Dwg Import Issue - Clipped References?

[staticpen]

Problem. We received a DWG file recently from a client that just does not want to cooperate with 3ds Max. The building to be modeled has a number of repeating sections (Before.jpg) that were dropped in as blocks and then clipped (not xref's). When I try to import/link them into 3ds Max 2008 it displays all of the clipped information too (After.jpg shown in AutoCAD for simplicity). I've tried every possible thing I can think of to export them and it always displays the same. I'm sure someone else has dealt with this before?

[Antisthenes]

i just tried a few things and what worked for me was to use

 

menu > express > flatten objects

 

maybe it makes the layers/colors not so perfect but it does not retain the invisible stuff you don't want to see

[staticpen]

Thanks for the quick response. The flatten command is what we've been using actually to get by in the meantime. The problem is we tend to lose a lot of information on the complex parts of the CAD file, even if we select the blocks individually for flattening.

 

There is also a command in AutoCAD 2009 called ExportLayout that I thought may work but it tends to lose information as well (when it doesn't crash!). I figured I was just doing something wrong as a newbie with this...

[Antisthenes]

how about just making polylines of the major elements you want to model and wblocking those out? work is work is a workaround