#Are they solids?
15 messages in this thread
I made some tests today. In AutoCAD, I saved a drawing with AME solids in DXF
format, loaded the drawing into 3D Studio, saved the drawing in DXF format,
loaded the drawing into AutoCAD, and saved the drawing in DWG format. The
original drawing is 1494624 bytes long. The new drawing is 508610 bytes long.
In AutoCAD, I saved a similar drawing in DXF format, loaded the drawing into
AutoCAD, and saved the drawing in DWG format. Now, the drawing is 1506648 bytes
long. I don't know why the first new drawing is about 1/3 the size of the
original drawing. If I issue the HIDE command, it works. If I select objects in
the drawing, they behave as in original drawing. What kind of objects in the
first new drawing? I don't think they are AME solids anymore. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
>> I don't think they are AME solids anymore. <<
That's right, and that is the answer to the drawing file size question. Let me
explain….
AME adds additional information to the file that controls how AME deals with
the entities as solids (this information is contained on the AME_FRZ layer).
When you loaded the file into 3DS, this information was just discarded, as 3DS
is only concerned with the face mesh. Subsequently, when you DXF'd the file
back from 3DS to AutoCAD, all you got was the face mesh. That is why the first
file is significantly smaller than the second.
Chuck
Dear Chuck, Thank you very much for telling me that 3D Studio discards solid
information and keeps face meshes. I should have put each object in its own
layer when I made 3D drawings of motor vehicles using AutoCAD because when I
loaded the DXF file created by 3D Studio into AutoCAD, all of the layers are
named "Uxx" where xx is a number. When I load DXF files created by AutoCAD into
3D Studio, I use "By Entities" to create objects. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
Sounds like you are becomming very adept at the AutoCAD to 3DS world, keep
plugging away!!!!!
Dear Chuck, Thank you very much for telling me that I am adept at
AutoCAD to 3D Studio world. I want to stay home and use AutoCAD and
3D Studio to make and render 3D drawings of motor vehicles. I don't
want to go to work and rebuild carburetors anymore. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
It has never been a "job", but I have had my share of carburetor cleaner under
my fingernails. A friend and I used to compete first in the SDBA (Southern
Drag Boat Association) and then the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). I can
state (as my singular claim to fame) that I have been 137.26 mph on the water
and 171.84 mph on the land!
What that has to do with the ASOFT forum I have no idea!
Chuck
Chuck:
I'd be impressed if you were a member of the 300 mph club. <g>
Evan
Evan,
Hey, but I have a brother that is the "diver" on an NHRA team that just did it
this past year, does that count?
Chuck
I dunno. What does the "diver" do?
Evan
Evan,
He's responsible for the bottom end (crankshaft, rods, flywheel and clutch).
Aptly named because they spend most of their time "diving" under the car during
one of those infamous NHRA one-hour thrashes to rebuild a 5,000 HP engine
between rounds (something special to watch, pure poetry in "mechanical"
motion)!
Chuck
Dear Chuck, Do you know how to fix computers so that they run faster? I had a
busy day loading 3D drawings of motor vehicle parts such as bodies, doors,
wheels, etc into AutoCAD, meshing them, saving them in DXF format, loading them
into 3D Studio, saving them in DXF format, loading them into AutoCAD, change
properties of objects in drawings, and saving them in DWG format. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
I think we would ALL want a computer that runs faster! But there are a couple
thing to do to look for obvious areas in which you could use some help.
First, STAY OFF THE DISK! What I am saying is make sure you have enough RAM to
avoid swapping! In AutoCAD, enter the "status" command from the command prompt
and check the Swap File Size. By default, AutoCAD creates a 388Kb swap file.
If this number starts climbing beyond 388, you could use more RAM! Similarly
in 3DS, go to the info pulldown, and click on the "Current Status" command.
Make sure that you swap file there shows at 0.
Secondly, keep your files clean. In AutoCAD, make sure you regularily purge.
By the way jeffrey, why are you going from ACAD to Studio to ACAD? If you are
doing this to eliminate the "solids" portion of the drawing to reduce the file
size, try this. In AutoCAD…
– Save the file when you are done modeling. – Mesh the solids – explode the
solids – wblock the file out to a different name
.. this should clean those "nasty" solids right up!
Chuck
Dear Chuck, my Zeos 486DX-33 EISA computers each has 16 MB RAM and two 212 MB
IDE hard drives. I will check Status in AutoCAD and 3D Studio. Can I increase
the swap file? I thought that AutoCAD and 3D Studio save changes to drawings to
hard disk. I will try exploding the AME solids after meshing them and using
WBLOCK to save them to new files. Jeffrey.
Jeffrey,
The swap file will dynamically update as required based on what you are doing.
Load a bigger drawing, more swap!(By the way, I am saying that YOU DON'T WANT
SWAP with ACAD!)
Chuck
Dear Chuck, The 3D drawings of motor vehicles are about 1.5 MB in
size. The hard disk light blinks whenever I mesh and render the
drawings in AutoCAD. If I have the money, I would upgrade my
computers to 32 MB RAM. Jeffrey.