autocad dwg drawing publishing limitations

AutoCAD DWG Drawing Limitations in

SAP 3D Visual Enterprise 9.0 FP02

© 2014 SAP AG or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. 2

AutoCAD Import Limitations

The following is a list of AutoCAD features that will not give an expected viewable when

using SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Author, Viewer, or Generator.

• AutoCAD 3D visualization materials not supported

• Multiple (tiled) AutoCAD Model viewport configurations not supported

• Visual Styles not supported

• Section Planes not supported

• Supplied per-face Normals are discarded

• Parametric curves, surfaces and solids imported as polylines or polygonal meshes,

respectively

• Surfaces with gradient fills imported as dense polygonal meshes

• Shading of faces with single color values may change when rotated


AutoCAD 3D Visualization Materials not Supported

• Issue: AutoCAD supports 3D visualization materials for realistic appearance.

SAP Visual Enterprise does not import these materials. Only simple colors

associated with layers, objects or faces are supported.

• Impact: Some AutoCAD models using 3D visualization materials and

Realistic shading model will look different in SAP 3D Visual Enterprise.

• Workaround: None


Some Visual Styles not Supported

• Issue: AutoCAD supports several Visual Styles for each view. SAP 3D

Visual Enterprise supports only the following:

• 2D and 3D Wireframe

• Hidden

• Shaded

• Shaded with edges

• Impact: Appearance of model may look different in AutoCAD and SAP 3D

Visual Enterprise.

• Workaround: None, unless using one of the styles above. You can also

override the default visual style during import using the ‘Geometry import

preference’ import option.


Multiple Model Viewport Configurations not Supported

• Issue: AutoCAD supports multiple viewport configurations, in a tiled

arrangement, for Model views. SAP 3D Visual Enterprise does not import all

viewports from such configurations, but the active viewport only.

• Impact: Initial Model view may look different in AutoCAD and SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise.

• Workaround: None, unless using single viewport configuration


Section Planes not Supported

• Issue: AutoCAD supports Section Planes, but SAP 3D Visual Enterprise

does not import them

• Impact: Models that utilize section planes to create cross-sections or reveal

interiors of models will look different in AutoCAD and SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise.



Supplied Face Normals discarded

• Issue: AutoCAD calculates face normals for tessellated quadrilateral

polygonal meshes when saving DWG or DXF formats. SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise discards these generated normals during import and regenerates

them from the mesh geometry.

• Impact: Possibly none or marginal without any visible side-effect.



Parametric Curves, Surfaces and Solids imported as

Polylines or Polygonal meshes, respectively

• Issue: Typical AutoCAD models may utilize various parametric entities;

solids, surfaces and curves. Such entities are imported tessellated and

become polylines or (triangular) polygonal meshes.

• Impact: Size and complexity of overall scene geometry usually increases.

Entities imported this way will not be parametrically editable in SAP 3D

Visual Enterprise.



Surfaces with Gradient Fills imported as Dense Polygonal

Meshes

• Issue: AutoCAD models may utilize various types of fills for patterning

surfaces. Surfaces with gradient fills cannot be imported as is in SAP 3D

Visual Enterprise with the current rendering pipeline, and need to be

tessellated into rather dense (depending on the steepness of the gradient)

polygonal meshes in order to approximate the appearance of the original fill

as much as possible.

• Impact: Size and complexity of overall scene geometry increases, without

any changes to scene structure. Fills are not parametrically editable in SAP

3D Visual Enterprise. Since this method is just an approximation of the

original it will not produce the exact result. Nevertheless, the match should

be good and there should be no visible side-effects.



Shading of Faces with Single Color Values may change

when Rotated

• Issue: Users can specify single color values to be associated with layers,

entities and faces in AutoCAD. The color (luminance) of 3D surfaces

specified this way is expected to always be the same regardless of the

orientation of the surface. In SAP 3D Visual Enterprise, however, the colors

are imported correctly but the luminance of the surface will slightly change

when the surface is rotated from its initial position.

• Impact: Minimal. The appearance (perceived color) of such surfaces may

change slightly when the surface is rotated from its initial position. The initial

luminance should be correct.

• Workaround: None. It is not possible to avoid this side-effect with the

current rendering pipeline.


AutoCAD Export Limitations

The following is a list of SAP 3D Visual Enterprise features that will not give an expected

viewable when either using AutoCAD or round-tripping.

• Scene tree structure difference when round-tripped

• Extra model view when round-tripped

• Visibility sets not supported

• Paper layouts are exported incorrectly

• Text exported as geometry

• Render materials not supported

• Raster images not supported

• Per-vertex colors not supported

• Transparency not supported

• Metadata not supported


Scene Structure Difference when Round-tripped

• Issue: Scene structure will change between subsequent save and load

sessions to/from DWG and DXF formats in SAP 3D Visual Enterprise.

• Impact: This should not have any effect when the exported model is loaded

in AutoCAD. It only affects SAP 3D Visual Enterprise when the exported

model is reimported there



Extra Model View when Round-tripped

• Issue: One extra model view called ‘Model’ is added in each subsequent

save and load session to and from DWG and DXF formats in SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise.

• Impact: This should not have any effect when the exported model is loaded

in AutoCAD. It only affects SAP 3D Visual Enterprise when the exported

model is reimported there.



Visibility Sets not Supported

• Issue: Visibility Sets from SAP 3D Visual Enterprise to DWG and DXF

formats are not exported

• Impact: Model content will look different in AutoCAD and SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise.



Paper Layouts not Supported

• Issue: Models with paper layouts are exported incorrectly from SAP 3D

Visual Enterprise, and without the page in the background

• Impact: Page layouts will look different in AutoCAD and SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise.



Text exported as Geometry

• Issue: Text entities cannot be exported parametrically from SAP 3D Visual

Enterprise to DWG and DXF formats, and are instead exported as simple

tessellated geometry

• Impact: When imported in AutoCAD, text is not editable. Visually, it should

look the same.



Render Materials not Supported

• Issue: SAP 3D Visual Enterprise render materials cannot be exported to

DWG and DXF formats. Only simple color materials are exported. Various

material properties; for example, textures, are missing from exported

models.

• Impact: When imported in AutoCAD, the appearance of the model may be

different from that of SAP 3D Visual Enterprise.



Raster Images not Supported

• Issue: Raster images (bitmaps) are not exported


different from that of SAP 3D Visual Enterprise.



Per-vertex Colors not Supported

• Issue: Per-vertex colors are not exported. For surfaces with per-vertex

colors, the average color of the surface will be computed and exported.


different to that of SAP 3D Visual Enterprise.



Transparency not Supported

• Issue: Object and per-face transparency is not exported. Transparent

objects and faces are exported as opaque.


different to that of SAP 3D Visual Enterprise.



Metadata not Supported

• Issue: SAP 3D Visual Enterprise metadata cannot be exported as AutoCAD

attributes to DWG and DXF formats. However, it is possible to import

AutoCAD attributes as SAP 3D Visual Enterprise metadata .

• Impact: When imported in AutoCAD, the SAP 3D Visual Enterprise model

and instance metadata will not appear as AutoCAD attributes.


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