dxf files are not visible in AutoCAD

Use this forum to ask questions about how to do things in QCAD 2.1/2.2.

Moderator: andrew

Locked
bluequad
Active Member
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 3:42 pm

dxf files are not visible in AutoCAD

Post by bluequad » Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:57 pm

Having created a file in QCAD in dxf format, it will not open in AutoCAD. There is something there, because the crosshairs pick up a dashed line for each component of the drawing but becomes invisible once the cursor moves away.

I was lead to believe that QCAD files were interchangable with AutoCAD. Do I have to save the file in another format?

User avatar
andrew
Site Admin
Posts: 9019
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:07 am

Post by andrew » Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:05 pm

You might have to change the color of your entities (or layers) from black to something else. QCAD displays black lines on a black background in white, Autocad does not.

User avatar
hungerburg
Premier Member
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 7:35 pm

black/white

Post by hungerburg » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:36 am

So in QCAD a black line gets rendered white, if the background of the drawing surface is pure black (zero, not one, two...255). I prefer drawing on a silver board (192). Background colour is an "application" preference, not a "drawing" or document preference and is not saved in the DXF file.

One could say, the DXFormat is underspecified for omitting such a preference. Or is it just QCAD? I rather draw draw black lines than those candy coloured lines I see so often. Still, other people have to look at my drawings with their software, and autocad is wide spread. Is there another way to help them, than writing with a white pencil a hint into the area, like:

"Please use a light background to view this drawing correctly."

Regards

--
peter

bluequad
Active Member
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 3:42 pm

Post by bluequad » Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:05 pm

Thanks for that Peter. Actually, Andrews reply worked because I changed the drawing colour to Red in preferences and it opened in Red in AutoCAD.

I suppose one can then change the colour to what you want thereafter.

Someone posted a reply to a similar question a little while ago and made a series of changes in AutoCAD, but I haven't tried this.

Keith

User avatar
andrew
Site Admin
Posts: 9019
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:07 am

Re: black/white

Post by andrew » Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:36 pm

hungerburg wrote:One could say, the DXFormat is underspecified for omitting such a preference. Or is it just QCAD?
The background color of the drawing area is definitely a user preference, not a drawing / document setting in CAD. The vast majority of people draws on a black background. A few people prefer a white background (matches the print).

QCAD automatically adjusts the display color of black and white entities, so they are never invisible. Autocad and other CAD systems might not do that.

faber
Junior Member
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:15 pm

Post by faber » Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:55 pm

reading your comment looks like the major problem is the setting of the color of the layer; didn't you experience huge differences when opening the same file in autocad and qcad?
Unfortunately I am not currently able to have the same results...
I "have" to use only the same software (qcad) if I want to handle the dxf file without problem; if I try to open it using autocad (lite version) is a little disaster.

Locked

Return to “QCAD 2.1/2.2 'How Do I' Questions”