Batch Processing

Feature Overview

Reintroduce the ability to Batch process reading (opening) DWG^? or DXF^? files and writing (saving) PowerCADD to DWG or DXF.

Feature Description:

The old PowerDRAW translator, a stand alone application, had the ability to batch process files. We'd like to see that feature integrated into the PowerDWG Translator External. Key elements would include:

1. The ability to open (read) multiple DWG or DXF files by pointing the translator to a folder full of files
2. The ability to save (write) multiple PowerCADD files to DWG or DXF by pointing the translator to a folder full of files
3. The ability to save presets of translator settings that could be applied to reading or writing DXF or DWG files
4. The presets noted in (3) would include the ability to link to the Line Weight to Color or Color to Line Weight settings and other existing optional translation settings

Optionally, we'd also like to see the translator let us save the preset settings a droplet. Dropping a folder full of files onto the droplet would tell PowerCADD to automatically process the files (either read or write) with the saved settings.

Cast your vote using the link below

Poll Choices are:

• Very Important Feature: you think the feature is a big deal and has a big impact to your workflow
• Important Feature: not critical to your workflow but something you'd find useful or would explore more deeply if it was there
• Not an Important Feature: this feature wouldn't impact your workflow at all and you're not interested or don't see value in exploring it

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If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

Clip Filled Objects when Writing DWG

Feature Overview

The ability for PowerDWG to automatically clip objects when writing (saving) a PowerCADD drawing as a DWG file.

Feature Description:

In PowerCADD, and on the Mac in general, we can create objects that are filled white; for example a rectangle that is filled white. If that filled rectangle is on top of another object, for example a line, the white fill hides the line (or portion of a line) below it as shown here:

That technique, which could loosely be referred to as masking, is a common one used in PowerCADD drawings and on the Mac OS^?. When a PowerCADD drawing using that technique is saved as a DWG file, the fill pattern is ignored (not a surprise) and in AutoCAD the user sees through the rectangle to the line below. As shown here, that is clearly not the same condition as we drew in PowerCADD (illustrated above).

[inline:PCD8_Wish_DWGClip_02.jpg]

So, what do we mean by clipping when writing a DWG file?
In the old days, PowerCADD has a Plot Driver built in -- that plot driver would cut or clip overlapping objects when creating the HPGL^? files necessary for output. In the example we're describing above, the results would be that the section of the line, hidden by the white fill, would be clipped where it intersects the sides of the rectangle. In effect, producing new line segments where they intersected. As shown here, if the PowerCADD PowerDWG Translator supported clipping, like it's old Plot Driver did, we'd see a result in AutoCAD that looked like this:

The result in AutoCAD would look like they did in the original PowerCADD drawing
[inline:PCD8_Wish_DWGClip_03.jpg]

A short trip in the way back machine, back to the roots of Engineered Software and their experience with writing Plot Drivers, would yield a valulable addition to the PowerDWG Translator that would bring us one step closer to WYSIWYG^? translation between the Mac (PowerCADD) and Windows (AutoCAD) worlds.

Of course, we'd like the clip filled objects feature to be a radio button optional setting so we can choose to turn it on or off. Yes -- we'd like it all, thank you very much

Work Around

Currently, the only work around is to manually trim the types of intersections illustrated earlier. Clearly, in a complex drawing, that can be an extensive (and expensive!) task, particularly where smart objects such as doors or windows are used to mask wall lines to create openings. The only other choice is to start the PowerCADD drawing, from the start, with the plan that is going to be exported via DWG to AutoCAD and draw down to that standard. While this is a reasonable approach, it negates many of the advantages we have by drawing on a Mac and with PowerCADD.

Cast your vote using the link below

Poll Choices are:

• Very Important Feature: you think the feature is a big deal and has a big impact to your workflow
• Important Feature: not critical to your workflow but something you'd find useful or would explore more deeply if it was there
• Not an Important Feature: this feature wouldn't impact your workflow at all and you're not interested or don't see value in exploring it

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If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

Map Fill to Hatch Patterns

Feature Overview

The ability for the PowerDWG Translator to automatically map PowerCADD fill patterns in a drawing to hatch patterns when saving (writing) out a DWG file.

Feature Description:

Those of us who have been around the block and using PowerCADD (and PowerDRAW) might remember a feature in the PowerDRAW Translator application. This was a separate application used to translate PowerDRAW files to DXF^? in those days but it had a great feature: the ability let the user map their Mac OS^? X fill patterns to any hatch pattern they liked.

The feature was actually part of the plot driver technology and it worked great, except for one flaw: it wouldn't look inside of groups.

We'd like to see that feature brought back and improved upon. Let the user map their PowerCADD fill pattern to a hatch pattern when writing a DXF or DWG File^?. The objects fill pattern, whether in a group or symbol or an independent entity in the drawing, would be converted when saving the DWG file so it opens in AutoCAD with a hatch pattern instead.

There is some discussion here about the AutoCAD Wipeout feature that could also apply in this case. But our thought in bring this old feature back to the future is the technology is already there and maybe that will make for an easier start point and lay the foundation to build upon. Were also going to more digging into that AutoCAD feature since there may be silver lining in there too!

Cast your vote using the link below

Poll Choices are:

• Very Important Feature: you think the feature is a big deal and has a big impact to your workflow
• Important Feature: not critical to your workflow but something you'd find useful or would explore more deeply if it was there
• Not an Important Feature: this feature wouldn't impact your workflow at all and you're not interested or don't see value in exploring it

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If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak

Save Setups for Translation Settings

Feature Overview

The ability to save the settings used to translate a drawing as a preset setup that could be recalled again later and applied to different files.

Feature Description:

When a file is opened for translation, the user has to make a variety of choices for the translation settings such as scale, sheet size, limits, extents, whether to use a specific pen color to line weight lookup table, delete off page objects, etc.. There are in fact several settings which must be set.

Currently the translator remembers the last used settings, which is helpful but limiting. Ideally it would be great if all the settings and optional settings assigned in the Incoming Settings Window could be saved as setup. In principle this is similar to how Gradient settings, Sheet Setups, or how Color To Line Weight and Line Weight to Color translation settings are saved and may be applied quickly by selecting them from a menu.

Given most AutoCAD shops are consistent in how they setup files, or at a minimum are consistent with how files in a given project are setup, the proposed new feature would make it considerably more efficient when multiple translations are required on a project (which is typicall the case). The time savings also become even more significant when we realize there are typically multiple consultants on a given project, each with their own AutoCAD to PowerCADD translation setting requirements. In addition, those user who work with multiple consultants on multiple projects would see an even greater benefit for the proposed feature.

Cast your vote using the link below
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Poll Choices are:

• Very Important Feature: you think the feature is a big deal and has a big impact to your workflow
• Important Feature: not critical to your workflow but something you'd find useful or would explore more deeply if it was there
• Not an Important Feature: this feature wouldn't impact your workflow at all and you're not interested or don't see value in exploring it

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If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak