Advanced CAD Importer Compatibility and Limits

AutoCAD Compatibility

• Refer to AutoCAD compatibility of the Desigo CC graphic editor.

CAD Drawings Import

• The CAD drawings are imported in Desigo CC graphics as vector-graphic XPS files and, unlike what you can do in the graphic editor, you cannot convert complex drawings to reduced-quality images.
  If this results in performance issues in Desigo CC operations, then you need to simplify the CAD drawings and import them again.
• The layouts in the CAD drawings must not contain more than one viewport, and the viewport must have the same size as the overall layout.
  This requirement is necessary to properly determine the symbol positions, and does not apply to the Graphic Editor, whose single CAD drawing import provides a different result in certain conditions.
  More specifically:
• If more viewports are present, unlike the Graphic Editor, the Advanced CAD Importer only considers the first viewport.
  In this case, if the imported image is incorrect, you need to simplify the CAD drawing and import it again.
• If the viewport is smaller than the layout, unlike the Graphic Editor, the Advanced CAD Importer does not consider the elements outside the viewport.
• Virtual model space viewports are not supported and may result in the imported image being somehow cut.
  Before importing, make sure to replace virtual model space viewports by regular paper space viewports.
• Re-importing a CAD drawing results in overwriting any modifications applied to the previously imported XPS (for example size and position of the image, and the overall stroke thickness).

Symbols Placement

To support the symbol placement in Desigo CC graphics, CAD blocks representing DMS objects must exist in the import files and contain all of the following:

• At least one graphical element, for example a square or a circle, required to determine the symbol size.
• An attribute, in the CAD block property list, which can match one of the following fire object properties in Desigo CC: Description or name, as shown in System Browser, or the internal element ID (from SiB-X files).
  The attribute must contain one of the following:
  - the fire object Customer Text label, to match the description property
  - the fire object Logical Address (zone_element), to match the name property
  - the sensor Element ID (FS20), to match the corresponding element ID in Desigo CC.
  NOTE: The importer can handle a partial match as you can find options to add and/or remove characters before comparing the strings.
  See 3 – Select the Object Blocks, and Identification Attributes.
• No object duplication of CAD blocks in the CAD layout. Only one instance of an object (one CAD block in the layout) can be supported by the import.
  Duplicated blocks are discarded and reported in the import log.

Navigation Settings

• No navigation setting is provided in the imported graphics, for example from a symbol representing an object to the view of the child objects.

Re-Import

• Re-importing the CAD drawings, and thus updating graphical information and object symbols, is possible as long as the import structure does not change (name of folders, files, and layouts).
  See Graphic Output about how to handle changes of the import structure.
  For example, you can re-import to change some graphical elements of the CAD drawing or add/remove/move symbols. Note that:
• Modifications to the size of the background imported from the CAD drawing (XPS element) will be overwritten. Instead, the display size of the depths in the graphics can be customized and will not be affected by re-imports.
• Modifications of the description of previously imported graphics will not be overwritten. You can change the graphics description and still re-import as necessary.
• Additional layers added to the previously imported graphics will not be affected. You can add customization layers and still re-import as necessary.
• Since symbols may be modified in the imported graphics, any change of the symbol style will not affect the graphics in subsequent imports.
  Therefore, it is important to select the correct symbols style that you will not be able to change globally with a re-import.

Operating Limitations

• The Advanced Graphic Importer is not available on web-based stations (Flex clients and Windows App clients). To run the import tool, you need to use a Windows Installed Client.
• In case of a distributed, multi-servers system (see Distributed Systems), the import tool can only create new graphics on the local system.