Welcome to CADVANTAGE’s No Nonsense, Quick Start, Click by Click tutorial for 3D Studio VIZ. This tutorial is part of the CAD-CAM @ Home scheme currently available in the city of Aurangabad in India. The tutorial is a Goodwill Gesture for all computer users who take pains to go out of way and learn new things.

To learn more about computers in general and CAD CAM in particular as detailed below, you may enroll for the CAD++ [ CAD @ Home ] program at : CADVANTAGE ( where AutoCAD is taught FREE ) C 2 - 6, N 7, CIDCO, Opp. Onkar Gas, Behind Swamikripa STD, Aurangabad 431003 India Ph : 0240 - 480767 Email : CadGuruCool@yahoo.com Webpage : www.geocities.com/CadGuruCool

Tutorial : Live Linking VIZ and AutoCAD

Step 1 An AutoCAD drawing can be linked to a 3D model in VIZ. When the drawing is modified in AutoCAD, the model in VIZ updates. This tutorial shows you how.

Step 2 We take an example of a bulding plan created in AutoCAD. The plan is linked to VIZ and then the walls and staircase are extruded. We switch over to AutoCAD and make changes to the plan. Finally, the 3D model in VIZ that is linked to the plan is updated.

Step 3 We cannot begin right away with an existing plan drawn in AutoCAD. Some modifications need to be done to the drawing in AutoCAD. If you do not have a plan ready in AutoCAD, try creating a simple one as shown in the figure on the right. When creating a new drawing, note that no dimensions, text or hatching are needed to create a 3D model in VIZ. Not even door or window details are required. Only door openings and window openings may be present as shown in the figure on the right.

Step 4 If you have an existing plan, use the Save As command in the file menu to save the drawing with a different name and keep the original work safe. If the text, dimensions, hatches, doors and windows are on different layers, move them to layer zero. Infact, move all objects in the drawing to layer zero. Make a new layer called Temp and assign yellow color to it. Make the Temp layer current as shown in the figure on the right.

Step 5 Select Draw > Boundary. In the dialog box that appears, click on the Pick Points button in the top-right corner. Click inside the wall as you would do in the Hatch command, as shown in figure on the right (below).

Step 6 The wall will highlight as in the Hatch command. Next, click inside one of the staircase blocks. The block will also highlight as shown in figure.. Press Enter at the keyboard. Two closed polylines will be created as shown in bottom figure.

Step 7 Next, we save the drawing in R13 format. This is done because 3D Studio VIZ R2 does not accept drawings created in ACAD verstions 14 or higher. If you are using AutoCAD 13, skip this step else, if you are using any version higher of ACAD R14, for example, AutoCAD 2018 and are also using 3D Studio VIZ R2 then, select File > Save As from the pulldown menu in AutoCAD 2018. The file Save As dialog will appear. Pull the Files of Type list at the extreme bottom part of the dialog box and select AutoCAD R13 as shown in figure on the right. Specify Tutorial as the drawing name.

Step 8 The AutoCAD drawing is now ready to be linked to VIZ. Seelct File > Close . AutoCAD will ask if you want to save the drawing in AutoCAD 2000 format or AutoCAD R14 format. Click No. Don't exit AutoCAD, but no files should be open. If you are using good old ACAD R14, start a new drawing and leave AutoCAD running.

Step 9 Fire up 3D Studio VIZ and click on the Utilities command panel. Click DWG Link Manager below. The Drawing Manager rollout will appear. Click the Attach... button and select the Tutorial.dwg file.

Step 10 The DWG Link Options dialog box will appear. Pull the Combine By : list and select One-to-One(no combining) as shown in figure on the right.

Step 11 Click the Exclude Layers button. The Select Layers dialog box will appear. Click on the layer zero A black cross mark will appear ahead of the layer name as shown in the figure on right. Okay your way out till you see the polylines in the viewports.

Step 12 Using the Min/Max Toggle tool, maximize the perspective viewport. Using the Arc Rotate tool, adjust the view so that it looks similar to the one shown in the figure on right. Click the Select object tool on the main toolbar and pick the UCS icon. Press Delete at the keyboard.

Step 13 Click the Select object tool on the main toolbar again if required and pick the wall polyline. Click the Modify command panel and observe that Extrude is already added to the Modifier Stack. Type a suitable value for the height of wall and press Enter at the keyboard. Similarly, extrude the staicase block. Clone the stairase block with the reference option, so that when the block polyline is changed in AutoCAD, the whole staircase changes as you will see in the following steps. Save the VIZ scene and let the file remain open.

Step 14 Switch to AutoCAD and open the Tutorial drawing. We will shift the door opening position. Make Ortho ON. Select Modify > Stretch and pick at two points exactly as shown in the figure besides. Once the walls look like selected, proceed as you would in the Move command and stretch (move) the door opening such that finally the figure appear similar to the one shown in figure besides.

Step 15 Save the drawing as R13 as you did earlier and close it. Switch back to VIZ and select the Utilities command panel. In the Linked Drawing Files list , select the Tutorial.dwg drawing as shown in figure besides, and click the Reload ... button. Similarly try changing the staircase polyline in AutoCAD and reload the drawing in VIZ.

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