DXF

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Revision as of 12:13, 23 August 2022 by Frank@tygron.nl (talk | contribs)
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DXF is a file format to exchange CAD data from Autodesk. A DXF file is subdivided in several sections. The most important sections are:

  • HEADER
  • TABLES, containing definitions of layers
  • ENTITIES: containing 2 and 3 dimensional shapes
  • BLOCKS: containing 2 and 3 dimension shapes, reusable using INSERTS in ENTITIES.


ENTITIES

Currently, the following Autodesk CAD entity types are supported:

  • LWPOLYLINES (2 dimensional line strings), including bulges. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • LINE (single lines). See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • POLYLINE (3 dimensional line strings), currently only interpreted as 2 dimensional. The z-coordinate is ignored. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • HATCH (polygonal data constructed using other boundary entities). See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • CIRCLE: full and partial circles, given a center point, radius and start and end angle. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • ELLIPSE: full and partial ellipses, given a center point, major and minor axis, rotation and start and end angle. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • ARC: curved lines given a center point and a radius. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • VERTEX: 2 dimensional point. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • POINT: Same as vertex, but 3 dimensional. Currently only interpreted as 2 dimensional. The z-coordinate is ignored. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • SPLINE: 2 dimensional Control point splines are currently supported. See also AutoCAD Documentation.
  • INSERT: Predefined BLOCKS inserted at a point and with a rotation and a scale. See also AutoCAD Documentation.

BLOCKS

BLOCKS are parts in a CAD drawing that can be reused multiple times by inserting them at different locations with optional alternative rotations and scales. The usage of BLOCKS in a DXF is supported. See also AutoCad Documentation.