Reducing file size when exporting to DWG

[geojoe]

I work with huge engine asseblies (1000 ^ parts in an assembly) that must be exported to AutoCAD drawings for our customers. Sometimes the AutoCAD .dwg file has so many entities in it that AutoCAD can't open them. It seems that each curve in Pro/E is broken down into hundreds of smaller curves, which is driving up the total count. These are NOT complex curves, most are standard circular arcs. One 90 degree arc in Pro/E will become 25 smaller arcs when the conversioni is made. Is there a setting that can limit the amount of entities that Pro/E generates when it does the conversion? Thanks greatly for any help.

 

[adicar01]

yes, in 3D is not complex curves, but the projetion in 2D it is read as an spline curve.

If your customer need all the asembly or only the sections?

then you can choose to export as *.sat or anoter file tipe which is can read from Autocad.



Adrian Carpinisan

[email protected]

 

[dougr]

Try creating a snapshot of your drawing (Views-Modify View-Snapshot) and then save as a *.dwg (not dxf !!!)

 

[geojoe]

Adrian,



Let me try to explain my real problem: Our engines are broken down like this: Arrangement-->Groups-->Assemblies-->Parts.

Right now we make Autocad drawings by converting the parts, Assemblies, and Groups ONE AT A TIME to autocad, then rebuilding the drawings, VIEW BY VIEW in 2D...(Much of the engine is already in ACAD from years back, and does not need to be updated)



Meanwhile, the entire arrangement has already been built in Pro/E by other engineers, but we cannot use it because so many entities are created when the file is converted that the customer can't use it.



So I think we are 'rebuilding the wheel' - we are not taking advantage of the fact the Engine is already drawn in Pro/E, only because of the huge number of entities it creates when converted in one move.



I do not know what a .sat file is, or how that would help. What did you mean when you asked if 'they only need the sections?



Thanks for trying to help.

 

[geojoe]

dougr - how does creating a snapshot differ from a direct export from Pro/E to a .dwg file?



Thanks

 

[dougr]

Can only tell you dwg results from snapshot views are better than from model views.



Can only guess that the snapshot algorithm is better than the dwg algorithm..