MATCH DWG LAYERS WITH EXISTING VWX CLASSES

[Tayloj986]

Hello,

I have recently switched to VWX from Autocad. Im trying to import Autocad dwg's into an existing Vectorworks file.

I want the DWG layers to change to match the existing Vectorworks Classes. But the import does the opposite. It changes all my existing classes to match the imported cad layers.

Is there a way to reverse this?

 

Thank you,

Jesse

[zoomer]

AFAIR that is possible ....

 

But I am not sure if it works by "Data Manager", DWG Import options

or something else ...

[Tayloj986]

Yes there must be a way. I can't understand why the default is for an import from CAD to change all your VWX classes?

[Pat Stanford]

Check this pane of the Advanced Import Settings. Click the Advanced button at the bottom left form the standard import dialog box.

 

[Tayloj986]

Hi Pat,

Yes I check that box and it brings the autocad layers in as classes, but it changes all my existing vectorworks classes to have the attributes of the autocad layers (so all my drawings are suddenly ugly and colorful because they are matching the layer properties of the autocad layers). I want the autocad layers to match the proporties of the existing vectorworks classes, not the other way around.  See the process below:

 

1. Pretty Vectorworks Classes in my working file - 

 

2. Import DWG to my working file - 

 

3. Ugly DWG layers override existing pretty VW Classes - 

(But I want my pretty VW classes to override the ugly imported DWG layers)

 

 

[Pat Stanford]

Don't import the objects into an active VW file. You are asking for pain that way. Always import into a blank file and then either copy/paste into your actual file or reference the files in depending on what you are trying to do.

 

I am not certain about the best way to get the correct class attributes set. Hopefully someone who does that more often than I do will chime in and we will both learn something.

[Jeff Prince]

@Tayloj986 Yes, this is an annoying "feature".  The easy away around it is as follows:

1. Start a new drawing to receive the .dwg import.

2. Select all the imported objects and set their attributes to "By Class"

3, Copy and Paste the items from the imported .dwg into the .vwx you wish to use.  The copied items will then inherit the class properties set up in your .vwx.

 

The way it works currently is not really desirable IMHO.  But, it gives you good incentive to never directly import a .dwg into your .vwx, which is something you should make standard practice unless you want to corrupt a .vwx by mistake.

 

[Tayloj986]

Hi Jeff,

This is a helpful workaround thank you!

If there are any VWX staff listening out there, please change this! It's very common for people to take dwg's into vectorworks and I can't think of any instance where they would want the dwg to change their vectorworks file/classes!

[zoomer]

2 hours ago, Tayloj986 said:

I can't think of any instance where they would want the dwg to change their vectorworks file/classes!

 

Maybe VW should just ask about duplicate Classes while importing like it does

for duplicate Symbols and such - which to use, import, overwrite or not ....