Cadline Community Industry leading blogs, videos, support and more BLOGS SUPPORT ZONE EVENTS TRAINING WEBINARS Filter Navisworks - Exporting a FBX file 24/11/21 Navisworks By Garry Stockton If you use 3ds Max as part of your CGI or presentation media and need to use existing data in Navisworks, you will have to export the content as a FBX file. Following the simple steps below will allow you to place the geometry within the application for further development. Once you have the desired view/scene, go to Export – pick FBX. In the FBX Options dialog box, select the Enable check box in the Polygon Limiting area to restrict the amount of geometry exported into the output file. Geometry is selected based on taking the most obvious objects in preference to the fine detail. If the exported file is too large, try enabling this feature and reducing the number of polygons. Clicking the Home tab, sliding out the Project panel and clicking Scene Statistics in Navisworks shows the number of triangles and lines in the current project. By setting a polygon limit you are choosing to export only some of these items. Select the desired options in the Include area: Select this check box to include textures in the FBX file. Select this check box to include lights in the FBX file. Select this check box to include cameras in the FBX file. Then, select the desired Advanced Options for the FBX file: Convert Units To. Specifies the units that are used in exported FBX file. FBX File Format. Adjusts the format of exported FBX file (for example, ASCII). FBX File Version. Selects the version of exported FBX file (for example, FBX201100). AutoCAD Tip – Elements not displaying on screen as expected or desired 24/11/21 AutoCAD By Dennis Collin When working with certain complex drawings, it can be difficult to resolve specific annotation items such as dimensions and text. AutoCAD will generally tend to place elements that are drawn or modified last to the top of a list of objects called the draw order. Exceptions exist in the case of hatch elements, which by default go behind their respective boundaries and text, dimensions and other annotations which go to the top of the draw order list for ease of reading and selection. The Draw Order list can be controlled by the Draw Order function where users can specify exactly how elements are displayed on screen and printed. AutoCAD has a system variable controlling the display behaviour of elements. The system variable is called DRAWORDERCTL and is set within the AutoCAD drawing with a default setting of 3. If set to zero, then elements may not display correctly during editing sessions or at final print time. This setting can be checked by typing DRAWORDERCTL at the command prompt. If necessary, set the value to 3. Bear in mind that this variable is set by document, so it is worth checking the variable with any new drawings that are introduced to a project that have come from an external source. Read More AutoCAD Tip – Ensuring Layer States are retained when using Xrefs in AutoCAD 24/11/21 AutoCAD By Dennis Collin Sometimes when working with drawings with External References, the layer states setting can be lost in between editing sessions. This problem occurs with AutoCAD if the VISRETAIN variable is set to zero or is reset, possibly from a third-party app. The problem can also occur if elements are placed on layer 0 within the Xref file. The VISRETAIN variable is set within the drawing file with a default value of 1 (ON). This variable Controls the visibility, colour, linetype, line weight and plot styles. This system variable is used along with the VISRETAINMODE system variable to manage which Xref layer property overrides you want to automatically synchronise on reload. When VISRETAIN is switched on the Xref-dependent layer changes made in the current drawing take precedence. Layer settings are saved with the current drawing's layer table and persist between AutoCAD sessions. For this to work VISRETAINMODE needs to be set to Zero (OFF). This will provide the same user experience with legacy AutoCAD releases with the VISRETAIN variable enabled. The following steps should solve the loss of Xref Layer States or indicate the cause: Within the host drawing, ensure VISRETAIN is set to 1. Ensure that AutoCAD’s variable VISRETAINMODE is set to 0. Verify that drawing geometry in the Xref(s) is not placed on layer 0. On the command line in AutoCAD, type XREFOVERRIDE and set it to 1. Reload the Xref. If a nested Xref is involved, try un-nesting it and referencing it directly. Correct any circular Xref attachments. Use the System Variable Utility to see which variables are deviating from default values. If any customisation exists that may be resetting system variables like lisp routines or custom profiles, reset AutoCAD. Repair the host drawing and Xrefs (Use Recover, Recover with Xrefs or Audit commands). Read More MEPworx - Orthogonal Drawing Setting (O). 24/11/21 MEPworxMEPworx ElectricalMEPworx Mechanical By Gary Mann The best method of setting up a model in any program is in Landscape format so that it fills our landscape monitors fully, exciting the most pixels and resulting in less zoom actions and fewer pan movements. It is not always possible to achieve this, for example if you import a gbXML from elsewhere you have to work with what you receive, or if the building is not rectangular in shape, see below a building which consists of rooms on more than one axis: The building has been well presented, filling the screen in “Home View”, but 30% of the rooms are not “Orthogonal” e.g. having all horizonal or vertical faces when viewed on plan. The short cut to switching Ortho, O, off & on (Blue is On) is located at the bottom right hand side of the screen. MEPworx defaults to Ortho-On which is good for the rooms on the right-hand side of the screenshot” but less helpful for the left-hand side rooms. When Defining Rooms, the Ortho Option is of limited help as the “X” or “Snap to DXF” will ensure best room definition, but it is when Inserting Pipe or Duct that the Ortho feature ensures parallel alignment and prevents “dog-leg” definitions in the non-ortho rooms. The “Short-cut method” of activating this setting is to simply click onto the North Arrow displayed on the “Display>Info Box”. This will ask you (in the bottom left-hand corner) to “Click on start point” and then; “Click on end point”. This can also be set in motion via “Display>Options>General>, ticking the “Orthogonal Lines” box and entering the angle via the keyboard numbers. The drawing Angle is not always known, and it is much easier to define by simply clicking on any two points on a line, as shown below by points 1 & 2. The summary below shows the Hot & Cold-water services drawn parallel to the DXF, due to the “Ortho Angle” feature that you are now familiar with! The Ortho Angle option can also be used to align ceiling tiles, Public Health appliances, ventilation grilles and diffusers and Light Fittings etc. In a future blog, I will describe another use for this command, if you haven’t thought of it by then😊. Please send any feedback or suggestions to gary.mann@cadline.co.uk Read More FormIt – Primary Keyboard Short Cuts (Part 2) 24/11/21 Formit By Garry Stockton As with all CAD applications, there are keyboard shortcut keys that can give efficiency when using your application of choice. FormIt is no different, below you’ll find some of the most useful: Group: Edit Group E Edit Group E G Edit Group (G E Finish Group Action F Group G Group Alt+G Make Unique M U UnGroup U UnGroup Alt+U UnGroup All (U A UnGroup Model U M Levels: Display Levels D L Use Levels U L Primitive Shapes: Cube Alt+B Cylinder Alt+Y Dome Alt+D Prism Alt+R Pyramid Alt+P Selection Filter: Edges E S Faces F S Groups G S Solids S S Solar Analysis: Enter Solar Analysis Mode S A Tools: Array A R Cover C V Cut Geometry (Context Menu) C C Cut Geometry (Toolbar) C G Tools: Extrude Edges E E Fillet F I Join Geometry J G Lasso Select L L Loft Edges L O Measure M E Measure Angle M A Merge Edges and Vertices M G Mirror M I Move M Offset Edges O E Offset Face O F Offset Solid O S Paint With Material P T Reverse Faces F F Rotate Q Scale S C Section Plane S P Set Location S L Shell S H Smooth Edges S E Sweep S W Taper Face T F Unsmooth Edges U E 3D View Z D First Person Fly-Through F T Orbit Camera O Pan Camera P Swivel Camera S V Top Z T Zoom All Z A Zoom All Z E Zoom All Images Z I Zoom Camera Z Zoom Selection Z S Read More FormIt – Primary Keyboard Short Cuts (Part 1) 24/11/21 Formit By Garry Stockton As with all CAD applications, there are keyboard shortcut keys that can drive efficiency when using your application of choice. FormIt is no different, below you’ll find some of the most useful: Application Settings: Display Dimensions D D Pre-selection Highlight P S Show Edited Group Only H Snap to Grid S G Collaboration: Invite to Session C I Join Session C J Start Session C S Display: Ambient Shadows D A Axes D Z Back faces D B Edges D E Extend Lines D X Grid D G Ground Plane D P Group bounding boxes B B Hidden Lines D H Monotone Surfaces D M North Arrow D N Draw: Arc by center and radius A C Arc by three arc points A Circle C Line L Rectangle R Spline S Edit: Copy Ctrl+C Cut Ctrl+X Delete Delete Paste Ctrl+V Paste In Place Ctrl+Shift+V Redo Ctrl+Y Redo Ctrl+Shift+Z Reset Axes R Z Select All Ctrl+A Set Axes S Z Undo Ctrl+Z Watertight Issues D W File: Export Model To... Ctrl+E Import 3D Model... Ctrl+I Import Image... Ctrl+Shift+I New Ctrl+N Open from BIM 360 Docs... Alt+O Open.. Ctrl+O Save As to BIM 360 Docs... Shift+Alt+S Save As... Ctrl+Shift+S Save Copy... Ctrl+S Ctrl+C Save to BIM 360 Docs... Alt+S Save with History... Ctrl+S Ctrl+H Save.. Ctrl+S………………… Read More SEE ALL BLOG POSTS Cadline Corporate Services Software Store Training Store Support Store Cadline Community Contact Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Cookies & Website Usage Policy Modern Slavery Act Email: sales@cadline.co.uk Staines: 01784 419922 Gatwick: 01293 774442 Birmingham: 0121 752 9860 Fax: 01784 419976 Manchester: 01565 213113 Leeds: 01924 233760 © Copyright 2021 Cadline Limited