PDA

View Full Version : Lightwave to CAD

3djock
03-06-2008, 10:37 AM
I don't know if this is the place to ask this but is it possible to design something in Lightwave and import it into cad for production? I don't know if anybody has done this I wish Lightwave had more options.:beerchug: I don't own a CAD program.
Mitja
03-06-2008, 11:39 AM
You could export in dxf or 3ds, CAD imports these two.
3djock
03-06-2008, 12:11 PM
You could export in dxf or 3ds, CAD imports these two.

Thanks, will it keep perfect dimensions?
Jim M
03-06-2008, 04:08 PM
Use dxf, then yes
SteveH
03-07-2008, 08:43 AM
It will be to 'some' scale - but not necessarily 'to scale' in acad. It depends on what your units are set to in acad. I usually make include a 100' cube with the model and then in acad you can scale the whole dxf file so that the 100' cube is exactly 'to scale'. Hope this helps.
liquidpope
03-07-2008, 04:11 PM
Acad's base unit is inches, LW's base unit is meters.
So there's your scale conversion.
Also, the Y axis in LW would be the Z axis in Acad, so you'll have to rotate whatever you import.
SteveH
03-07-2008, 04:14 PM
Acad's base units can also be in feet. It depends - if you are doing civil work - the base units are feet. Pretty much everything else the base unit is inches.
liquidpope
03-07-2008, 04:27 PM
True, you can set the "units" is acad to a number of different things.
However, this doesn't "change" the base "unit", only the display of the unit.
Same with LW. You can set units to inches or feet, but that doesn't actually change the unit. It only changes how LW shows you the unit.

Acad's base unit, no matter what it shows you, is an inch.
LW's base unit, no matter what it shows you, is a meter.

Importing from Acad into Lightwave - scale down by .0254
Importing from Lightwave into Acad - scale up by 39.37
SteveH
03-07-2008, 04:32 PM
Sweet - thanks for the conversion number going the other way. I use 2.5407% all the time going from acad to LW. Good to know the other number.
I guess 39.37 is just the inverse of that - but math on a Friday always makes my head hurt.... :thumbsup:
3djock
03-07-2008, 04:37 PM
I always wondered about the size difference thanks for the info
liquidpope
03-07-2008, 04:39 PM
Yep. And it's closer to 39.37007874, but I never take it that far.
Glad to be of service. :thumbsup: