Link AutoCAD dwg files and the lines shift when zooming in and out

[art.a.tecture]

I have just started using Revit 2018.   I am having issues with linked AutoCAD dwg files.  When I zoom in and out the lines shift and move.  I have checked my graphics card and it is up-to-date.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.\

art.a.tecture

[ToanDN]

The dwg may have something too far from 0,0,0.

[Anonymous]

Hi @art.a.tecture,

I often meet this issue, i guess that because Revit and Autocad using the different ways to design. Autocad likely using "vector system" and Revit likely using a " pixel system" so that objectsin Autocad enviroment can be designed with 0.000...01 dimensions but Revit only accept objects with minimum unit = 1.

That maybe the reason why the lines in Autocad drawings can not be displayed as you want in Revit.

When i have to import Autocad drawings in Revit, i have some ways:

1. . If you need some nice Autocad details -> purge it, change all the layesr in that Autocad file to Layer 0 -> import it in Revit family detail item -> DON'T explode thoes objects Autocad in Revit -> create some reference for aligning in Revit projects, draw some masking region to display as you want,...

2. Autocad drawings just for references. Link Autocad files into a Revit file for Autocad only and then link that Revit file into central model -> using "RVT Link Display Setting" with "By Linked view" choice....

3. If something can be drawn by Revit, draw by Revit. 

4. If you spent several years with Autocad, forget about it. Revit is different. 

5. Revit detail item family maybe takes more time for the begining but very fast when you are familar with it. For me, It is more better than Autocad

Sorry if my English is not clear

Hope it could be helpful for you

[Anonymous]

The way i solve this problem is that I never link AutoCad files, i simply import it, make a full explode and then group. It`s easy to move copy etc. and ofc the lines have their perfect shape

[art.a.tecture]

The linked in xrefs are near the 0,0,0.  The odd thing is I have one CAD drawing that comes in perfect (the site plan), and the other 3 (the existing floor plans) comes in and the lines start shifting when I zoom in and ou.

The CAD drawings were completed in metric and the Revit is set in metric.   

[David_Knight]

This is really bad advice, imo.

Importing and exploding bloats your revit model.

also makes it extremely difficult to update in the future.

the correct fix is to make sure the origin is at the drawing, and make sure the geometry isn't greater than 10 miles from the origin point.

[ToanDN]

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@art.a.tecture wrote:

The linked in xrefs are near the 0,0,0.  The odd thing is I have one CAD drawing that comes in perfect (the site plan), and the other 3 (the existing floor plans) comes in and the lines start shifting when I zoom in and ou.

The CAD drawings were completed in metric and the Revit is set in metric.   

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Open the CAD files, turn on + thaw all Layers and do a Zoom Extent see if anything is far away.

[art.a.tecture · Accepted solution]

I figured out what it was.  The AutoCAD plans were a block.  I exploded them and then purged the files several times just to be on the save side.  I am not quite sure why having the plan as a block would have cause a problem with the lines shifting when I zoomed in and out, but it did.  The only thing I can think of is maybe the block was just to big.

art.a.tecture.

[falconbird]

I might be late to the party but one other thing you might want to check. Type GRAPHICSCONFIG in AutoCAD. It has to do with hardware acceleration. Turn it off. That should solve the problem of line shifting when zooming in and out.

[Anonymous]

The typical file that jumps around are survey and civil files. This is how to fix it and still retain the geo-location coordinates of the CAD file.

1. Erase

2. all

3. r (reverse)

4. Select what you want to keep and press Enter.

5. Explode  and select all.

6. Select what you want and Ctrl+C (do it a couple of times if the copy command does not stick).

7. Open a new CAD file.

8. Go to File >> Drawing Utilities >> Drawing Setup, and setup the units and scale to be the same as the original file.

9. Now. Type in Pasteorigin and press Enter.

10. Save the file as a new file name.

When you link into Revit, use auto Center to Center. Problem of shifting links should be resolved. Note the the origin of the CAD has also been retained and you can now acquire coordinates from the CAD file if needed.

[herdis.gudrun.svansdottir]

The units need to be the same in revit and autocad 😉

[DCoughlanHAZ7A]

In my case I exploded the blocks in the AutoCAD file and re-imported the CAD back into Revit and it solved the issue