Cad To Walls not recognizing imported cad blocks.

[McCallOfTheWild]

Hello everyone

 

New to the Chief forum. I'll get right to it... I recently got magic plan for an iPad I have to easily do a floor plan when on site (Have always used pencil and 11x17 paper). It has it's ups and downs, but for the need to know dimensions (I shoot with laser, and it auto populates) it's been great and has cut my sketching time in half. 

 

I have learned that Magic Plan can export DXF files. I have been watching tutorials on YouTube, and have learned how to import DWF/DXF into Chief. Learned about layering and so forth. 

 

Here's the problem. When I import to chief and get all my ducks in a row, and layer all I can, chief won't recognize the cad windows when I go into perspective view. chief thinks they're all door openings in the wall when I Cad To Walls. How do I fix this? Using Chief x10.

 

Thanks in advance.  

[lbuttery]

I'm surprised you had any luck with CTW tool at all

 

I never could, I rarely hear of anyone that uses the tool, especially successfully

 

I suspect you will just have to change them to windows manually

?

 

Lew

[McCallOfTheWild]

44 minutes ago, lbuttery said:

I suspect you will just have to change them to windows manually

I've been having to do that, takes a minute. You delete the opening, then patch the wall back in, then insert a window. Was hoping for a better solution than that 

[ShaneK]

CAD to walls is worthless, much quicker to import your cad layout as a jpg or pdf and trace it. Sooooo much clean up work with CAD to walls

 

[DavidJPotter]

CAD to walls tool is "layer specific" and so if your CAD blocks are on a layer other than "Walls exterior" or "Walls Interior" then they will be overlooked. Software is pre-programmed to work the way it was written to work and that often times does not work the way one might want to have it. In other words, it does what it does and perhaps not what YOU would have it work. It is not "worthless"  but by the same token, I, like Shane and Lewis, do not commonly use it due to its limitations.

 

DJP

[MarkMc]

I use CAD to trace and regularly convert PDFs to dwg since you can snap to it. Unblock all blocks (match properties to select); place all on a single layer and get as many line as is ez to layer color, lock layer. Set wall default, generator resize about inner surface, set plan default snap distance to 1/2", then turn grid snaps off. Trace, if needed move wall so drywall is correct with arrow key which will move it 1/2", the snap setting.
After walls place doors and windows dragging so they snap. Goes very quickly.
I suppose that could be combined with cad to walls if layers are correct. I have not even attempted CAD to walls in years so can't say.