Old acad drawings.

[MarkSM]

I am considering downloading CA in the next few days after consuming hours of videos on here. i'm excited to move from AutoCad to CA. I've been designing houses in AutoCad for decades now and have a huge library of "stock"'floor plans that I use a lot. My question is this: can I import my AutoCad drawings into CA and draw over the top of them to easily recreate them? My plan is to go from AutoCad on PC to CA on Mac, fwiw. Thanks in advance.

[Alaskan_Son]

Just one man's opinion here but that should be no problem for you at all.

[Chopsaw]

You should be able to try it out with the Trial version you just can't  print, save, or export.  So import should still work.  DWG and DXF files should be ok to trace over with snaps. If you repost in the General Q & A you might get an answer from an experienced user who uses both programs over the weekend.

 

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/products/trial.html

[dshall]

Just one man's opinion here but that should be no problem for you at all.

 

second man's opinion...  go for it.

[jbaehmer]

I will throw in a third man's thought.....as Nike says.....Just do it!

[lbuttery]

Chief has a "CAD to Walls" tool

 

however, it doesn't work very well

 

I've been on this forum for over a decade and have seen only 1 or 2 users

who report having success with it

 

I tried again in 2014 with a simple school floorplan where I now have my museum

no joy -  CA's tech team tried - no joy

 

tracing over is the "recommended" way

and its fairly easy to do

 

it's too bad they don't directly import

 

Lew

[harrybstanfield]

i guest old is better, ver 10  will do it

[harrybstanfield]

need to separate layers

[lbuttery]

Harry:

 

I first tried it in ver 9.5 and a few months later in ver 10

 

absolutely no joy

 

I was looking at a business model of using photogrammetry software to measure the as-built

then import into Chief

 

no joy at all

 

Lew

[ChiefArchitect]

You will be able to import and export DXF or DWG files into Chief Architect Premier. Then you can trace over the lines or use our CAD to Wall option. Check out this Quick Tip: CAD to Wall video to convert your CAD files to a 3D model.

[Korel_Design]

Hey Mark,

 

Jerry Karlovich over here with Korel. You possible know of me since we are in the same area. I know of you. My business model have completely changed so I don't consider us as competitors. I have been using CA since X3 and I have used it for my 3D models. I still do much work in AutoCAD because there are a few issues I have been dealing with in getting my Foundation Layouts the way I want them. I do provide my clients a Slab Foundation Layout for dimension purposes just so the contractors know precisely where the recesses are. I do not provide an Engineered Slab. I won't go into detail here. As far as tracing an AutoCAD drawing, I simply save my AutoCAD "Wall Hardlines" (no dimensions, text or hatching) then Import that into CA as CAD Lines. You could also create a special layer for your imported file so that later you can easily turn off that layer to keep things from getting too confusing. Then simply trace on top of that. Before you do anything, you need to set your preferences and defaults. The "Stock" Preferences and Defaults or more leaning towards homes being built in other markets that do not use Slab Foundations with Brick Ledges. Many of the terms used in CA are different that what we might call them but you'll get use to that. 

 

I would like more Chief users here in the north Texas area so we might be able to collaborate. 

 

Good to see another Texan on Chief.

 

JK

[DRAWZILLA]

Just make sure to set your defaults prior to tracing. Always set defaults first thing you do.

[MarkSM]

On 8/2/2016 at 1:10 PM, Korel_Design said:

Hey Mark,

 

Jerry Karlovich over here with Korel. You possible know of me since we are in the same area. I know of you. My business model have completely changed so I don't consider us as competitors. I have been using CA since X3 and I have used it for my 3D models. I still do much work in AutoCAD because there are a few issues I have been dealing with in getting my Foundation Layouts the way I want them. I do provide my clients a Slab Foundation Layout for dimension purposes just so the contractors know precisely where the recesses are. I do not provide an Engineered Slab. I won't go into detail here. As far as tracing an AutoCAD drawing, I simply save my AutoCAD "Wall Hardlines" (no dimensions, text or hatching) then Import that into CA as CAD Lines. You could also create a special layer for your imported file so that later you can easily turn off that layer to keep things from getting too confusing. Then simply trace on top of that. Before you do anything, you need to set your preferences and defaults. The "Stock" Preferences and Defaults or more leaning towards homes being built in other markets that do not use Slab Foundations with Brick Ledges. Many of the terms used in CA are different that what we might call them but you'll get use to that. 

 

I would like more Chief users here in the north Texas area so we might be able to collaborate. 

 

Good to see another Texan on Chief.

 

JK

Hey Jerry. I do think I know you. I believe we've crossed paths a few times in the past. It's good to know another Dallas guy is having success with CA. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but it's been good. I feel like I've been in the drafting dark ages for the past decade. Sorry to took me so long to respond. I just saw your post. I guess I need to set up some kind of notifications. Glad you chimed in.