Importing DWG Files using block attributes only

[Anonymous]

Hi all, 

I am trying to find a good way to import DWG files into AutoCAD. These files are located in separate subfolders, on one server. Instead of having to hunt and peck thru Windows Explorer for the drawings I want, I was curious if anyone has used the title block attributes to "filter" only pertinent drawings. 

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks everyone:)

Randy

[imadHabash]

Hi and Welcome to AutoCAD Forum,

i suggest to try HYPERLINK command. Hyperlinks are used to reference a URL, a file on disk, a saved view in a drawing, or a layout in a drawing file. try and see if it's fit your need . >> Click <<

Regards,

[Ed__Jobe]

What do you mean by "import"? AutoCAD can open dwg files natively, no need to import. Do you mean OPEN? Titleblock properties are not file system properties and so can't be used to search for files by Windows. What you need is a document management system. We use Synergis Adept. It can map titleblock attributes to database fields and then these can be sorted/searched.

Have you tried sheetsets? It would allow you to at least limit and organize your files.

[bcf]

I am assuming you have a number of drawings stored in different directories on your network which you insert into your current drawing from time to time such as title blocks or symbols.

If this is the case you could create  tool palette and import all of the drawings onto it, this would give you access to them by drag and drop from the palette.

Another cruder method would be to create a sheet set and import all the files you regularly use into it. This would allow you to organize them by divisions. You could then open each one as needed and cut/paste into your current drawing.

The top of the line suggestion is to create a custom menu and insert them from it. You would have to learn a bit about menu's but it's not to hard to create on to just insert a selection of drawings.

[Anonymous]

Hey all,

BOR uses a database called eDraws, and and import tool which pulls from an excel spreadsheet. The drawings that I need to populate in the excel spreadsheet have several "fields" of data, most importantly, the filepath so that eDraws "points" to the correct folder in Windows Explorer and will upload that particular drawing/file. These folders also contain a variety of drawings, like hundreds of them, that I do not want or need on the excel spreadsheet. This is why I was hoping to have a program, like AutoCad, pull the drawings that I want using a filter. I had the notion that the Attribute on the title block would be "readable" by AutoCAD so I can populate the spreadsheet based on the attributes in the title block.  

Does this make more sense??

Thanks,  Randy

[Anonymous]

Hi, Please see my reply to Ed.   Thanks!

[Ed__Jobe]

Randy, it makes a little more sense, but still, AutoCAD can't do anything like that out-of-the-box. You would need a custom program or a DMS like I mentioned. Sheetsets will allow you to limit the number of files you have to work with.

[bcf]

I think I understand.

You could write a lisp script which would be run inside an autocad dwg which would in  turn use VLAX (visual lisp - active X) functions to check each file in a list of directories, check for the block containing the attributes, check their values and extract information such as the dwg path only if the attribute matched your preset value.

Using VLAX (object oriented programming) would make the program very fast because the dwg does not have to be opened in AutoCAD, it just can read the information from the DWG file directly.

I have written one to extract pipe line numbers from attributes inside block in process piping diagrams dwgs before. It processed 40 files with over 100 blocks in each in less than a minute.

If you have never programmed in lisp/VLAX you would need to invest some time to make this work. It's not a 20 minute job that's for sure.

[Anonymous]

Hey bcf, Thanks- we may look into this as a solution!