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DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER - AutoCAD DXF file import plug-in for Pro/ENGINEER

DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER is an AutoCAD DXF file import plug-in for Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire. It gives Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire the ability to import mesh objects from AutoCAD DXF files as solids models in Pro/ENGINEER.

Pro/ENGINEER already has the ability to read AutoCAD DXF files. However, when importing DXF files into Pro/ENGINEER 3D mesh objects are ignored. DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER gives Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire the ability to read 3D mesh objects in an AutoCAD DXF file and import them as solid bodies in a Pro/ENGINEER part document. A polygon mesh in a DXF file is comprised of a set of triangular and quad faces. DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER creates trimmed planar surfaces for each triangle and quad and knits them together to create a solid body. If the polygon mesh is closed (i.e. it does not contain boundary edges) then DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER will create a closed body feature, otherwise an open surface will be created.

DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER is very easy to use. Once installed, it must be loaded into the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire environment. Follow the simple instructions in the "ReadMe" document which can be found in the installation folder. Once loaded, it adds new commands to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire and a submenu called "DXFImport" to the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire menu.

DXF Import for Pro/ENGINEER comes with detailed documentation as well as a tutorial to get you started in the shortest possible time.

If you need any additional information please contact SYCODE.


The DXF File Format

The AutoCAD DXF (Drawing Interchange Format, or Drawing Exchange Format) is a CAD data file format, developed by Autodesk as their solution for enabling data interoperability between AutoCAD and other programs. DXF was originally introduced in December 1982 as part of AutoCAD 1.0, and was intended to provide an exact representation of the data in the AutoCAD native file format, DXF (Drawing), for which Autodesk didn't (and doesn't) publish specifications.

DXF is probably one of the most widely supported vector formats in the world today. DXF is rich in features, including: support for 3D objects, curves, text, associative dimensioning, etc. Although DXF was developed to represent the data used in a CAD program, it is used by many programs as a "least common denominator" format for the exchange of many different types of data, most commonly vector-oriented information but also text and 3D polygons.

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