut or marked and markings marked on a specific side or on both sides.

Each entity type can be setup based on type of entity, layer, line type, line weight and color. The content of each drop-down list is based on the analysis made in the function described above.

Below is an example of a setup for naming based on a DXF Text entity. The part will in this case be named 210942.

If no specific setting is set, the following standard criteria settings are used and Pattern Starts with is used:

• Part Name: P=

• Thickness: T=

• Material: M=

All texts in the file which are not matching any of the criteria are considered as labels if they are located inside the plate geometry. These labels are assigned to ThisSide.

Save / Load Settings

The settings for geometry and texts can be saved and loaded for later use.

Saving and loading is done using the functions Save settings and Load settings.

The settings are stored as an XML formatted criteria file.