Export DWF Issue

[Bill McLees]

Maybe it's just me. However, I have tried to use the "export DWF 2D" command to make a complete set of the drawings for a given project.

Over two projects on two computers, I have found that this always causes Revit to crash. (I am not checking the box requiring a separate file for each drawing.)

The issue appears to be that the output DWF file must be in a different directory than the drawing file. If the two files are in the same directory, I get a crash. If the DWF output is in another directory, things work fine.

I don't know that anyone else has this problem, but if so, I hope this helps.

Bill McLees

[The Sweg]

I only ask because I'm not familiar with this, but I always plot to DWF by using the 'print' command and using the DWF writer as the printer, is this the same as exporting to 2D DWF?

[Bill McLees]

I don't understand the difference myself. However, I have not had much luck printing to DWF so I always use the "export DWF" command. I usually print to a printer or PDF without problem, but DWF hasn't worked well for me.

[greg.mcdowell]

I've had export problems with DWF on projects with particularly large object counts in views (like the elevation of a high-rise building entirely made out of Curtain Wall) but only occasionally. I haven't tried saving it to another folder though and will give that a shot the next time I run into this. Also, I've noticed that un-checking the box that saves object data with the DWF speeds things up a lot and makes for a smaller file. That might help as well.

[dsw98]

Is there a way to create a DWF as one file with all my sheets in it like a multiple page PDF?

[The Sweg]

Yes! When you choose 'Print' , choose the DWF writer as your printer, Select which sheets you want to print under 'Print Range' by hitting the 'Select' button (it has a filter to only see views or sheets or both). The important step that you need to create a multi-page DWF is to check the radio button beside "Combine multiple selected views/sheets into a single file" under the "File" section of the Print dialogue. You can accept the default location for your prints or 'Browse" to you desired location.

HTH

[dsw98]

Okay I got that to work, but I'm new to DWF's. I can see the Thumbnails of all my sheets and they look right. But on the actual view I'm only able to see the bottom right corner of the sheet. I just can't figure out how to see the full sheet. Probably a simple command I can't find. :-)

[The Sweg]

A couple of things:

Did you set-up your sheet size in the printer dialogue? Usually, when you open up a DWF file, you will see your sheet fit to the screen and centered.

The other thing is that there is a little button at the top of the viewer that works like a 'Zoom Extents". You could try that. What version of DWF Viewer are you using - or are you using DWF Composer?

[dsw98]

I'm using the DWF view that comes with Autodesk 2007. It's Autodesk DWF Viewer. ....OKay as I was typing this I was creating a new DWF and it now works. Not sure how. I suppose you have to check the print setup everytime. I just assumed it was on the sheet size I needed. Thanks for the help.

[dsw98]

So after looking carefully at the DWF's that were created I've noticed a few things. Some of my general notes are underlined when they shouldn't be and some of my fonts have been stretched. Is this normal?

[veronica.lamb]

In regards to Revit crashing when exporting dwf's... I did discover that if the Automatic Naming was using the Short option, then I had no problems. But if the Long option was selected, it crashed every time I tried to export selected views/sheets.

On another note... we sent the dwf files to the printers Friday night, this morning we got our prints only to find that all of our centered text was forced to left justification! Dwf's look great, but the prints are wrong. I've talked with the printing department, neither of us have ever experienced this before. Anyone have any ideas? We are using simple fonts - Arial and RomanT...

--Veronica

[Joef]

I am trying to use the DWF printer and cannot print a set of sheets as one file. That option is greyed out. Anyone have any clues to getting this selection to un-grey (is that a word?).

Joe

[ron.sanpedro]

I've had export problems with DWF on projects with particularly large object counts in views (like the elevation of a high-rise building entirely made out of Curtain Wall) but only occasionally. I haven't tried saving it to another folder though and will give that a shot the next time I run into this. Also, I've noticed that un-checking the box that saves object data with the DWF speeds things up a lot and makes for a smaller file. That might help as well.

I am having the same problem with DWG export. Absolutely nothing works to get the elevations into a measurable format for the energy consultant. And this happens with both flavors of DWF export, and also when exporting to a different folder, even a different hard drive. Totally useless, and VERY frustrating.
And on the few occasions I have gotten a DWF of an elevation, I get some sort of raster image proxy, so you can't dimension anything in DesignReview either. Aiiiii!!!!!!!.
We are simply dead in the water with a deadline looming and no workable answer. Hopefully something comes back from support soon.

Gordon

[al]

I ran into a lot of the issues posted here when trying to use DWF version 3 from Revit when printing to the print driver as well as using the Export 2D option. We are now back on DWF version 2 without any problems so far.

[veronica.lamb]

Joef, I believe that once you choose to Manually name the file that it forces everything to a single file...? Did you try to print? and you got multiple files?

[Joef]

I tried printing and it came out in a bunch of single files. I've decided I don't have time to Beta test AutoCAD products any longer. Particularly DWF. Why Autodesk insists on flogging this dead horse I cannot understand. I tried exporting a DWF and it crashed Revit. These are two products coming from the same company and they can't get them to work with each other.

[cstanley]

it sounds like ya'll need to download and install the latest dwf writer, as well as the latest dwf viewer from autodesk. We've been using dwfs for a while, as they have been the only way to get decent output without a great deal of tedium (using technesis to capture our billing info.) when revit batch plots, it's actually sending little individual jobs, to which we must enter a billing number each time (batch plotting delays have not been enabled.)

we recently encountered problems when sending our dwfs to an Oce tds860, which butchered the text. it shifts about an inch to the right, but only the titleblock text. We the updated all our dwf drivers and viewers, and we seem to be back on track.

as far as the crashing goes, do you have any images included in the set you are plotting? I had a few crashes when I had large (and numerous) images placed (trying to get around the whole "can't import excel" thing.) I found that when I elected to print the image sheets separately, and check the "process as raster" in the print setup, everything worked fine.

Also, process the ultimate print job (dwf to hard copy) through the dwf viewer (i found design review to **** out as well) and do not process them through something else (we have Oce Client Tools, and it improperly processes the dwf as well.)

hope some of that helps.

[Henry D]

I am trying to use the DWF printer and cannot print a set of sheets as one file. That option is greyed out. Anyone have any clues to getting this selection to un-grey (is that a word?).

Joe

Have you tried Exporting to 2D DWF? I gave up on using the DWF printer and only Export DWF's...it works very smoothly for me.

[The Sweg]

Joef,
Excuse me for asking a silly question, but I want to understand your situation to better help you; are you using the "Export DWF" command or the standard "Print" button?

I'm not really sure what the technical differences are between the two, however, I do know that I cannot seem to use the "Export DWF" with any luck. I do, however, use the "Print" command to print to DWF with no problems whatsoever. I do multi-sheet printing all the time. Whenever I need to create a PDF, I first create my multi-page DWF and then use my PDF printer (Cute PDF) to create my multi-page PDF from there.

Here are the steps I take to successfully print from Revit to DWF:
- Click the "Print" button
-Choose "Autodesk DWF Writer" under the "Name" box (making sure my "Properties" settings are correct for that particular printer
-Then, I go down to the Settings box and click the "Setup..." button
-I make sure my settings are correct in there and click "OK"
-then, I click the "Selected views/sheets" radio button from the "Print Range" section
-I choose only the sheets I want to print, and click "OK"
-Then I select the "Combine multiple selected views/sheets into a single file" radio button under the "file" section
-Then I click "Browse" and choose to name the file what I want and choose where to place it
-Then click "OK" to start printing.

I have found that doing it in this order is the only successful way to get a multiple page DWF from Revit. I hope this helps!

[Joef]

My experience with DWF :

Tried to export a 2d dwf. Revit crashed. Downloaded latest DWF device and tried to print a multi sheet document. As I stated in a previous message, the option to combine the documents is greyed out so I cannot print a multipage set of plans. I will file a support request when I get some time.

[dlancor]

As to the original question,

When exporting to 2d dwf, my Revit session terminates every time I select "Export each view or sheet as a single file". If you don't select this toggle and have multiple sheets selected, it will combine them into a single .dwf file. I was used to selecting this when exporting to .dwg because I prefer it when it creates one .dwg file. But with .dwf's, it would never create different files for xrefs anyway, so perhaps this toggle shouldn't be available.

I hope this helps.

Also, as to the export or print question:

My understanding is that the Autodesk DWF writer is designed to be used with those programs that can't already export to dwf, and so I don't use it. And, if you export you can toggle on or off whether the .dwf includes model object properties, whereas with printing you can't ever include this.

That said, I am having trouble getting the measuring tool in Autodesk Design Review to work correctly with exported .dwfs, and I can get it to work with printed .pdfs. aargh.

David

[ashuler]

I am able to export DWFs just fine, and print them from the DWF viewer without any problem. However, when I send DWFs to our repographics company for print their software does not print what the DWF correctly. The main problems are with text shifting, text too bold, and line weights too bold. The repo company told me that the fonts from Revit were not being embedded into the DWF. I know how to do this in ACAD, but what is the procedure in REVIT?

[The Sweg]

If you go to the print dialogue box, choose Autodesk DWF Writer as the printer, and click the "Properties" button beside it, you can click the "Advanced" button from in there and there should be a choice to Embed All Fonts.

or...

Since these will be shared with someone else, maybe you could create a PDF from your DWF with a free utility (I'm using Cute PDF). I do it all the time and haven't yet seen any issues. The output is fine. Most people don't have DWF viewer, which we prefer to use in office, so anytime we need to e-mail prints, we create a PDF and send it off.

HTH

[ashuler]

Is there an option to embed fonts when using the "export DWF" feature?

[cblackford]

Is there an option to embed fonts when using the "export DWF" feature?
Does anyone know the answer to this question?

We have a problem using the export option with the Oce client tools where much of the text shifts. When we use the "DWF Writer for 2d" print option, with fonts embedded, we do not have the shifting problem.

[octavianoy]

i tried to print and change printer name, i just found Autodesk DWF writer for 2D how to print in 3D?
i suggest to using export DWF because when you open in DWF Viewer with export method you will find all of component you build.you can choose anyview with this method.and the big difference between print method and export method is the file size.

Rgds'
Yano

[brd]

i tried to print and change printer name, i just found Autodesk DWF writer for 2D how to print in 3D?
i suggest to using export DWF because when you open in DWF Viewer with export method you will find all of component you build.you can choose anyview with this method.and the big difference between print method and export method is the file size.

Rgds'
Yano

I just found the same thing today actually. I've been creating DWFs all this time through the print command and haven't been able to select an of my Revit families. When I exported, everything was select-able in Design Review (which is now free if you guys haven't heard). Also, for comparison's sake, I "printed" my RCP sheet and it was 352K, then I exported the same sheet and it was only 153K AND it had select-able components. I think the comment made a ways back about DWF Writer for 2D only being intended for software that isn't capable of exporting DWF may have a lot of truth to it. I wonder if this is the reason a lot of people are getting printing errors in their DWFs, maybe they were just created wrong.