DXF File Import Issues

Thanks Dellus.  I was about to scale the drawing when I read your reply.  I saved a separate copy then applied a scale of 0.001 and the measured dimensions are now accurate.  The units are shown as 600 mm as intended.

I do not understand the General Scale setting.  why should it be 50?  Where/How have you determined that?  It works as both the dimensional text and the arrow heads are now shown as originally intended I just do not understand why!

I also do not fully understand why the text and arrows related to the dimensions change with the General Scale and other text (Ground Floor Plan and North Elevation, etc.) are not affected by the scale changes but remain constant within the drawing whatever I scale it to.  I vaguely recall a setting in Autocad where the text can be set to scale or not and I assume that is what has happened?

Finally, I do not understand the paper text height reference.  I had it set to 2.5 mm with the general scale at 50 which was fine.  however I played a bit and found that the general scale at 100 and text height set to 1 mm produced the best results on screen.

When I tried to print it I needed to separate it from the main drawing and so once again copied and pasted it to a new drawing that I had set up exactly as the amended drawing setting above (scale 100 etc.).  Two things happened.  First, all the dimension lines and arrows disappeared as if they had not copied and second it had reverted to the original scale of the drawing so when I dimensioned the kitchen unit it showed 600,000 mm not 600!

Can you explain what is going on?

Also, you did not comment on the reference layer being overwritten.

In windows there used to be a "Paste Special" function where you could select what was actually pasted, the entire clipboard or the clipboard without the attributes.  is there a way to do this in Librecad (I am assuming not!).

Geoff

Update.

So I then followed your advice not to C&P but to delete the remaining information.  So I saved as under a new name, removed everything else and moved closer to the origin.  The dimensional information remained and it printed OK.

Two things come out for  this for me that might be worth putting on the wish list.

First, it would be useful to have an Apply (or Preview) button on the Options page so that the drawing changes can be seen without having to exit and then the-enter the options dialogue all the time.

Second, (and this may exist?) it would be useful to be able to easily isolate a part of the drawing for printing as you can in Autocad.

Geoff

"The units are shown as 600 mm as intended."  I'm confused now, I thought you wanted to change to meters?
General Scale setting 50: In the original file converted to dxf and then opened in LibreCAD General Scale says 50. This means that the intended printing scale is 1:50 and therefore the size values of the dimension text, arrows and so on are automatically enlarged 50 times, as when printing they are scaled down again. This saves you having to calculate and change all the single needed sizes again if you want to print it out in a different scale. You just have to change the General Scale. Unfortunately that General Scale doesn't apply to normal text, which would make sense. This is on my wishlist.
Do not trust on how it looks on the screen, but on the print. I assume you have an A4 printer only. Set the paper size to A4. Open print preview. Set the scale to the scale you have in General Scale (as 1:x). Move the white papersheet with the mouse to the area you want to print. Stay in Print preview and print with the normal print icon. So you don't have to isolate a drawing area.
I can make you sample files, but it's too late this evening.
Wishlists won't be heard, as developers are scarce.

The confusion and maybe misunderstanding between us might come from that your initial dxf was made by AutoCAD whereas mine came from QCAD, the outcome may be different. I have sent you my version as it came out of QCAD for comparison.
The level of detail in the drawing indicates it is indeed intended for 1:50 scale. But you can set it up and print as 1:100 also, if you want to get more onto the paper.
If you like me to make a sample file tell what scale and what units you want.

Hi.  Looked at your file but as I have made so many changes since that version it is not worth using it but thank you anyway.

Have sent you an email.

Didn't mean you should use my file, just to compare the settings with your AutoCAD originated dxf.
The file you have sent: I understand you like it this way for viewing and working on it on the screen. It also fits on A4 at 1:100, but if you print it 1mm text height is just too small. It is advisable always to set up a drawing as if it is going to be printed, to get drawing elements, dimensions and text to appropriate relations to each other. You might want to send it to someone with no CAD some day, as a pdf.
But anyway, you are on a good way now, have fun.

Dellus, I have sent you a copy of one of the files I am working on via email to show you where I am and also to ask some more questions mainly about issues with layers and blocks.  Actually, I have done some more so am resending an updated file to use.

The drawing looks like this:



I have been moving items form one layer to another as they do not appear to be consistent (as an inexperienced user I did not layer the detail properly).  So for example, I selected every dimension independently and used the properties dialogue to move them all to the Dimensions layer.  This appears to have worked as I can turn the layer off and all the dimensions disappear and if I turn off all layers then  just turn on the Dimensions, they show up.

I had to do them one at a time as I first tried to copy them from one layer then paste them to a different layer and it did not work.  It simply pasted it back into the original layer.

Then i remembered reading about grouping and the use of blocks in librecad so tried that.  I grouped all the Utility room items and made them a block and moved the block through the properties dialogue to another layer.  I did the same with parts of the outline that were on different layers so the outline is now in two blocks and both have been moved to the same layer.  The block all appear in my blocks list and the layers in the layer list correctly.

HOWEVER.....it does not seem to work properly.  So using my copy of the file I sent you can you try the following:

(NB sometimes, even though all the layers are active, some of the drawing is missing.  The Redraw icon does not seem to do anything but by using the Auto Zoom icon, it brings everything back).

1     With all layers and blocks active turn Dimensions off and on.  It works.
2     With all layers and blocks active turn off all layers one at a time except for Dimensions.  It works
3     With all layers and blocks active turn off all layers using the Hide all Layers button. Now turn on just Dimensions.  It works.

Now an example of a layer problem.  There are others but this one illustrates the point.  The outline was in two of the original layers, GJJ Text and "0".  I selected only the "0" layer, selected all and made the elements into a block.  Using the properties dialogue I moved the block to the Property Outline layer and this has worked.  The rest of the outline was in GJJ Text so I did the same.  Although it showed in the properties that it was on the Property Outline layer, it was not.  Or at least not 100%.  So then I activated just the GJJ Text and property outline layers, selected all and made a block.  I moved the block to the Property Outline layer and it properly shows that in the properties dialogue box.  However it does not seem to work properly.  Try the following:

4     With all layers and blocks active turn off the property Outline layer.  It works.
5     Now with all layers and blocks active turn off each layer one at a time EXCEPT GJJ Text and Property Outline.  You will see the outline.
6     Turn off the Property Outline layer and then turn it back on.  The outline disappears and then returns.
7     Select the outline to confirm it is a single block.
8     Now turn off the GJJ Text layer and half the outline disappears yet you just confirmed, it is a single block!
9     Now toggle Property outline on and off and only half the outline is there.  Turn GJJ Text back on and toggle the Property Outline layer on and off and it is all there , all goes and all comes back!  How is this possible?
10    With GJJ Text and Property Outline back on, turn off the Property Outline layer.  The GJJ Text layer is now empty!  Toggling it does nothing but turning the Property Outline layer back on then toggling GJJ Text produces the same odd result.

11.    Turning other layers on and off does not always bring the information back and I have to Auto Zoom to recover it.

Finally an example of a Block problem.  My kitchen units have disappeared from the drawing.

12    Make sure all layers are active and refreshed with Auto Zoom then turn off Text and Dimensions.  You should see the outline.  Select the Block List.
13    Toggle Outline Total.  It works.  Toggle Outline-0 or Outline-1.  Nothing.  So I assume Outline Total has superseded the other two which can now be deleted?
14    Toggle Kitchen Sink.  Nothing happens.
15    Highlight Kitchen Sink and edit Block.  Suddenly the data appears but is not on the drawing.

All I did was make it a Block and it disappeared.  I have sent you the updated file then inserted the active block and that has worked but it is not necessarily in the original position!

If you have time to try all this and give me some more feedback, I would appreciate it.  Until I am confident that Librecad will work properly, I am a bit reluctant to use it, especially if it is not being maintained or developed.

Geoff

With the"Attributes" command you can change the layer of multiple entities in one go.  You also can combine single pick and window selection, though a bit tricky as I just have found out.
There are several situations where after an operation something seems disappeared and Auto Zoom brings it back. So that's always worth a try.
I always fear to have to deal with blocks issues. I don't know if it's a lack of understanding or really buggy or not well implemented. Any way I don't understand completely what is going on, there also seems to be some block and layer interaction, what happens when there is a block within a block, ...I'm not much of a help here. But I will try out the procedures you have described.
LibreCAD is maintained and developed, but progress is slow. If someone makes a contribution it is mainly something that person feels it needs it for it's own interest. Issues of common welfare thus are neglected.
Generally the hype is for 3d design (3d printing!), simple 2d-drawings is for oldies.

dellus
 

Thanks.

I'm also not a coder, just a user. In the beginning of my playing with LibreCAD I also complained things should be this way or that way. But I had to learn too you have to take it as it is and find workarounds. There is not the one developer who designed it from scratch or feels it is his baby. It is a fork of a community edition of QCAD. Developers have went on and off board since then.

The block and layer issues: it seems that if you make a block (maybe from elements on several layers) and put this on a different layer it still carries the original layers with it, the new layer just being something like a "carrier layer". This could explain the awkward behavior. The only advice I could think of is to avoid complex block constructions, like using blocks as a layer substitute, as you did. Maybe it helps to "Explode" such a block after insertion.
I don't have AutoCAD experience, so I'm not familiar with blocks use. I have been working with Nemetschek Allplan, which has a completely different structure.

Well I have managed to solve it.  The "funny" layer was the GJJ Text so I deleted it to see what would happen.  At first I thought I had lost it but actually it transferred the detail to layer "0" which must be a failsafe to make sure you delete the elements specifically not through the layer.

The odd part of the outline was now in "0" where I Blocked it and reset it in one go to the correct layer and that has worked.

I am pressing on.

Hi to you both.

Just a note to let you know that I am happily pressing on with Librecad and am getting to grips with it finally.

I much appreciate the time and help you offered to enable me to sort it out.

I do not know how (or if it is necessary) to close this post but if I have other issues I will start a new thread.

Geoff