Archive for May 23rd, 2006

OK, this tip/hint was given to me today by one of my readers named Erik Johnson. He had a great tip, but it didn’t really fit into what the whole thought process was behind my last article.

New to 2007 is a Batch Converter. It can be found in the File pulldown menu, located here:

What’s great about this converter is that it can do multiple files and, most importantly, gives you numerous options for saving it. You can change the units of the converted drawing, explode Civil 3D objects, give the converted files a prefix or a suffix, choose what version to save to, and even bind (with the option to insert) your xreferenced files. This is a very slick routine. Here’s a look at the interface:

I did get a message warning me that saving older AEC objects was not supported. Not that important, but something to be aware of…

Have fun!

I quite often hear grousing from customers (and non-customers) regarding the file format change in 2007. They all say that Autodesk is forcing them to upgrade by throwing in this file format change, and to that I say “Hogwash” (hey, there’s a southern term for you!)

So, what if you’re stuck on R14 and your consultant is on the bleeding edge of technology? Ask the consultant to save the file down (and get grousing from that consultant, and embarrass yourself in the process?) Not anymore! I’d look into a program called DWG TrueConvert. You can download it FOR FREE (I know my customers love that word…) from Autodesk.

Now, I download it (not that big…) and open the program. Here’s the interface:

Now, I can go over and add a file to this program by clicking the “ADD” button. I can even add multiple files and do a BATCH CONVERT!!! (I get excited over the simplest things…) Now, I’ve added 5 drawings to this, from various file formats. I can convert to any DWG format (well, at least back to R14), convert digitally signed drawings, create a backup (.BAK) file, convert pen width settings to lineweights, and include page setups. There is a nice warning up top (read warnings, they ususally warn you of something that might not be good…) that tells me that the converted drawings will replace the originals. As with any drawing modifications, I always copy my files before I alter them, and you should too. Click on Convert, and they’re done!

Have fun!