Hi all. I was wondering if anybody had any luck importing from vectorworks(this is a lower budget cad program). It have tried all different kinds of exports, including dxf, but nothing works in Vue4 or V5E demo. Get an reading file error. I tried a program called 3dwin to convert it to tons of other formats and still the same error. The closes thing I had to success was importing the dxf into Poser, then into Vue but that left me with a once solid gray object with no ability to split into pieces for re-texturing.

So just wondering if anybody had any luck. Thanks!

Have you tried running it through Wings3d - if you can export out of vectorworks in 3ds or obj you can import it into wings and then export out in one of the same two formats. Wings is free 3d modelling program - google wings 3d and you'll find it. If you can only export dxf then I don't know what might help (that's free anyway)... If nothing else - wings is a great modelling program, maybe you could try using it instead to model whatever you're looking for.

Message edited on: 03/11/2005 19:56

I haven't tried wings3d yet, but I defintely will give it a shot! Pretty sure you can do a 3ds or obj export in VW.

As for using wings for doing models, I have a friend who uses Vectorworks for their job and wanted to see it rendered in Vue. Actual modelling isn't needed but if the transfer works it will be great.

Thanks for the tip. Much appreciated! :)

Here the answer from a person working with WV to whom I spoke of your issue : QUOTE/ 0) Here : Vue4Pro 4.54-02 for Mac, french VW10 on Mac, so texts in dialogs are different. Only geometry and faces' colours can be exported via dxf, not lighting, nor RenderWorks Textures nor symbols. In short : everything which is on one same dxf layer, will be read as one only object, welded together. So, the first step is to prepare the dxf file. 1) Use a copy of your VW file to prepare for transfer. Dispatch all objects which you want to recover separately, on separate layers (classes). 2) Choose really different short names, max 3 or 4 letters, for your layers (classes). If possible, different from the first letter on. Vue easily mingles up layer's names. Don't use VW sub-classes or sub-layers, Vue won't separe those. 3) "explose/transform" all symbols, and place the resulting sub-objects on the right layers. If you don't do it here, they will be "exploded" pieces while exporting, and the result will be scattered on layers where you won't like to have them, welded together with others. Before exploding/transforming hybrid 2D&3D symbols, choose a 3D view, prefer one of the isometric vues : If you transform a hybrid symbol while in the 2D "plan" vue, you will get a 2D-result only. The 3D information will be lost. 4) Strip all 2D-information, throw out all texts and measurements information, images, quicktimes, data-bases and so on. Leave only pure 3D geometry. 5) Give a solid color to all faces and edges - not transparent. Others than solid colour faces will show up as wireframes, others than solid colour lines will not show up at all, only an empty binding box. Better don't use hachurations nor raster fillings. 6) I choose 2D plan vue, or the 3D top view, before export. Other view angles seem to give funny results, or crash, when used with non-architectural/mechanical programs, Vue wont read DXF 2000/2002/2005 versions. Export to dxf14 or to an earlier version. In the export dialog, mark : export filling of faces, triangulate, and disassemble objects. Hachuration export an equivalence of line-colours and thickness are of no use here. Choose, wether VW layers or classes should be used to create dxf layers, depending on how you structured your VW file. I use VW classes. 7) This should give you a "clean and simple" dxf file, which most programs should read. Now, to import this into Vue... Only small files come over without too much problems. From about 20 megs up, my Vue crashes. Vue "squeezes" my dxf layers, at a ratio of about 3 dxf layers into 1 Vue object. I work arond that, by importing the dxf file into Cinema4d which reads it properly, export it to 3ds or obj, which is read correctly by Vue4Pro. Perhaps 3DWin (or poser ?) does this, too ? Tell me... /UNQUOTE maybe this can help ... ?

WOW! That is very detailed and looks like it will be a great help! Thank you very much and thank your friend as well!

Thanks again! Much appreciated! :)

I'll let you both know how it works out.