Make a copy of your original .dwg file, and give
the copy a different name. This is done so as to avoid modifying the original
.dwg file. The copy will be modified in a way that might
make it difficult to perform edits in the future, so the original
.dwg file is retained. You can skip this step if
you are certain your drawing contains no unexploded entities.
We recommend appending the letter x to the original file name when creating
the new one to signify eXploded since the main difference between the original
and the working copy is that any complex entities present in the original file
will be exploded in the copy. If for example, your original file is named
abc.dwg , name the working copy
abcx.dwg or
abc_x.dwg .
Method A:
Open the original .dwg file. If you are
currently editing the original .dwg file,
save it by typing qsave on the command line or
clicking the 'floppy disk' icon.
Pick File -> Save As from the main menu bar.
Give the new drawing a unique name. The original file will be left intact.
Method B:
Using Microsoft Windows Explorer, copy the .dwg
file to a new name.
Remove all spurious entities from your drawing.
Erase anything that will not appear on the artwork/photomask. This includes
title blocks, notes, layers containing unneeded information, etc. The final
drawing should contain only those entities that will appear on the photoplot or
photomask.
Make sure the drawing is at 1:1 scale.
Make sure the drawing is at 1:1 scale. Unless you tell us otherwise, we assume
your drawing units are inches. If you use other units, you must specify them in
your readme.txt file or scale your drawing to inches before using the dxfout
command. Examples are: cm (10 mm), inches, mm, microns (1/1000 mm), and
mils (1/1000 inch).
Units are totally arbitrary in AutoCAD. The numbers used in a drawing can mean
anything you wish. We cannot guess what you intend. We don't look at the
dimension callouts (if supplied) in the drawing.
Explode blocks, dimensions, hatching, and mtext.
The Laserlab dxf2gbr translator does not recognize compound objects such as
blocks. Blocks and other compound objects must be exploded to decompose them into
simpler entities like lines, arcs, and polylines.
Do not explode hatching intended to guide our CAD operators. If your drawing contains
hatching intended to show which areas of your drawing are to be filled, do not explode
it. This will make it easier for us to delete. Explode any hatching which is to form
part of the artwork. This should be offset, user-defined hatching.
Dimensions must be exploded twice. First the dimension itself is exploded into lines
and mtext, then the mtext (multi-line text) must be exploded into dtext (single line text).
Method A: (best if you have only a few items to explode and know their locations)
Type explode at the command prompt.
Click on the compound entities one-by-one.
Method B: (preferred method, but more complex)
Type explode at the command prompt.
Type 'filter (note the tick (apostrophe)).
Add one or more of "block", "dimension" "hatch", and "text" to the object
selection filters dialog box using the scroll box. Click "add to list".
Click "apply" when done.
Type "all" when asked to select objects.
Press return as many times as required to complete.
Purge drawing.
Remove all unused compound entities, line styles, text styles, layers, etc.
from the drawing. These items are not visible but are stored in the
.dwg file. Purging the drawing can
dramatically reduce the .dwg file size.
Procedure:
Type "purge" at the command prompt and press enter.
Type "all" and press enter.
Press enter when prompted "Enter name(s) to purge <*>:"
Press enter when prompted "Verify each name to be purged? [Yes/No] :"
Repeat steps 1-4 until the following is displayed:
No unreferenced blocks found.
No unreferenced layers found.
No unreferenced linetypes found.
No unreferenced text styles found.
No unreferenced shape files found.
No unreferenced dimension styles found.
No unreferenced mlinestyles found.
No unreferenced plotstyles found.
Use AutoCAD "dxfout" command to produce .dxf file(s).
There is a one-to-one correspondence between .dxf and .gbr files. Each .dxf file
must contain exactly those items you wish to have appear on your photoplot or
photomask. In the following procedure, you generate one or more .dxf files by turning
on and off layers in the drawing, then outputting a .dxf file with only the visible
entities. These steps are repeated until you create all the desired .dxf files.
Procedure:
Zoom out so that everything you want to output is visible. Leave a border by zooming ".9x".
This leaves room to easily select the objects to output using a selection window.
Open the layer properties manager by clicking the "layers" icon (looks like a stack of
three white sheets of paper).
Turn off all layers not pertinent to the artwork you wish to produce.
Turn on all layers you wish to have appear on the artwork. Close the layers dialog box.
Type "dxfout" at the command prompt and press enter. The "Save As" dialog box will appear.
Click the "Options" button at the lower righthand side of the dialog box. The "Saveas Options"
dialog box appears.
Click the "DXF Options" tab.
Check mark the "Select objects" checkbox. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
Type a file name in the "file name" field. Click "Save" to close the dialog box.
Select all the items on the screen using a selection window. Press enter. This should
save only the visible entities to a .dxf file.
Repeat steps 2-10 to create other .dxf files as required.
