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Importing DWG Blocks


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We have an issue importing DWG blocks. The issue is that the architecture firm assigned the various text attributes to the 0 class (layer in AutoCAD), but they also assigned various structure elements to the 0 class. We need to leave the 0 class on to see the structural elements, but we want to turn of various layers containing the blocks. We can turn off those layers, but the embedded attributes within the blocks that are assigned to layer 0 remain. In other words, VW sees the blocks and their components individually, so we can't turn them off by only turning off the block class as you would in AutoCAD. 

 

Can we import a DWG in a way that assigns the blocks to a single class? 

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I have had a similar experience with a large A-CAD file from the past. The file was imported in VW's by another firm and sent to me.

 

It was not the 0 Class, but with the class structure in general.  Apples and oranges in the same class.  Sub-classes not responding, etc.

 

In the end, I copied each class to a new layer and then used custom selection to extract text or tracks of polygons to another layer.  As this file was moving on to an animation studio, I left it in that way, but it was very difficult to manage the imported classes.

 

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3 hours ago, GoodDesigns said:

Thanks, @VIRTUALENVIRONS and @Jeff Prince. I figured as much. Since we have almost 60 AutoCAD XREFs with this problem, cleaning up their drawings will be extremely time consuming. I do like the idea of using the custom selection to extract the text. That will definitely help same some time. 


it depends on:

1. how many unique blocks there are in AutoCAD.

2. if the text was an Atttribute or actual Text entities.

 

you could put all the redefined blocks in one AutoCAD file and then import the xref files into that one at a time, saving them out to their original name, which would update the block definitions with desired classing for you.  Easiest to do in AutoCAD natively.  A process like this could be automated in AutoCAD as well using one of the  by scripting languages available.  It could be fast, depending on how many unique blocks definitions  there are.

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The thing you have to realize is Vectorworks does not have a functional equivalent of AutoCAD's 0 "class", which is something many of us who have come from AutoCAD have requested for years.  If Vectorworks would provide this, many issues could be managed more effectively.

 

@GoodDesigns how many unique symbols are you talking about?  Do you have access to AutoCAD?

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