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Best settings to export 3D (vwx) to 2D (dwg)


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Hi guys,

 

I want to ask you what would be your preferred settings in order to export 3D stuff like walls, slabs, roof, windows/doors etc. into 2D AutoCAD - dwg format?

My typical task is to design building - architecture side of a project and then send its 2D set of drawings (plans, sections, elevations...)  to specialist to incorporate their part.

In my country Vectorworks is absolutely unknown and not used at all, offices uses predominantly AutoCAD software for drafting so I am trying to get as accurate as possible 2D results for them.

I know there is option to tick 'Export as flatten 2D graphics' ... but still I only recently move from 2D environment to 3D and would like to know instructions from more experienced users among us.

 

Any help welcome and thanks!

Pavol

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/5/2019 at 10:08 PM, drelARCH said:

Hi guys,

 

I want to ask you what would be your preferred settings in order to export 3D stuff like walls, slabs, roof, windows/doors etc. into 2D AutoCAD - dwg format?

My typical task is to design building - architecture side of a project and then send its 2D set of drawings (plans, sections, elevations...)  to specialist to incorporate their part.

In my country Vectorworks is absolutely unknown and not used at all, offices uses predominantly AutoCAD software for drafting so I am trying to get as accurate as possible 2D results for them.

I know there is option to tick 'Export as flatten 2D graphics' ... but still I only recently move from 2D environment to 3D and would like to know instructions from more experienced users among us.

 

Any help welcome and thanks!

Pavol

 

Hi @drelARCH we also use Vectorworks in 3D and have problems getting our exported DWGs to our consultants. 

 

You may wan to share your experience in this post, which is relevant to the issue of exporting to DWG from vectorworks: 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have the same problem.

I have just begun using Vectorworks 2019 (recently upgraded from many years use from Minicad all the way to VW 12).

I now model all buildings in 3d environment.

 

I have exported to dwf/dwg as usual (this has worked well for years for 2d files) to issue drawings to other consultants, however, other consultants cannot open useful drawings.

 

I've tested the files I produce by reimporting the same files back into VW2019 and the result is not very good - lots of information missing.

 

I am now regretting moving to 3d. 

 

Is there any advice on how to successfully export from a 3d model based project so other consultants can open useful drawings.

 

Many thanks.

Paul

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I think VW is very good to bring DWG stuff in.

While DWG Export to native DWG Apps isn't that lossless for me

from BIM PIOs.

 

Do you want to Export your 3D Geometry (Model Space),

or just just Sheet Layer Drawing Viewports (Paper Space)

?

 

The latter should work reasonable, I think.

And someone with better 2D Experience than me should be able to help

finding best export settings.

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We are trying to export our 3D vwx to 2D dwg today. (wasting many hours)

 

Our consultants (in China) say the files we export is so slow upon opening on their side. 

 

We are the only architects these consultants have ever met who cannot produce and provide usable CAD (DWG) files to them.

 

 

I hate to say this. But we go in telling them about how great our BIM system is, but we walk out with tail between our legs looking like absolute fools. 

 

As Architects, we simply cannot fail to provide DWGs to other consultants. Happy to provide this DWG to anyone with AutoCAD for testing (we don't have it, so we can't verify what the consultants are telling us). 

 

Can this issue please get immediate attention?

 

 

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Vasil,

Can I please do the same so that you can, perhaps, diagnose what the problem is.

That would be greatly appreciated.

 

DO you have an email I can send to rather than a post on this forum as due to UK/EU data protection laws I need to control personal data included on the original files.

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Hi @Vasil Kitanov I have just sent the file to @Jim Wilson for other testing. Please ask to get it from him. 

The sheet related to this export is 1.511. 

We have tried all permutations for export options. So there's no point posting up a screen shot of one particular setting. 

Our consultants (yes there are many of them on this project) all complain that our DWG is so slow they can't use it. They can't even zoom in or out in the DWG.

We tried taking out the hatches and that didn't help either. 

Hope you are able to find the issue with it. 

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7 hours ago, Amorphous said:

Our consultants (yes there are many of them on this project) all complain that our DWG is so slow they can't use it. They can't even zoom in or out in the DWG.

We tried taking out the hatches and that didn't help either. 

This is a bit odd, as I do export loaded VW files (though not always 3D) to DWG and with the exception of some extreme drawings (>1.5 million objects and 1000+ classes etc.) the DWG files are usable, though the extreme ones may be very slow too in AutoCAD due to the sheer number of objects etc. and the strain it causes on the graphics card and memory bandwidth. Especially given that DWG exports from VW can be quite big. It makes me wonder a bit about the consultant's hardware, esp. if they are using an on-CPU graphics or a dedicated graphics card and how much RAM they have available (I know some consultants who had quite a few programs open at the same time and were wondering why things were so slow with big CAD files. Well..... guess why 🙂)

 

One thing you may want to check for are polylines/polygons having tons of vertices as that can be a cause for major slowdown.

But DWG's from VW often benefit from some cleaning up in a DWG based program.

 

If you want I can take a look as well at a sample DWG file about which your consultants are complaining, just send me a PM in that case.

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On 3/8/2019 at 9:30 AM, Pabs said:

How do I send you a private message?

When logged in on this forum click on the envelope icon at the top of the page (between the bell and your account) and select "Compose New" in the top right corner of the popup window, you can then send a private message to  Vasil or whoever else you want to send a private message to.

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