topic Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv in AutoCAD Forum

Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:08:30 GMT

Hi,

I have a large number of 2D dwf files that I would like to convert to csv. I'd like to convert all points, lines, arcs, polylines, and text to csv with corresponding coordinates. I don't want to open each file individually in Autocad, but would like to run a program that will do this for a large number of files at once. What software or free script would you recommend?

Thank you!

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Alfred.NESWADBA — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:50:56 GMT

Hi,

>> I have a large number of 2D dwf files that I would like to convert to csv

DWF is not a public documented fileformat and so no software or api has an option to export data from geometry.

Try to get the source file from which the dwf was created to get access to the geometry.

- alfred -

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 22:24:53 GMT

Thank you. If I have the cad files, is there a way to bulk convert the geometric data to csv?

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Alfred.NESWADBA — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 22:44:00 GMT

Hi,

>> is there a way to bulk convert the geometric data to csv?

Not out of the box, but AutoCAD has a lot of API to export the data you like to have.

But you should think first if CSV is the best format to save geometry ... think about a polyline (as one line inside your csv) having e.g. 5000 vertices, each vertex has x and y and z value, each value could have 10 digits which means one line is 5000 * 3 * 10 = 15000 characters long (plus a lot of delimiters) ... what do you want to do with that string?

Excel can't open such a line.

- alfred -

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 22:57:12 GMT

I would want each x and y coordinate pair for the polyline to be separate records in the csv. So, for each line segment in the polyline, there would be two rows of data, each one with an x coordinate and a y coordinate that are separated by the delimiter.

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Alfred.NESWADBA — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 00:07:38 GMT

Hi,

>> I would want each x and y coordinate pair for the polyline

>> to be separate records in the csv

That means it does not follow a CSV syntax, it has not a column structure, you are writing your own type of ASCII file.

Which API/development languages do you know?

AutoCAD supports primary LISP, C#, VB.NET, VBA, C++ and all languages that can access COM/ActiveX

- alfred -

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 17:54:09 GMT

If possible, I would prefer Python. I think I will have easiest access to the dwg files.

Re: Bulk conversion of dwf files to csv

Alfred.NESWADBA — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 18:00:39 GMT

Hi,

well, I'm not familiar with Python, but looking to these search results it is possible >>>click<<<

Good luck,

- alfred -