Is there any way to import AutoCAD DXF or DWG data?

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#1

I’ve looked through the interface, but I don’t see any option to import data from CAD software. I’m used to using CAD, and I can desgn my polylines very quickly and accurately there, while creating polylines in blender is slow, tedious, and imprecise.

As an example, I thought I would learn Blender by doing a quick and dirty animation of the puzzle cube from Hellraiser. It literally took me 10 minutes to design the two pieces needed in cross section, which could be extruded to make the actual pieces.

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss358/RedwoodElf/th_HRCube.jpg

However, when I looked through Blender…there was no “import DXF” or “Import DWG” option. They’re simple lines, a 3D animation program should be able to get them into blender…I even tried selecting them and hitting Ctrl-C to put them on the clipbooard, then going into Blender and hitting ctrl-V, thinking “Surely Blender can take vector information off the clipboard…” but no dice.

#2

Enable the Import DXF addon that comes installed with blender. Note the limited feature set http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Import-Export/DXF_Importer

#3

OK, that got the data in there…now all I have to do is figure out how to split off each shape as a separate object, since it merged everything into a single object. Why is there no simple toolbar with things like “Copy” and “Paste” in this program?

#4

GAAAH! This program is so frustrating! Not only can’t I find an easy “copy/paste” or “split” function to make multiple objects or split off subobjects, even a 10-year old version of 3D studio max had a modifier stack where you could take an object, add an extrude modifier that you could easily edit, extruding along a given vector by an adjustable amount, with check boxes to cap the ends of the extruded shape…shouldn’t a program made 10 years later have something that intuitive and easy to learn?

#5

<shift+d> for a duplicate of selected
<alt+d> for an instanced duplicate of selected

<p> to seperate selection in editmode

It’s not Blenders fault that you have no idea how to use it and expect it to work like 3dsmax.
Blender is Blender, not a 3dsmax clone.

#6

when u go to import DXF, try changing the default codec… it worked for me.

#7

I found that it’s more useful to have a copy of old good 2.49b installed along with 2.5, rather than fight with new DXFimported (it’s not that hard, but guess I’m just a bit lazy). DXF import in 2.4 works flawlessly for 2D. Just import, save new .blend and continue in 2.5.

BUT 2.4 can be extremely slow with bloated and huge files. It’s wise to clean\purge them before import.

p.s. Guess it’s time to write 2.6 instead of 2.5. Just can’t change that stupid habit.

#8

You can either follow Felix007’s advice, or prepare your drawing before saving it as dxf: polylines will be ignored, so you’ll need to explode those first. I typically select all objects, explode, select all, explode again, select all (and once more if you’re using nested blocks with polylines), export as dxf (usually 2000, other versions may work too), then import in Blender using the dxf import script that is provided with the add-ons, using Codec iso-8859-15.

#9

So Ctrl-C for Copy and Ctrl-V for Paste (Windows standard since the very first Windows came out) are too easy eh?

Nice misquote. What I said was, why can’t it be as EASY to use as a 10 year old piece of software, not that it should be identical.