Lee,
I'm sorry, but your help request is simply too big and unspecific for me. I will have to advice you to check out the docs, the ArchiGuide, the ArchicadWiki etc. You'll have to come up with specific problems if you want this forum to give worthwhile help. At least, platform, system and version info is needed.
Some general advice though:
- Set up translators separately for import and export, and don't confuse them. Name them accordingly. Some settings are easily confused, but may work only one way. Separate translators make it easier to handle.
- If possible, use the same font set on both systems. If you're on the Mac, you may know that Windows TrueType fonts (.ttf) work just as well as the Mac ones in OSX. All you need to do is to get the Windows Autocad fonts from the Autocad user. Also, get autocad's own .shx fonts and put in a shx folder for Archicad to access during translation.
- Keep Index Number pen translation is easiest to handle, but requires you to use number-compatible pen sets on both systems. I do. Saves a lot of trouble.
- When importing into Archicad, to get full control, it's best to import dwgs by Merge into an empty document (.pln file). Use the Attribute Manager to empty attributes, especially the layer list, before importing. Then save this document as a Module to hot-link into your main project.
- Before importing, if you know the set scale of the dwg file in advance, set the scale of the Floor plan in Archicad accordingly, and the fonts will import at their correct size.
- Sometimes import works better by drag-and-drop from the Finder into the empty document. This should be the same on Windows.
- In AC9 DWG export there is an INSUNITS bug - this parameter can't be set in the translator, and will have to be checked in Autocad if it's something else than the expected. I'm told this should work fine in AC10, but I haven't been able to do specific tests.
- Upgrade to AC10. Especially the handling of ModelSpace vs. PaperSpace is much improved, thanks to the integration of the Layouts into Archicad (no more Plotmaker).
The above is half an hour of typing. You get it for free.
AC4.1-AC26SWE; MacOS13.5.1; MP5,1+MBP16,1