Importing DXF Files for 2D

[StoneyNH]

When I import DXF files to use as Geometry I get them as DWG's so I have to cleanup all the unnecessary lines etc to use them.I use the QM Drafting feature which gets rid of a lot of the garbage I don't need.My parts have lotsa tapped & drilled holes so Im spending a lot of time deleting the crosshairs in the center of the holes.Is there a faster/easier way to get rid of all those lines?

[Thad]

Sometimes it's easier to pick what you don't want, then "reverse selection." Used in conjunction with Alt+E to hide entities, windowing and QM, you can do some pretty elaborate selecting very quickly.

 

For example, maybe you can window all of the holes, including the crosshairs, then Alt+E. Now you can do one of two options...

1. QM all lines and delete

2. QM all arcs, reverse selection, and delete

Then Alt+E will display everything back on the screen again.

 

Say you window the holes, then Alt+E and you end up with a few entities on the screen that you didn't want. Select the few entities that you don't want, reverse selection, Alt+E, then Alt+E again. You now have only what you want selected.

[StoneyNH]

OK that all sounds good but Im clueless how to do it.I know how to window things.So I can window the holes,then hit ALT + E.That I can do.When I use the QM Drafting,its an icon on the right of my screen,I hit the icon & then the delete that looks like a pencil.How do I differentiate that icon to do lines and/or arcs?

[Thad]

There are QM icons for each individual entity type (lines, arcs, splines, drafting, surfaces, solids, etc). You may have to setup the toolbar for it.

 

Image attached is my toolbar...

 

Hovering over any icon will tell you what it is.

 

 

 

******EDIT********

 

Go to Settings-Customize and chose General Selection from the Category dropdown. The individual QM options are in there. Drag the ones you want into a new or existing toolbar, save your toolbar state and you're all set.

[Thad]

Here's the invert selection icon...

 

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

When I import DXF files to use as Geometry I get them as DWG's so I have to cleanup all the unnecessary lines etc to use them.I use the QM Drafting feature which gets rid of a lot of the garbage I don't need.My parts have lotsa tapped & drilled holes so Im spending a lot of time deleting the crosshairs in the center of the holes.Is there a faster/easier way to get rid of all those lines?

 

Do you have a sample file I can take a look at? 

[Thad]

He's referring to something like this. This is a small detail, but imagine an adapter or die shoe with hundreds of holes.

PUNCH RETAINER.zip

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

Not sure if this is of any help but I wrote a quick and dirty NETHook that allows you to set a line length, level number and level color and moves all lines that meet the line length to a new level named crosshair (see image).  I have attached the NETHook (X8) and C# project for those interested.

 

Edit: Added X7 NETHook (64-bit)

X8_x64CrossHairRemoval.zip

VSProject_CrossHairRemoval.zip

X7_x64CrossHairRemoval.zip

Edited August 20, 2014 by Mick from CNC Software Inc.

[Thad]

Mick,

 

I haven't installed X8 yet (not sure when I will), but I'll check this out when I do. Looks cool!

 

Thanks!

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

Mick,

 

I haven't installed X8 yet (not sure when I will), but I'll check this out when I do. Looks cool!

 

Thanks!

 

 

I re-compiled under X7 64 for those not running X8

[Thad]

I re-compiled under X7 64 for those not running X8

 

Thanks Mick, but per my sig, I'm running X6.

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

Thanks Mick, but per my sig, I'm running X6.

 

So you're the one