Frame Editor Functions

The Frame Editor allows you to create Draft Backing Sheets from AutoCAD drawings. The most common use of Backing Sheets in Draft is to store standard drawing frames. These can be used by Draft as a backdrop to its drawing sheets.

The Frame Editor reads AutoCAD drawing entities and creates an Draft command macro that reproduces the picture in Draft. The mapping from AutoCAD entities to Draft entities is described in AutoCAD to Draft Entity and Attribute Mapping.

The Sheet command file can be read into an Draft Sheet Library (SHLB) element in the database. A BACK database element will be created, which owns one or more NOTE elements containing the 2D primitives.

It is also possible to create Draft Overlay Sheets with the Frame Editor. An Overlay Sheet in Draft has similar properties to a Backing Sheet. The Frame Editor can create Overlay Sheet (OVER) database elements containing one or more Sheet Note (NOTE) elements. The Sheet Note contains all the 2D primitives on the sheet.

Overlay Sheets could be used to combine an Draft drawing sheet with detail graphics drawn in AutoCAD. The graphics imported from AutoCAD can then be stored, drawn and plotted within Draft.

If the specified Backing Sheet or Overlay Sheet already exists in the specified Draft Sheet Library then the old 2D primitives are deleted and replaced by the new definition.

Refer to Frame Editor - Getting Started and Frame Editor - Deriving Draft Command Files for further information of how to use the Frame Editor.