Alibre DXF import

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Alibre DXF import

This topic has 10 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 May 2024 at 18:25 by Richard Evans 2.

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27 April 2024 at 10:03 #727781
Richard Evans 2
Participant
@richardevans2
I’m currently using the 28 day trail of Atom, I like it and I’m going to buy it. But I have a problem with DXF import. If I import a DXF, it opens in the model window and I need to copy and paste it into a sketch. I’ve done this successfully. But I have to select and copy each element of the DXF separately- I can’t seem to use a box selection and I can’t find a ‘select all’ option anywhere. What am I doing wrong? Is there anything I can do to the DXF before import to make life easier?

Thanks for any advice/suggestions!

Richard
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27 April 2024 at 10:22 #727787
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
I’m not sure if Atom has “select all” but I have ringed it in green, if you do that after clicking “activate 2D sketch “in these instructions that will pick up all the lines etc. that can then be copied and pasted into a new part file.
27 April 2024 at 10:51 #727794
Richard Evans 2
Participant
@richardevans2
Thanks Jason- I’ve seen those instructions but Atom doesn’t have ‘select all’ and the shift-select option doesn’t do anything.
27 April 2024 at 12:09 #727801
Grindstone Cowboy
Participant
@grindstonecowboy
“Select All” is quite often Ctrl + A in a lot of programs. Maybe worth trying?

Rob
27 April 2024 at 12:54 #727803
David Jupp
Participant
@davidjupp51506
I’ve just put my system into Atom3D mode to test this.

In 2D sketch mode, Ctrl+A does do a select all for me.

Box select also works for me in Atom3D (left to right for wholly enclosed select, right to left box for enclosed plus crossing figures select). Again you must be in sketch mode.

Though this video is dated (some of the UI details no longer match, so do take care) – it is excellent for going through some of the issues you are likely to hit with imported DXF files
27 April 2024 at 12:56 #727804
David Jupp
Participant
@davidjupp51506
Note that in many cases it may be just as fast to model from scratch in Atom3D – if the original DXF is a bit of a mess, you can spend more time fixing it than any time it might save you compared to sketching from scratch.
27 April 2024 at 16:10 #727830
Richard Evans 2
Participant
@richardevans2
David, thanks for the video- it’s clear, but still relies on a box select. David and Rob- Ctrl+A (or a) does not select anything after DXF import followed by activate sketch. Seems a bit odd when box select/select all applies to so many Windows programs- I guess it’s been deliberately disabled unless there’s still something I’m missing.

David, I take the point about messy DXFs, but in this case they are actually pretty good.
27 April 2024 at 16:35 #727832
David Jupp
Participant
@davidjupp51506
It may be that because I normally use Alibre Design, my user profile holds some functions not usually available in Atom3D. I’ll try to check with Alibre in USA to see exactly which features should be available in Atom3D – may be into next week before I get definitive answer.
27 April 2024 at 17:30 #727838
Richard Evans 2
Participant
@richardevans2
Thank you David, very helpful indeed.
30 April 2024 at 08:18 #728284
David Jupp
Participant
@davidjupp51506
Richard – I’ve had confirmation back from Alibre’s QA Director.

Box select, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+A should all work in Atom3D.

It is essential that you enter 2D sketch mode for these to work correctly.

Ctrl+A will select everything, including any drawing frame – so may not be ideal.

If these still don’t work for you, try using the ‘reset user profile’ link on the Utilities Tab of the Home Window of Atom3D, then re-start the software and try again.

If still not behaving correctly you can get more extensive assistance from either your local Alibre reseller or directly from Alibre Support

https://www.alibre.com/alibre-customer-support-ticket-entry/
5 May 2024 at 18:25 #729323
Richard Evans 2
Participant
@richardevans2
David, thank you very much for your help. It will probably be a few days before I can look into this but I’ll report back on the outcome.
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