problem linking files

[j_starko]

Hi, I'm trying to bring in a dwg file to my revit drawing . every time i do i can't find the drawing anywhere. I've checked visibilites graphics and all the appropriate worksets are on . I've turned the crop region off so i could see if it's really far away from the origin .

i've tried changing the units for which it's brought in and i've even tried leaving it for automatic scale setting.

Under the Manage link table it shows up there, but I can't find my DWG drawing anywhere in the revit file.

any tips that might help me ?

[DanielleAnderson]

If your autocad drawing is far away from 0,0 you may have some problems. Try relocating the autocad drawing as close to 0,0 as possible (keeping proper documentation should you need to move it back to its original position) and then retry. Usually this fixes the problem.

[Calvn_Swing]

There are also other possibilities.

You need to choose the appropriate placement setting for these files as well. I always use origin to origin for 2D cad files. This way I can check the CAD file for it's origin if it doesn't come in at the right spot. Also, make sure the CAD elements are all at 0 on the Z axis. One common issue is that the CAD lines are way off the model in the Z axis. In any 2D view you'll never find them. Since you're probably importing into that view only, you'll never find it in any other view either.

One option is to try an import to all views (uncheck the "this view only" box) and try finding it in 3D space.

Then there are other issues. In Elevation views we can't get 2D CAD documents to come in at all. Why you ask? My guess is that since the CAD elevation is still drawn in the X,Y plane and not on the Y,Z or X,Z plane, when you import it into a Revit elevation it comes in as a nice invisible line across the screen. I haven't tried drawing an elevation in CAD on the other two planes to see if this solves the porblem, but usually when we're using CAD elevations we just drop them into a drafting view and use the "reference other view" check box in the options bar when placing the elevation tags.

That being said, we haven't brought in CAD drawings on a project in a while, and try to avoid it whenever possible. It's just so much easier to draw it all in Revit for us.

Good luck!

[j_starko]

at my previous office we were all CAD all the time , and when we received files from outside sources , we had some after market add-on for auto cad that was called "squash" and it would take all the elements on a drawing and squash them all down to the origin for the z axis so that there'd be no hovering lines . I was trying to do that with the current auto cad drawing but it hasn't been a totally success yet.

I think I'm having both of the problem listed above. The auto cad drawing seems to be really far from the origin .. and I think i have lines drawing at different altitudes ( on the z axis) .

I'll double check that " open in all views" is clicked .

Thanks for the tips :D

[Calvn_Swing]

One little clarification,

Visible in all views should only be used to check the location of the CAD file in a pinch. As soon as you've located the bloody thing, undo!

Then, make whatever corrections are needed, and bring it back in to "this view only"

Good luck.

[Rachel Ritchie]

one other thought...it could be outside your crop region. Turn off your crop to make sure that's not the case.

[Brockway]

I've had issues before where my CAD plan kept getting hidden by model elements. It seems that, by default, the CAD work is brought into the view as "background". What you could try is placing the CAD "in this view only" then zoom way out, do a crossing boundary, filter the selection to only the CAD work (this is of course assuming it's there), then click its properties and select it to be displayed in "foreground".

[gautamrs]

You may know this, but sometimes, if Imports in Families is unchecked, CAD stuff doesn't translate or show... apart from this setting, all other suggestions seem sound...

[j_starko]

Well now I'm having troubles with something else.

I Have been making sure the drawing is set to 0 for the y axis so that i don't have hovering lines.

Now I there are certain key lines that aren't showing up . I'm pretty sure its something to do with REVIT. In the auto cad file , I've opened it with auto cad, made sure the lines are all on the same axis, and I've even tried changing them all to the same layer before saving.

.
I'm at a loss as to where I'm losing these lines i need

[Brockway]

Try overriding all the CAD's linework to be black or some color just so long as all the linework is the same color. I had some lines come in white on occasion. They may be there and you just can't see them.