Terramodel and AutoCad shx files imported into ArchiCAD

[Anonymous]

I am a Land Surveyor working with Terramodel software. We prepare DWG style files of topographic surveys and plats. One architect we work with uses ArchiCAD and cannot properly read our files. The fonts get messed up as he is unable to import the two critical shx files that define "symbol" font and "tmodel". Can anyone help explain how to properly import the shx files with a dwg file into ArchiCAD and have it substitute the correct fonts?

[Djordje]

Tom wrote:
I am a Land Surveyor working with Terramodel software. We prepare DWG style files of topographic surveys and plats. One architect we work with uses ArchiCAD and cannot properly read our files. The fonts get messed up as he is unable to import the two critical shx files that define "symbol" font and "tmodel". Can anyone help explain how to properly import the shx files with a dwg file into ArchiCAD and have it substitute the correct fonts?

When you send your file to the architect, send him the shx fonts too. If they have their TTF counterparts, so much the better. Archicad uses system fonts, and if it can find the shx, all should be well.

In AutoCAD, there is a process called eTransmit, that packs the drawing, all relevant shx and shp files, and any XRefs and blocks. It would be a best practice to do THAT when sending the DWG out to anyone.

Don't ever assume that other people's computers have all the bits and pieces that you do They usually don't.

[Thomas Holm]

Autocad uses shx fonts internally, but equivalent Windows ttf fonts for printing (not plotting) annd for MTEXT (that is, multi-line) entries. So there should be a ttf version of the tmodel font, which I suspect is proprietary for Terramodel.

OSX is fine with Windows .ttf fonts. Place them in the system's Fonts folder. Also, create a folder for the .shx fonts inside your office's common Archicad library folder. Many of the standards (like Symbol.shx) you can find by Googling.

Supply the mac user with all you DWG file's ingredients using Djordje's tip. Also, please read this:

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=52981&highlight=dwg+shx+ttf#52981

[Anonymous]

We do send them the shx files. Their system either can't seem to find them or can't properly use them. Where should they copy the shx files to so their system can use them? Other architects using AutoCad have no problem reading and using Terramodel's shx files (their copied into the font directory in AutoCad).

[Thomas Holm]

They should be placed in a folder. When Archicad opens a DWG file, and it encounters references to .shx fonts it can't find, it asks for them. In the dialog, the user can specify a search path of browse to the folder in question. If this is stored centrally (in Archicad's office library for exmple) this will just happen once. Archicad should remember this folder next time you open a dwg file.

However, I don't think Archicad can translate the character forms included in the shx file. What it does is use the character numbers and map them to an appropriate system font if found, or else substituted by a default. So that is why the ttf is needed as well, unless the Mac system already has matching fonts (like Arial).

Edited: I should add that this means that if there exists no ttf version of the Terramodel font, and it includes special symbols not found in other fonts, and it's impossible to explode it into pure graphics before sending the file away, I don't know how to solve the issue. Maybe someone else can help.