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DWF and LDF

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Message 1 of 12
Anonymous
617 Views, 11 Replies
‎04-30-2002 08:39 PM
‎04-30-2002 08:39 PM

DWF and LDF

What is the difference between DWF and LDF file formats ?
Whay need we DWF and LDF ?
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11 REPLIES 11
Message 2 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎05-01-2002 05:17 AM
‎05-01-2002 05:17 AM

Drawing Web Format (DWF) was originally
developed as an R13 add on generated by the WHIP ADI driver and viewed by the
WHIP Netscape Navigator Plug-in. DWF files contain 32 bit integer data that is
sort of like an electronic plot. Your question is a logical one because Layered
Document Format, originally developed by PageMasters, to capture plotting jobs.
An LDF has extra print job information that a DWF does not. The Building
Collaboration Services part of Autodesk (the software developers formerly known
as Buzzsaw.com) are working to unify LDF and DWF into DWF.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
What
is the difference between DWF and LDF file formats ?
Whay need we DWF and
LDF ?
Report
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Message 3 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎05-07-2002 12:56 AM
‎05-07-2002 12:56 AM

Where is place for LPT in this situation ??
Is DWF "future plot-format" for Autodesk ??
Can I replace LPT with DWF ??
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Message 4 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎05-07-2002 07:40 AM
‎05-07-2002 07:40 AM

Today LDF is the format that is used. In the
future, we are moving to DWF as its replacement. For now, LDF is great for what
it does. We are trying to combine formats to increase interoperability among
products. Since Volo View Express views DWF files, we are looking to add
information that DWF that is currently only contained in LDF.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Where
is place for LPT in this situation ??
Is DWF "future plot-format" for
Autodesk ??
Can I replace LPT with DWF ??
Report
0 Likes
Message 5 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎05-08-2002 06:44 PM
‎05-08-2002 06:44 PM

Sorry Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF replace PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of aplication (driver) they need.
Report
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Message 6 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎05-09-2002 06:13 AM
‎05-09-2002 06:13 AM

DWF cannot yet replace plot files, because it does
not contain page layout info, e.g. margin sizes, etc. It only has the geometry.
Currently LDF (consumed by Apprentice and Reprodesk) has that info. We are
working to make DWF replace LDF (and PLT), but that has not happened yet.
Autodesk is looking to standardize on one format that can be viewed and
printed.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF replace
PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of aplication
(driver) they need.
Report
0 Likes
Message 7 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎05-16-2002 05:36 AM
‎05-16-2002 05:36 AM


If you use the ePlot driver in a current Autocad
there is layout info in the DWF.

Printing DWFs from Volo View Express should be to
the intended scale. 

If you try that and it doesn't work for any reason
please report....

 

 


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF replace
PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of aplication
(driver) they need.
Report
0 Likes
Message 8 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎06-13-2002 10:03 AM
‎06-13-2002 10:03 AM

The industry-standard for printing/viewing is
PDF.  What is the reason why Autodesk has not pursued using PDF as a
standard format for this purpose?


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">


If you use the ePlot driver in a current Autocad
there is layout info in the DWF.

Printing DWFs from Volo View Express should be to
the intended scale. 

If you try that and it doesn't work for any
reason please report....

 

 


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF replace
PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of aplication
(driver) they need.
Report
0 Likes
Message 9 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎06-14-2002 01:45 AM
‎06-14-2002 01:45 AM

PDF files wind up being bigger than DWF. Users want
to measure and turn layers on and off. There are CAD-specific things that users
want that are not embodied in PDF.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

The industry-standard for printing/viewing is
PDF.  What is the reason why Autodesk has not pursued using PDF as a
standard format for this purpose?


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">


If you use the ePlot driver in a current
Autocad there is layout info in the DWF.

Printing DWFs from Volo View Express should be
to the intended scale. 

If you try that and it doesn't work for any
reason please report....

 

 


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF
replace PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of
aplication (driver) they
need.
Report
0 Likes
Message 10 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎06-14-2002 03:44 AM
‎06-14-2002 03:44 AM

There are PDF features that I believe far outweigh
the ability to turn layers on and off, and other CAD-specific
things.

 

1.  PDF plug-in - small, readily available
FREE plug-in.  Works for any kind of document, not limited to CAD
documents.  PDF plug-in is probably already on your machine.  If not,
I'd be very surprised.  I don't have to tell consultants where to go find
the plug-in, they already know what PDF is.  In fact, I just went to the
AutoDesk website to find more info on DWF/Volo, and the information on Volo was
in PDF format.....

 

2.  Multiple sheets - One PDF document can
contain an entire set of construction documents.  Send your reprographer
one file, they can plot the entire set, AND you know exactly what you will
get.  One PDF file can be a digital archive of a moment in time in the
design. 

 

3.  Hyperlinking - PDF has the ability to have
embedded hyperlinks.  (DWF does too, right?)  One PDF file of a CD set
of drawings and specs, all hyperlinked together.  Imagine this: open
the PDF file, and go to the sheet index.  Click on A-1 Floor plan, and the
sheet appears.  Click on a detail bubble in the plan, and the detail
appears.  Click on a note in the detail, and the referring specification
appears.

 

4.  'What you see....'  - Look at a PDF
on a screen, and that is exactly how it will come out of the printer, down to
the color, line width, halftones, text, etc. 

 

5.  Reprographics - Send a PDF file to any
reprographics company, and they will be able to print it.  The printed copy
you receive, will be exactly what you expected.

 

For me, the ability to turn layers on and off is
not really a feature that I would use.  DWF, PLT, PDF, or what ever format
comes around, is an electronic plot.  Just as you would print a plan from
AutoCAD, the layer management should be done before the print is created. 
Measuring, well I guess that might be useful in some cases, but if your plans
are dimensioned correctly, questions on distance should not be a problem. 
Scaling off of reproductions, whether electronic or paper, worries me a bit
anyway.  File size, not really an issue.  DWFs may be smaller, but you
cant be in this business any longer without having a high speed connection to
move data.

 

my 2 cents...

 

Scott D.

 

 

 


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

PDF files wind up being bigger than DWF. Users
want to measure and turn layers on and off. There are CAD-specific things that
users want that are not embodied in PDF.


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

The industry-standard for printing/viewing is
PDF.  What is the reason why Autodesk has not pursued using PDF as a
standard format for this purpose?


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">


If you use the ePlot driver in a current
Autocad there is layout info in the DWF.

Printing DWFs from Volo View Express should
be to the intended scale. 

If you try that and it doesn't work for any
reason please report....

 

 


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF
replace PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of
aplication (driver) they
need.
Report
0 Likes
Message 11 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎06-14-2002 07:47 AM
‎06-14-2002 07:47 AM

Agree. Volo is big. WHIP! was small. I wasn't
implying DWF was better than PDF. The question was posed as to why Autodesk
didn't use PDF. It's because people want to be able to turn the layers on and
off. SO we had to invent our own format. In addition when we did this way back
when, 28K modems were the rage so the smaller DWF size was a plus.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

There are PDF features that I believe far
outweigh the ability to turn layers on and off, and other CAD-specific
things.

 

1.  PDF plug-in - small, readily available
FREE plug-in.  Works for any kind of document, not limited to CAD
documents.  PDF plug-in is probably already on your machine.  If
not, I'd be very surprised.  I don't have to tell consultants where to go
find the plug-in, they already know what PDF is.  In fact, I just went to
the AutoDesk website to find more info on DWF/Volo, and the information on
Volo was in PDF format.....

 

2.  Multiple sheets - One PDF document can
contain an entire set of construction documents.  Send your reprographer
one file, they can plot the entire set, AND you know exactly what you will
get.  One PDF file can be a digital archive of a moment in time in the
design. 

 

3.  Hyperlinking - PDF has the ability to
have embedded hyperlinks.  (DWF does too, right?)  One PDF file of a
CD set of drawings and specs, all hyperlinked together.  Imagine
this: open the PDF file, and go to the sheet index.  Click on A-1
Floor plan, and the sheet appears.  Click on a detail bubble in the plan,
and the detail appears.  Click on a note in the detail, and the referring
specification appears.

 

4.  'What you see....'  - Look at a PDF
on a screen, and that is exactly how it will come out of the printer, down to
the color, line width, halftones, text, etc. 

 

5.  Reprographics - Send a PDF file to any
reprographics company, and they will be able to print it.  The printed
copy you receive, will be exactly what you expected.

 

For me, the ability to turn layers on and off is
not really a feature that I would use.  DWF, PLT, PDF, or what ever
format comes around, is an electronic plot.  Just as you would print a
plan from AutoCAD, the layer management should be done before the print is
created.  Measuring, well I guess that might be useful in some cases, but
if your plans are dimensioned correctly, questions on distance should not be a
problem.  Scaling off of reproductions, whether electronic or paper,
worries me a bit anyway.  File size, not really an issue.  DWFs may
be smaller, but you cant be in this business any longer without having a high
speed connection to move data.

 

my 2 cents...

 

Scott D.

 

 

 


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

PDF files wind up being bigger than DWF. Users
want to measure and turn layers on and off. There are CAD-specific things
that users want that are not embodied in PDF.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

The industry-standard for printing/viewing is
PDF.  What is the reason why Autodesk has not pursued using PDF as a
standard format for this purpose?


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">


If you use the ePlot driver in a current
Autocad there is layout info in the DWF.

Printing DWFs from Volo View Express should
be to the intended scale. 

If you try that and it doesn't work for any
reason please report....

 

 


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF
replace PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of
aplication (driver) they
need.
Report
0 Likes
Message 12 of 12
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous
‎06-14-2002 08:31 AM
‎06-14-2002 08:31 AM

I agree with you, too.  I wasn't trying to
imply which one is better over the other, but just why I prefer PDF.  Is
there any plan to use PDF in the future of Autodesk?  I don't know what the
agreements between Revit and Adobe were like, but now that Autodesk owns Revit,
and Revit can write PDF, what are the implications?

 

buzzsaw handles PDF's well.  They view inside
of the browser window under the view tab.  One won't have the ability to
'redline' as you would with Volo, with a freehand pencil, but you could add text
comments easily.  At the AEC show, I wondered how Revit might interact with
Buzzsaw, but I think it already would, through PDF's.

 

 


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

Agree. Volo is big. WHIP! was small. I wasn't
implying DWF was better than PDF. The question was posed as to why Autodesk
didn't use PDF. It's because people want to be able to turn the layers on and
off. SO we had to invent our own format. In addition when we did this way back
when, 28K modems were the rage so the smaller DWF size was a
plus.


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

There are PDF features that I believe far
outweigh the ability to turn layers on and off, and other CAD-specific
things.

 

1.  PDF plug-in - small, readily available
FREE plug-in.  Works for any kind of document, not limited to CAD
documents.  PDF plug-in is probably already on your machine.  If
not, I'd be very surprised.  I don't have to tell consultants where to
go find the plug-in, they already know what PDF is.  In fact, I just
went to the AutoDesk website to find more info on DWF/Volo, and the
information on Volo was in PDF format.....

 

2.  Multiple sheets - One PDF document can
contain an entire set of construction documents.  Send your
reprographer one file, they can plot the entire set, AND you know exactly
what you will get.  One PDF file can be a digital archive of a moment
in time in the design. 

 

3.  Hyperlinking - PDF has the ability to
have embedded hyperlinks.  (DWF does too, right?)  One PDF file of
a CD set of drawings and specs, all hyperlinked together.  Imagine
this: open the PDF file, and go to the sheet index.  Click on A-1
Floor plan, and the sheet appears.  Click on a detail bubble in the
plan, and the detail appears.  Click on a note in the detail, and the
referring specification appears.

 

4.  'What you see....'  - Look at a
PDF on a screen, and that is exactly how it will come out of the printer,
down to the color, line width, halftones, text, etc. 

 

5.  Reprographics - Send a PDF file to any
reprographics company, and they will be able to print it.  The printed
copy you receive, will be exactly what you expected.

 

For me, the ability to turn layers on and off
is not really a feature that I would use.  DWF, PLT, PDF, or what ever
format comes around, is an electronic plot.  Just as you would print a
plan from AutoCAD, the layer management should be done before the print is
created.  Measuring, well I guess that might be useful in some cases,
but if your plans are dimensioned correctly, questions on distance should
not be a problem.  Scaling off of reproductions, whether electronic or
paper, worries me a bit anyway.  File size, not really an issue. 
DWFs may be smaller, but you cant be in this business any longer without
having a high speed connection to move data.

 

my 2 cents...

 

Scott D.

 

 

 


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

PDF files wind up being bigger than DWF.
Users want to measure and turn layers on and off. There are CAD-specific
things that users want that are not embodied in PDF.


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

The industry-standard for printing/viewing
is PDF.  What is the reason why Autodesk has not pursued using PDF
as a standard format for this purpose?


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">


If you use the ePlot driver in a current
Autocad there is layout info in the DWF.

Printing DWFs from Volo View Express
should be to the intended scale. 

If you try that and it doesn't work for
any reason please report....

 

 


style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
Sorry
Scott it`s my fault.
Question was abaut PLT not LPT:
Can DWF
replace PLT ??
Can reprographers use DWF? If yes - what kind of
aplication (driver) they
need.
Report
0 Likes
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