September 2001 (Version 1.11) =========== HELP & INFO =========== 0. Content ========== 1. What's DXF? 2. How to use the viewer 3. Supported DXF features / Outview 4. Acknowledgements 5. License 6. Bugs 1. What's DXF ============= DXF is an exchange format for CAD data. It was originally created by Autodesk, Inc. for their well-known product AutoCAD(tm) some 15 years ago and developped further with every new AutoCAD(tm) version. Nevertheless today there are several thousands of applications around which claim to import or export DXF. Among them are nearly every CAD program (of course), many DTP and paint programs and lots of others. This viewer is one of them. 2. How to use the viewer ======================== 2.1 Getting started ------------------- You will need a JDK 1.1.x (or newer) compatible version of Java to run this program. Add the jar archive with the viewer classes to your class path. Then you can view a DXF file by typing java DE.escape.quincunx.dxf.DxfViewer dxffilename If you want to preset the language you can set the property dxfview.language, e.g. java -Ddxfview.language=de_DE DE.escape.quincunx.dxf.DxfViewer will start the viewer with german user interface without loading a file. The default is English. For convenience it's strongly recommended to put this into a script or batch file. You should have gotten a DOS batch file (named DV.BAT) and an Unix script (named dv) with the jar archive. With that you can start the viewer using dv dxffilename The viewer can load plain DXF files and DXF files packed with gzip und (pk)zip. The files don't need a special extension like .dxf. The viewer probably does not understand binary DXF (i.e. the reading of binary DXF is implemented but has never been tested due to lack of test data). The other way of viewing a file is to load it via the File menu -- as usual. The progress of file loading and converting is shown by a growing (or sometimes moving) bar. There are two other properties which you can set via the -D command line switch: dxfview.reducelines -- an integer value representing the number of lines displayed in reduced display mode. preview.reducelines -- an integer value representing the number of lines displayed in print preview. 0 selects all lines! 2.2 Handling ------------ Moving 같같같 The content of the DXF file is shown as a wireframe model. You can rotate, move, and scale this model by dragging the mouse over the view window ('dragging' means moving the mouse while pressing a mouse button). Use different mouse buttons or press CTRL or SHIFT for the different actions. The active action is shown in the status line below the model view window. Use LEFT mouse button (with no modifier key) to rotate the model. While rotating, there is a circle shown. You can imagine a trackball lying in this circle. When you drag in the circle, you rotate the model like dragging the trackball with the mouse. If you drag outside the circle, you rotate the model around the view axis. Once you get used to this it allows for a perfect control of the view. Use MIDDLE mouse button (or LEFT with SHIFT) to move the model. Use RIGHT mouse button (or LEFT with CTRL) to scale the model and to change the distance to the model. You can change the complexity of the model shown while moving with the choice in the top right corner. [Move full] All lines are drawn while moving (slowest) [Move BBox] Only a bounding box of the whole model is moved (fastest) [Move reduced] Only some of the lines are moved (default) You can step through previous points where you released a mouse button with the two buttons named [Previous]/[Next]. Reset to [X-Y] resets the view to a view direction parallel to the z axis, [Y-Z] parallel to the x axis and [X-Z] parallel to the y axis. Layer 같같� The data in the DXF file is organized on layers. You can switch them on and off using the layer list in the bottom right corner. Use the buttons [Invert] to invert the momentary selection and [Select all] to select all of the layers. Layers marked hidden in the DXF file are initially hidden. Printing 같같같같 It is possible to print the represented view using the Print item in the File menu. Printing isn't supported very well in the known Java versions so don't be too sad if you do not get what you expected. For those of you with postscript printers there's the possibility of creating PostScript data directly, which gives much better results than the Java1.1-internal printing. Language [Options>Language] 같같같같같같같같같같같같같� You can switch the language of the viewer between English and German. English is the default, see in section 2.1 how to start the viewer with German user interface. The language is not changed in some system dialogs. Coordinate System [Options>Show CS/CS Position] 같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같� It's possible to display a little coordinate system for better orientation. The corner in which it is display can be varied. Swap black & white [Options>Swap Black & White] 같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같� DXF has a black background by default. If you prefer a white background you can switch to that by using the Options menu. Message Log [Info>Message Log] 같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같 Here you can see the messages and warnings from the file read process. Model Info [Info>Model] 같같같같같같같같같같같� Shows you some rudimentary information about the current model. JVM [Info>Java Stuff] 같같같같같같같같같같� Shows you some info about the Java Virtual Machine you are running. This may be useful for bug reports. Leaving 같같같� In case you ever want to leave the program you can use Exit in the File menu. 2.3 Fonts --------- The viewer comes in two flavours. The archive dxfviewfont.jar contains different DXF fonts I was able to collect and is therefore able to show texts. But it is BIG (more the 520). The archive dxfview.jar does not contain any fonts and can show no text, but it's a little bit smaller (about 350). 2.4 Use as Applet ----------------- It is possible to use the viewer as an Applet, but because Java 1.1 isn't supported very well by current browsers this may or may not work. Here's an example HTML code: 3. Supported DXF features ========================= The DXF format is changing with every new release of AutoCAD (tm). This viewer understands DXF as written by AutoCAD R12. This is the most wide-spread version of DXF. AutoDesk has totally changed the DXF format beginning with AutoCAD R13. The viewer will not display newer DXF versions very well. DXF entities 같같같같같같 This is a table with all DXF entities and wether the viewer supports them or not. ENTITY | support status ----------------------------------+------------------------------------- POINT | supported (only dots) | LINE/3DLINE | supported | CIRCLE | supported | ARC | supported | TRACE | supported | SOLID | supported | TEXT | supported (in font version) | SHAPE | NOT supported | POLYLINE/VERTEX | supported | 3DFACE | supported | VIEWPORT/VPORT/VIEW | not yet supported | DIMENSION | supported | BLOCK/INSERT | supported | ATTRIB/ATTDEF | supported ----------------------------------+------------------------------------- Entity attributes 같같같같같같같같� DXF entities can have different properties. Here's a table if (and possibly how) they are supported. PROPERTY | support status ----------------------------------+------------------------------------- color | supported | layer | supported | line types | supported | line width | not yet supported | extrusion | supported | font | supported when known (in | font version) ----------------------------------+------------------------------------- Outview ------- * The very next is a port to JDK2/JFC (as soon as it's available for Linux in a stable form). * Everything above labeled 'not yet supported' waits to get implemented :-) * When there's a common 3D API for Java available shaded models should be a nice feature. * Printing should get better. * One day Microsoft will be forgotten... 4. Acknowledgements =================== * Thanks to the guys at Sun for giving away the JDK for free. * This program was developped under Linux. So thanks to the Linux community and everybody else who participated for the zillion of years of free work which made this possible. * Special thanks to Frank Gerberding for raytracing the about image on his famous PPC powered Amiga. * Thanks to Tim Niels van der Leeuw who gave me the idea that speeding up Java I/O is possible. * Many thanks to HP Knoll from Paris for supporting me with a binary DXF file. Now the viewer understands this rare format, too. * Thanks to Dietmar Rudolph/Thomas St�rznickel/Leo Weissenberger for writing the book "Der DXF-Standard" (ISBN 3-87686-246-9). It was really unrenounceable (and maybe one day I will have found all the errors ;-) 5. License ========== Take this program, use it, distribute it. It's free. If you are able to create any damage using it I will be astonished but I will not compensate for it. It's your own risk. It's possible to get the sources. Just write me an email and I will probably send them to you. I am just curious who might be interested and I don't want someone to make some changes and then sell the result as (or as part of) a commercial product. Here's my address: rammi@quincunx.escape.de Rammi (aka Andreas M. Rammelt) Gliesmaroder Str. 95 38106 Braunschweig Germany Tel. +49-531-343054 6. Bugs ======= Bug Reporting 같같같같같같� If you find a bug first check if it is mentioned below. If not, please take the time to report it to the address given above. Please add the JVM info you can get via the [Info>Java Stuff] menu. If it is possible and they are small enough (<1MByte) attach the DXF file with which you discovered the error. Thank you. I am still looking for AutoCAD R14 DXF files. If you have access to AutoCAD you can help to improve the DXF Viewer by exporting at least one normal and one binary DXF file and send them to the given address. Known Bugs 같같같같같 Middle mouse button not supported with JDK1.2 on Windows -------------------------------------------------------- This is a bug in JDK1.2. Please use the [Shift] key to move the modell until this bug is fixed. Coordinate system is clipped with JDK1.2 on Windows --------------------------------------------------- This is a bug in JDK1.2. No known workaround. Viewer Window does not resize on SGI ------------------------------------ When the window is resize the content is not changing on SGI machines. This is reported against the 1.1.5 (3.1) JVM on Irix 6.2. No known workaround. Printing is not satisfiing -------------------------- This is a known Java 1.1 problem. It should get better when the viewer is ported to Java 1.2. No known workaround. Released: February 1st, 1999