TechDraw ExportPageDXF

ExportPageSVG

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TechDraw

Description

The TechDraw ExportPageDXF tool saves a drawing page as a DXF file.

Usage

1. If there are multiple drawing pages in the document: optionally activate the desired page by selecting it in the Tree view.
2. There are several ways to invoke the tool:
   • Press the Export Page as DXF button.
   • Select the TechDraw → Page → Export Page as DXF option from the menu.
   • If a page is displayed in the Main view area: right-click the page's window and select the Export DXF option from the context menu.
3. If there are multiple drawing pages in the document and you have not yet activated a page, the Page Chooser dialog box opens:
   1. Select the desired page.
   2. Press the OK button.
4. The Save DXF file dialog box opens.
5. Select a location and file name.

Limitations

• Radial and Diameter dimensions will only export properly if they are "inside" the arc.
• Scaling is not supported. The DXF will be drawn in the actual size of the TechDraw page.
• Units are not supported. The DXF will be drawn in millimeters (mm). Dimension text will be shown exactly as displayed in TechDraw.
• TechDraw can't export a Insert Draft Workbench Object or an Insert Arch Workbench Object to DXF. These views are SVG elements generated internally by the Draft Workbench, so there is no geometrical shape to export. To export a view as DXF, it must have been created with Insert View or Insert Projection Group. For example, select an Arch SectionPlane, then use Draft Shape2DView to create a flat projection shape, and then use Insert View on this object. Alternatively, select the objects from the tree view or the 3D viewport, and export to DXF using File → Export.
• The title block of a page is an SVG template as well, so it will not be exported to DXF either.
• In general, TechDraw can only export to DXF those elements that are supported by the Import::ImpExpDxfWrite class of the Import Module.

Notes

• This function exports the R12 (AC1009) and R14 (AC1014) versions of DXF.
  • R12 is an older, simpler version of the standard, but should be readable by most other software.
  • R14 is the default version. It includes support for splines and ellipses among other things.
• These parameters affect the output:
  • Tools → Edit parameters → BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Import → DxfVersionOut. This is an integer value. Valid entries are 12 or 14. The default is 14.
  • Tools → Edit parameters → BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Import → DiscretizeEllipses. This is a boolean value. If true, splines and ellipses are converted to polylines; if false, splines and ellipses are written as splines and ellipses objects. The default is false. If the DxfVersionOut parameter is 12, splines and ellipses are always converted to polylines.
  • Tools → Edit parameters → BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Import → maxsegmentlength. This is a float value. If splines and ellipses are converted to polylines this parameter determines the segment length.

Scripting

See also: Autogenerated API documentation and FreeCAD Scripting Basics.

The SaveDXF tool can be used in macros and from the Python console by using the following functions:

TechDraw.writeDXFPage(page,filename)

ExportPageSVG

View

TechDraw

TechDraw

• Pages: Insert Default Page, Insert Page using Template, Update template fields, Redraw Page, Print All Pages, Export Page as SVG, Export Page as DXF
• Views:
  • TechDraw views: Insert View, Insert Broken View, Insert Section View, Insert Complex Section View, Insert Detail View, Insert Projection Group, Insert Clip Group, Insert SVG Symbol, Insert Bitmap Image, Share View, Turn View Frames On/Off, Project Shape
  • Views from other workbenches: Insert Active View, Insert Draft Workbench Object, Insert BIM Workbench Object, Insert Spreadsheet View
• Stacking: Move view to top of stack, Move view to bottom of stack, Move view up one level, Move view down one level

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• Dimensions: Insert Dimension, Insert Length Dimension, Insert Horizontal Dimension, Insert Vertical Dimension, Insert Radius Dimension, Insert Diameter Dimension, Insert Angle Dimension, Insert 3-Point Angle Dimension, Insert Area Annotation, Create Arc Length Dimension, Insert Horizontal Extent Dimension, Insert Vertical Extent Dimension, Create Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Create Vertical Chain Dimensions, Create Oblique Chain Dimensions, Create Horizontal Coordinate Dimensions, Create Vertical Coordinate Dimensions, Create Oblique Coordinate Dimensions, Create Horizontal Chamfer Dimension, Create Vertical Chamfer Dimension, Insert Balloon Annotation, Insert Axonometric Length Dimension, Insert Landmark Dimension, Dimension Repair, Link Dimension to 3D Geometry

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• Hatching: Hatch Face using Image File, Apply Geometric Hatch to Face,
• Annotations: Insert Annotation, Add Leaderline to View, Insert Rich Text Annotation, Add Cosmetic Vertex, Add Midpoint Vertices, Add Quadrant Vertices, Add Centerline to Faces, Add Centerline between 2 Lines, Add Centerline between 2 Points, Add Cosmetic Line Through 2 points, Add Cosmetic Circle, Change Appearance of Lines, Show/Hide Invisible Edges, Add Welding Information to Leader, Add Surface Finish Symbol, Add Hole or Shaft Tolerances

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• Extensions:
  • Attributes and modifications: Select Line Attributes, Cascade Spacing and Delta Distance, Change Line Attributes, Extend Line, Shorten Line, Lock/Unlock View, Position Section View, Position Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Position Vertical Chain Dimensions, Position Oblique Chain Dimensions, Cascade Horizontal Dimensions, Cascade Vertical Dimensions, Cascade Oblique Dimensions, Calculate the area of selected faces, Calculate the arc length of selected edges, Customize format label
  • Centerlines and threading: Add Circle Centerlines, Add Bolt Circle Centerlines, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Intersection Vertex(es), Add an offset vertex, Add Cosmetic Circle, Add Cosmetic Arc, Add Cosmetic Circle 3 Points, Add Cosmetic Parallel Line, Add Cosmetic Perpendicular Line
  • Dimensions: Insert '⌀' Prefix, Insert '□' Prefix, Insert 'n×' Prefix, Remove Prefix, Increase Decimal Places, Decrease Decimal Places

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• Miscellaneous: Remove Cosmetic Object

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• Additional: Line Groups, Templates, Hatching, Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, Preferences

User documentation

• Getting started
• Installation: Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
• Basics: About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate

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• Help: Tutorials, Video tutorials
• Workbenches: Std Base, Assembly, BIM, CAM, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Material, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework

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• Addons: Addon Manager, External workbenches, Scripting and macros

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• Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub