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Saving .DWG files from AC10 - Fill Orientation changes

Anonymous
Not applicable
I've just begun using AC10 (Mactel version) on my 2 Ghz Mactel, 2 GB RAM, using OS 10.4.8.

In our office, we use a 2 x 4 grid fill for our ceiling grids which we save as .dwg files for our consultants and the contractors. These fills are vectorial and are drawn linked to the fill origin.

When I save .dwg files from AC10 and then open the .dwg file to check it, the location of the fill origin is correct but rotation/orientation is not. The grids are all oriented in only one direction. This is happening in files both created in AC10 and converted from AC9.

I've spent a few hours trying to save .dwg files using different translator settings with no success.

Has anyone else experienced this or know a solution/work around?

We have a similar problem with .dwg files in AC9 where the fills link back to the project origin which I was told was an unsolved glitch. The work around I was given was to publish .PMK files from AC, open the .PMK in PM, then save the .dwg from the .PMK. Obviously, this won't work in AC10.
6 REPLIES 6
Anonymous
Not applicable
It is funny how people expect that the options they have in their CAD application will be available in ALL the other applications. Well, this is the reason we use ArchiCAD - because AutoCAD CANNOT do it!

We are expected us to supply drawings in dwg, regardless of what application we use! And they have to look the same as the drawings of the person who wants them! NO WAY!

There was even a firm who asked me why different storyes hadn't been attached as x-refs, because that was the way they worked!

Michael, just for the fun of it - make a custom fill in AC and save it in dwg! Then open it in AutoCAD and look at the result!
Anonymous
Not applicable
Michael,

We also use 2x2 and 2x4 grids which get exported to DWG for our consultants. When we export this grid, it appears correctly. The orientation is correct, as is the fill's origin point (the grid matches up with the lighting).

So it is possible, we just need to figure out what you're doing differently.

1. We're using the 'Grid 24"x48"' & 'Grid 24"' fills
2. Each section of fill has it's own origin & Orientation. Hence the checked: "Link to fill origin"
3. Our translator doesn't have either option checked under "Fills (save methods)"
4. Our translator does use a template dwg file to save into, but unless I'm mistaken, that shouldn't have anything to do with an AC10 fill.

I hope we can figure this out, because this worked without a problem for us.

Good luck,
Phil

@ kliment
There's nothing worse that a ignorant consultant who expects your drawings to be drafted according to their company's methodologies & standards, It makes you wonder how other autocad offices that have different standards & methodologies deal with them. Especially when they don't have a translator to help mitigate some their irrational requests.

But autocad can have a custom origin & orientation per each hatch. So this problem is not a limit of autocad's many inabilities. (this time....)
BIG BUMP (9 years later)...

We're having this same problem (rotated fills after exporting). I didn't experience this at my previous firm, so I assumed it was a translator setting. After fussing with this for the past 2 days, I think it's a bug.

Under Methods, we have Export all Fills "as is" selected and none of the boxes checked. In the resultant file, ALL Fills are Distorted and oriented in the same direction. Any linear Fills have to be checked and manually corrected as needed (big pain).
MacBook Pro Apple M2 Max, 96 GB of RAM
AC27 US (5003) on Mac OS Ventura 13.6.2
Started on AC4.0 in 91/92/93; full-time user since AC8.1 in 2004
Katalin Borszeki
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
Hi, We have tried to reproduce this issue with a standard 5x5 rotated grid, but were not able to produce the same problem. Please one (or all) of you send me a pla or an .aat file with the fill you are using. You can upload it here and please PM me with the name of the file! Thanks, k
https://graphisoft.sharefile.com/r-r3a2d4fc6a9349fcb
Katalin Borszeki
Implementation Specialist
GRAPHISOFT

http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com - the ArchiCAD knowledge base
Another problem -- after opening the resultant DWG file with the 02 For editable import translator, fixing the Fill orientation, and saving as a DWG with the 03 For as is output, the Fills go back to the incorrect orientation.
MacBook Pro Apple M2 Max, 96 GB of RAM
AC27 US (5003) on Mac OS Ventura 13.6.2
Started on AC4.0 in 91/92/93; full-time user since AC8.1 in 2004
Katalin Borszeki
Graphisoft
Graphisoft
Hi All, Thank you very much for the files! We could reproduce the issue and with the help of our development, we found that this has already been added to our database with the ID #59074: The problematic Fills are rotated or stretched, but after Export to DWG and Import to AutoCAD, they will appear in the default condition. The rotating angle is 0° in the setting of these Hatches. We updated the bug with your case. As a workaround, please create new Fills for different angles in ARCHICAD, or modify the angles in AutoCAD after the Import. Tx,
Katalin Borszeki
Implementation Specialist
GRAPHISOFT

http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com - the ArchiCAD knowledge base