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Autocad units Vs. 3dmax units


LunaCyborg
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I am not an architect but a graphic designer and I was challenged to make a 3d rendering of some buildings whose blueprints were done in autocad 2000.

 

Whenever I try to import the dwg file or dxf file I get a huge model and the grid dissapear. I guess it have to see with the units settings but I have tried several ones and dont know which one to set correctly. the file in autocad is set to millimeters what would be the unit measure in 3dmax in order to get the model scaled in such a way that can be handled. these are like 11 towers with eight stories and four apartments for each story

 

Thanks in advance :D

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Set your 3dsmax system units to Inches. When importing the DWG, enable "Rescale Units" and the dropdown will then show what unit the DWG has. After that, if you want to see units in mm in 3dsmax, just set the display units to milimeters.

 

Hope it helps,

 

Alexander

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  • 1 month later...

Hmm, I have the same problem as LunaCyborg had. When I load the .dwg file grid disappears in perspective view and some functions (like zooming,panning) are not usable. Unfortunately I haven`t found "enable rescale" option. Am I missing something here or are there other ways of getting things to normal (like changing scale in AUtoCAD). This is my first contact to cad files so forgive my newbness. :p

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if your model in autocad is 1 unit = 1 mm, then go into max and change it's units to 1 unit = 1 mm.

 

then export the dxf out of acad, and import it into max. do not click the rescale option. it'll then import as you see it in autocad and the same scale.

 

Also, before you export the dxf, make sure in autocad that the drawing is centered or close to the 0,0,0 co-ordinates. if it isn't then move it.

 

sometimes, particulaly if the drawings is literally a thousand miles away from the 0,0,0 co-ordinates, it messes up things when importing into max. max isn't a cad program and HASN'T got infinate drawing extents. and the further things are from the 0,0,0 co-ordinates the more things start to get hairy.

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