ETABS Drawing Generator Form

Additional forms: Layer Names for DXF File, Object Selection for DXF File, Elevation  Selection for DXF File, Drawing Set Up For DXF File

Use  the ETABS Drawing Generator form to specify the options needed to export an ETABS file in a .DXF/DWG file format, suitable for use by AutoCAD. ive window.

1. Click the  File men > Export >  .DXF/.DWG File  command to access the ETABS Drawing Generator form.

Note:  Be sure to select the desired view before executing the File men > Export >  .DXF/.DWG File  command because the file generated will be based on the view in the active window Also, when exporting a Plan View, all items that are to be exported must be visible in the active window.

2. Use the various options on the form to prepare to export an ETABS file to a DXF/DWG file format.

• • Output DXF/DWG File Name edit box. ETABS will suggest a file name and storage location for the .DXF/DWG file to be exported. Use this text box to change the path or file name as needed.

  • Drawing Type options. Eight types of drawings can be generated the ETABS Drawing Generator form, including:

  • • Full 3D Model option. A full 3D model of the drawing. All line elements (Columns, Beams and Braces) are displayed with their actual cross section details. The entire model is saved in one drawing. Click here to view an example.

      

    • Column Layout Plan option. Contains the column layout plan for each story level. Columns are marked with there full cross-section details on the drawing. More than one drawings may be generated, depending on the number of stories and their selection. The plan of each story will be saved under a different name, which will be the combination of the drawing name that is defined in the Output DXF/DWG File Name text box and the story name in the model. Click here to view an example.

      

    • Floor Layout Plan option. Contains the floor layout plan of each story level. Columns, Beams and other floor structural details are marked with their full cross-section details. More than one drawings may be generated, depending on the number of stories and their selection. The plan of each story will be saved under a different name, which will be the combination of the drawing name that is defined in the Output DXF/DWG File Name text box and the story name in the model. Click here to view an example.

      

    • Beam Elevation option. Contains the beam elevation of each story level. Beam and column structural details are marked with there full cross-section details. More than one drawing may be generated, depending upon the number of stories and their selection. The plan of each story will be saved under a different name, which will be the combination of the drawing name that is defined in Output DXF/DWG File Name text box and the story name in the model. Click here to view an example.

      

    • Column Elevation option. Contains the column elevation of each column in the ETABS model.

    • Wall Elevation option. Contains the wall elevation of the wall objects in the ETABS model.

    • Full Frame Elevation option. Contains the full frame elevations of the ETABS model.

    • Typical Frame Member Section option. Contains the cross-section details of each line member (Columns, Beams and Braces).

  • Layer Names button. ETABS exports model objects on layers to be interpreted by AutoCAD. Click here to view a table listing the ETABS objects and their default layer names.

    Object	Default Layer Name
    Grid	GRID
    Columns	COLUMNS
    Beams	BEAMS
    Braces	BRACES
    Walls	WALLS
    Floors	FLOORS
    Captions	TEXT
    Dimensions	DIMLINES
    Center Lines	CENTLINES

     

Click the Layer Names button to access the Layer Names for DXF File form and change the layer names in the file being exported. Note that the layer names can be changed, but not the name of the ETABS objects. Also, changes made to the Layer Names for DXF File form do not carry over from one export operation to another, so any changes made will need to be repeated to achieve the same result in another export.

Click in the edit box and type in the new name; repeat as necessary; then click the OK button. Layer Names can be repeated. However, keep in mind that color-coding of the individual objects (e.g., grids, columns, and so forth) will be lost because all objects in the resulting .DXF/.DWG file will share a common layer/layer color.  

• • Select Floor and Objects button. Click this button to access the Object Selection for DXF File form.  Choose the floors and objects to be included or excluded by checking or unchecking their respective check boxes in the Select Floors and Select Objects to be included check box lists. The default setting is for all floors and objects to be selected. Note that Select All and Deselect All buttons are available for each check box list to quickly select or deselect all options.

  • Select Elevations button. If the Beam Elevation, Column Elevation, Wall Elevation or Full Frame Elevation check boxes have been checked in the Drawing Type area of the form, the  Select Elevation button is available. Click it to access the Elevation  Selection for DXF File form. Check or uncheck the check box preceding the elevations listed in the Set Elevations area of the form to include or exclude the elevation from the DXF file. The default setting is for all floors and objects to be selected. Note that Select All and Deselect All buttons are available  to quickly select or deselect all options.

  • Drawing Options button. Click this button to access the Drawing Set Up For DXF File form. On the right side of the form, choose a Drawing Space option: Model Space or Paper Space. The Model Space option defines the layout where entities, including 3D entities, are drawn within the AutoCAD environment. The Paper Space option defines the layout for 2D drawings of the entities previously drawn in the Model Space. The option selected determines the input required on the balance of the form. Click on the following for more information about the various data sets used by this form.

  • • Drawing Size

      Use this data set to define the drawing limits in the DXF file. The following table gives details for each parameter.

      Drawing Size Units	Drawing Size	Drawing Width	Drawing height
      Standard	Letter Folio Legal Tabloid Custom	11 in 13 in 14 in 17 in User defined	8.5 in 8.5 in 8.5 in 11 in User defined
      Metric (ISO)	A3 A2 A1 A0 Custom	420 mm 594 mm 841 mm 1189 mm User defined	297 mm 420 mm 594 mm 841 mm User defined
      ANSI Engineering	B C D E Custom	17 in 22 in 34 in 44 in User defined	20 in 17 in 22 in 34 in User defined
      ANSI Architectural	1 2 3 Custom	24 in 36 in 42 in User defined	18 in 24 in 30 in User defined

    • Drawing Scale

      This data set defines the drawing limits in the DXF file. The following table gives details for each parameter.

      Drawing Scale Type	Drawing Scale	Drawing Scale Factor
      Architectural	1/16" = 1' 0" 1/8" = 1' 0" 1/4" = 1' 0" 1/2"= 1' 0" 1" = 1' 0" 2" =1' 0" Custom	192 96 48 24 12 6 User defined
      Metric	1:200 1:100 1:50 1:25 1:10 1:5 Custom	200 100 50 25 10 5 User defined

    • Drawing Parameter

      These parameters define the layout for on-screen display (Model Space option in the Drawing Space area) and drawing plots (Paper Space option in the Drawing Space area). The parameters are shown in the following table.

      Parameter Name	Specification
      Text Height	Height for DXF text entity in current units
      Dimension Tick	Factor that defines the dimension height and length. The height-to-length ratio is set as1/3. Must be entered in current drawing units
      Gap Between Joints	Incorporate gap between joints on drawing. Must be entered in current drawing units
      Gap Between Frames	Incorporate gap between frames in elevation drawing. Must be entered in current drawing units

    • Drawing Options

      These options add or remove certain entities in DXF drawing. These entities are described in the following table.

      Entity Name	Specification - Add or Remove:
      Member center line (Line)	Center line as line in DXF drawing
      Member out line (Line)	Out line as line in DXF drawing
      Member Caption (Text)	Name as text in DXF drawing
      Member Length (Text)	Length as text in DXF drawing
      Drawing Border (Line)	Drawing border as line in DXF drawing
      Composite Beam Results (Text)	Composite beam results as text in DXF drawing
      Member Section Names (Text)	Section names as text in DXF drawing

  • Generate DXF/DWG button. Click the Generate DXF/DWG button to generate the .DXF/DWG file for export. Note that as ETABS generates the .DXF/DWG file, data about the type of view, the number of floors and objects included in the export, and the status of the generation is displayed in the larger edit box on the right-hand side of the ETABS Drawing Generator form. Review this data to ensure that the export contains the intended graphical elements.

  • Close. Click this button to close the ETABS Drawing Generator form and return to your model.