problems with drawings i was sent

[jekstein]

i have to be honest i do not use AutoCad Map and actually did not know it existed til now. An engineer sent me a disk full of what they say are drawings you can import into Autocad map. I do not have this program and can not justify to my bosses why we would need it.

My question is, is there any one out there tha i can send these drawings/files to that can import them into AutoCAD map and save them in a form i can use (ie pdf dwg tif etc)

Please help! thank you.

[ekubaskie]

It would help to know more about the files. What are the file name extensions?

[Jmurphy]

What format are the drawings in now? You can always request a trial copy of Map3D from your reseller and convert them. Maybe once you and the boss see WHAT Map can do he'll allow you to purchase a copy of it for other uses.

[jekstein]

file list:

Se2xcs83.040
Se2xcs84.040
Se2xwl90.020
Se2xbor1.001
Se2xcsr1.040
Se2xgtr1.040
Se2xgtr4.020
Se2xtlr1.040
Se2xudr2.020
Se2xurr2.020
Se2xwlr2.020

the person taht mad the disk placed these files in a file named DGN.

[jim.dahl]

Are they text files?


jim

[ekubaskie]

The DGN implies that the files are from Microstation, but the extensions should be ".dgn". Of course, you may have windows explorer set to hide known file extensions, too, so you're just not seeing them. Right-click one of the files and pick Properties to see the full name.

Anyway, Map 3D can import Microstation files. So can vanilla AutoCAD if you are running 2008 (._DGNIMPORT command) - IF the files are from Microstation version 8.

[margaretl]

It looks to me like they might be MicroStation drawings. DGN in the file name. I have not worked with MicroStation, but I have imported DGN into Map. It works, but not well. It is odd the extensions are numbers. I would try making a copy of one, renaming it with a DGN extension and then try doing a DGN import. Map => Tools => Import

Browse for drawing and change file type to Intergraph/MicroStation Design (*.dgn)

If it works great, if not, I would contact the person who supplied the files and find out how they were created. Possibly have that person export them intoa format ACAD can read.

[ekubaskie]

It looks to me like they might be MicroStation drawings. DGN in the file name. I have not worked with MicroStation, but I have imported DGN into Map. It works, but not well. It is odd the extensions are numbers. I would try making a copy of one, renaming it with a DGN extension and then try doing a DGN import. Map => Tools => Import

Browse for drawing and change file type to Intergraph/MicroStation Design (*.dgn)

If it works great, if not, I would contact the person who supplied the files and find out how they were created. Possibly have that person export them intoa format ACAD can read.

Our OP does not seem to have Map, but you're right, Microstation can save to either DXF or DWG format, either of which all versions of AutoCAD can read.

Map's (and AutoCAD 2008's) DGN imports will fail if the DGN files contain any 3D objects or anything from Bentley's vertical products.

[sinc]

Our OP does not seem to have Map, but you're right,
Map's (and AutoCAD 2008's) DGN imports will fail if the DGN files contain any 3D objects or anything from Bentley's vertical products.

That might explain why we've had so little luck converting DGN files.

But even having the people on the other end save down to DWG from their Bentley product also provides a solution that is hit-and-miss at best. Many of these drawings will become usable after an AUDIT is run, but they frequently exhibit very strange behavior even then, and some of them cannot be opened in Autocad at all. I think we've also seen behavior where we can open a DWG created in Bentley software in plain Autocad or in Land Desktop, but not in Civil-3D.

But most people we work with (except for the DOT and the military) use Autodesk products, so it doesn't come up TOO much. In general, we just hope we don't have to convert to/from DGN...

[dmortar]

This has been quite helpful.
Thanks to all that have provided insight on how to work with DGN files in an Autocad work enviorment