Dwg Export creates sub-folder each time?

[PeterT]

What is up with the DWG export in VW version 10?

Everytime I export to DWG, when choose the target folder for the save, a sub-folder is created inside the target folder and the DWG is placed inside this sub-folder.

If I export a DWG of file called "Test" to a folder called "TestFolder", the result is a file called Test.dwg inside of a subfolder called Test-dwg inside of the "TestFolder".

What is this extra "Test-dwg" folder? If I had wanted a sub-folder, I would have asked for one in the save dialog.

Is this a bug, or a "new feature"?

Mac OS 10.2.8,

VectorWorks 10.5.1

[Ray Libby]

This is how VW exports hatches, a very nice feature. If you don't need to export hatches uncheck "Export Hatch Pattern Files" in the DXF DWG Export Options dialog window and it will no longer create a folder.

[PeterT]

Thanks, I missed that one in the documentation.

What the manual does not say though is that VectorWorks will export picture files to this folder as well.

We bring note strips into our drawings from MS Word as picture files. If I export to DWG with one of these drawings that has embedded picture files, and check the "Export Hatch Pattern Fills" check box, the Word note strips appear in this extra folder as Jpegs.

I think this could be useful for us, but why is it not mentioned in the manual - oops, found it on page 1-21 of the 10.5 Documentation Update.

Wow, I think we are going to like this, now all we need to do is change the name of the checkbox in the dialog to: "Export Hatches and Images".

Is there any way to dial in the resolution of exported image files? I opened the jpeg files from one of my exports, and the preview looks O.K., but prints at low resolution. I tried changing the document preference for Raster Render/ Export Resolution from 72 dpi to 300 dpi, but it had no effect on the jpegs, they still seem to be 72 dpi.

[Guest]

The export images was new to VW 10.5 and is in the 10.5 documentation.

If you open an image file directly, it should open in an image viewer. From there, you should be able to specify the print resolution from that application.

[PeterT]

Actually, I was only printing the Jpeg to see what it looked like. What I really want to know, is what does it look like in the AutoCad document?

If I re-import my DWG back into VectorWorks, the note strip is there, but it is at a much lower resolution than it is in the original VectorWorks document. Is this the same way it will appear to the AutoCad user?

It would seem that AutoCad would use the image file at whatever resolution it is already at when it is saved to the folder. Is there any way to tell VectorWorks to save the image at a higher resolution?

[Guest]

It should retain the same DPI through import/export in VW and the same in AutoCad.

You may be experiencing visual degredation in quality depending on the layer scale you are working in when the image is imported.

You say you were just printing the image.

This is where I was going before - are you opening the image file in an image browser and printing, or importing it in VW and printing, or importing it in AutoCad and printing?

[Bart Rammeloo]

A small example of what a picture looks like in VW, and what it looks like after exporting it to DWG. The drop in quality has as far as I know nothing to do with the quality of the export, but everyting with the display quality in ACAD

Unfortunately, I'm unable to make the export of images work when placed inside a symbol. The images don't appear in the ACAD block.

Cheers,

BaRa

[ 01-20-2004, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: BaRa ]

[PeterT]

Katie,

I am opening the jpeg in OS 10 "Preview", and the text is pixelated. If I print the jpeg from Preview, it looks the same, pixelated. If I open the jpeg in "GraphicConverter" and get info on the jpeg it tells me it is 72 dpi x 72 dpi. If I print it from GraphicConverter I get the same thing, pixelated text.

You can reduce image quality in an application, but you can not increase it, but just for fun, in Graphic Converter, I bumped the resolution up to 300 dpi. As expected, there was no change to the quality of the text image either on screen or when printed.

Try this: Type some text in MS Word. In Word, copy the text to the clipboard, then in VectorWorks, Paste as Picture. In VectorWorks, zoom in on the text to 1000% or so. The text will still be at high resolution and have crisp edges.

Next, Export the VectorWorks file as DWG with the "Export Hatch Pattern Files" box checked. Now go to the new folder with the dwg and the jpeg in it, and open the jpeg in any application. Zoom in or print the jpeg and you will see that it is at 72dpi.

Finally, Imoprt the DWG back into a VectorWorks file. Zoom in on the text to the same 1000% or so, and the text image will look and print at 72 dpi.

I don't have AutoCad to see what it would look like after the import, but from BaRa's post, it looks like the image quality is reduced at the other end.

I also tried different layer scales on export and import, and it doesn't seem to change anything.

Regards,

Peter