Best Practices for DWG/DXF Import

Modified on Mon, 9 Dec at 3:54 PM

When importing DWG/DXF models alongside your point clouds, please follow these guidelines for the best experience.

  • First, open your point cloud.
  • Choose the name of your point cloud from the Offset drop-down menu. 
  • Leave the default Auto unit conversion.
  • If the point cloud and the DWG model are in the same coordinate system, they appear aligned in the viewport. In this case, you can stop here.


The video below demonstrates this process.



If the point cloud and DWG model are not aligned, you must manually align them. 

  • Select your DWG/DXF model in the Object List and delete it.
  • Re-import the same DWG/DXF file, but choose Origin from the Offset drop-down menu this time. This moves the bounding box center of your model to the origin.
  • Manually align your point cloud and the model using manipulators


The video below demonstrates the manual alignment process.



Advanced Issues

Below, we have compiled a list of rare issues that can occur during DWG/DXF import and their respective solutions.


1. Invisible Model

Issue: The model is not near the origin 

Solution: 

  1. Select your model in the Object List
  2. Press the keyboard shortcut F to focus the camera view on the model.


Issue: The model covers a large area 

Solution: 

  1. Select the active camera in the Object List
  2. Increase Far plane value in the Object Inspector > Object Attributes
  3. Select your model in the Object List and press the keyboard shortcut F to adjust the camera view.


Issue: The model contains outliers or a legend 

Solution:

  1. Open the DWG/DXF file in your preferred CAD software. 
  2. Remove any outliers or legends. 
  3. Save the updated file and re-import it into NUBIGON.

Note: Offsetting a non-aligned model to the origin will not resolve this issue. 


2. Unit Mismatch

NUBIGON uses meters as its working unit. By default, the Auto unit conversion feature during DWG/DXF import will convert the model into meters.


Issue: The point cloud file is not in meters 

For example, if both point cloud and DWG model are specified in inches, the auto unit conversion will transform only the DWG model into meters, causing a mismatch.
Solution:

  1. Set the Unit conversion option to None to keep the original units of the DWG file.