ArchiCAD to Vectorworks Issues

[kevin b]

We have a structural consultant who uses Vectorworks and we have the worst time getting usable files to him. We have saved DWGs down as old as we can save them. Opened them in Autocad 2004 on a PC we keep around. Purged, recovered, wblocked, all the stupid Autocad tricks and still he can not open the files we send him. Is anyone else out there sending files to consultants using Vectorworks? We are using AC12 on Macs, he is using Vectorworks 2008, I believe he is PC based.

We had a DWG translator that was created in AC9 originally I think, which we have tweaked every version since. Through AC11, if we used the AC translator that was last created in AC10 the files we sent him were OK. Now with AC12 even that translator does no good. What I don't understand is if we open the thing on a PC in AutoCAD 2004 what could lingering in the database that would cause it not to open.

Any help would be appreciated.

[rocorona]

Making a new fresh file in Autocad 2004, he can open it?
If this works, did you try making a new empty file, and copy-pasting the elements from the "bad" file?

[kevin b]

You know, we have not tried making a test "new" file in AutoCAD to send to him. We will try.

But we have created a wblock, in AutoCAD, selecting all the items from the ArchiDCAD file, which it creates a new file from. We have not done a cut and paste though. Will try.

[rocorona]

if creating a new "normal autocad" file, without data coming from ArchiCAD fails to be opened in VectorWorks, the clearly the wrong is on the oter side, not yours.

[Brad Elliott]

Kevin,
Did you ever have any success? I am trying to share files with a colleague and we are having trouble even getting the line weights to make the round trip. Nor can we get labels to make it. Any suggestions?