DWG to MAX with alignment

[Varchi]

Here is my goal. I'm building a collection of detailed DWGs of buildings in AutoCAD. These buildings need to be imported into a larger scale MAX that is composed of landscape and hardscape.

 

So far I've been creating the DWGs with the buildings aligned with the default coordinate system. Their position and rotation are different in the final MAX file; so, I've been creating a duplicate CAD file that aligns the buildings before import into the MAX file.

 

I hate to use a duplicate DWG file just to move and rotate a building and that needs realignment every time a change needs to cascade from building file to landscape file. My current solution is a MAX file for each building that does the alignment and materials only once for an easy import via containers into the larger MAX landscape file.

 

How could I use an intermediate MAX file to align the building once?

To summarize, I need a MAX file to import and re-import the same DWG as changes are made without the need to realign the imported content.

[Stephen Thomas]

If you create a max file for each building and xref the building files into your scene file you can bind them to a dummy object, then just move/rotate the dummy to position your building in the scene. Go to File/References/XrefScene then look down at the bottom right where it says bind. With the xref selected click on 'bind' then click on the object in your scene that you want to bind it to.

 

I'm not sure if there's a similar method you can use for DWG files or not.

[Varchi]

I suppose I could just import a building dwg into a max file, xref that building max file into the scene max file, and align the xref. It's nice to have a separate building max file for materials and layers.

 

I guess I meant for this to be a bit more open. Is this the best way to manage this kind of set up? Would using containers be more appropriate?

How can I manage the numerous layers, same-name layer conflicts, and same-name block conflicts that come with dwgs to max?

[Stephen Thomas]

Will need to leave that to someone else I'm afraid, I rarely use cad files for anything more than linework and reference.

[John Dollus]

depends on how flexible you want to be. For example, the most flexibility would be to setup layers and materials named according to each bldg type (bldg A-glass-clear etc) which will result in a lot of layers and a lot of materials in your master file. You can also setup a master material file and xref those materials into each separate bldg file if you have a standardized material set shared between bldgs so if you need to change brick type 1, you only need to change it in the master file as opposed to changing it in each Bldg Max file where it exists (handy) and keep layers separate. you can also adhere to the same naming conventions throughout so in the main Max file, you only have to toggle one layer to affect the common elements in every file (ie Glass-clear) but still maintain independent control. Sorta depends on how organized you can be and how your pipeline is setup. Materials named the same won't conflict if they are xref'd. Same goes for layers. if you have layer01 in both files, they'll be separated in the master file when you expand the master layer so you can toggle it globally or just file specific.

not sure about how containers work with this situation. seems to be an evolving workflow so I'm waiting for the dust to settle a bit on that.

[francosd]

HI, you can use the "replace" function in the max file

[1d2d3d4d]

never use containers or dummy objects,

but I can say that well organized layers and xrefs have solved these

kind of coordinate issues for me--

 

I do wish that max was at least 50% more user friendly in this area

(or that I knew at least 50% more than I do about adjusting max for purposed of

orthographic/right angle modeling---when using real world geo coordinates-