Alibre DXF import

[Richard Evans 2Participant @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

[JasonBModerator @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.

[Richard Evans 2Participant @richardevans2]

Thanks Jason- I’ve seen those instructions but Atom doesn’t have ‘select all’ and the shift-select option doesn’t do anything.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

“Select All” is quite often Ctrl + A in a lot of programs. Maybe worth trying?

Rob

[David JuppParticipant @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

 

[David JuppParticipant @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.

[Richard Evans 2Participant @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.

[David JuppParticipant @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.

[Richard Evans 2Participant @richardevans2]

Thank you David, very helpful indeed.

[David JuppParticipant @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/

[Richard Evans 2Participant @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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