DWG Translators

There are two new DWG Translators on the server that you can load into your ArchiCAD and use.  Translators are not part of the Template, but they are loaded from the server per installation of ArchiCAD and are not Project-specific.  Meaning: when you load these Translators, you'll be able to use them for any Project you open.

To import these into your ArchiCAD, go to File > File Special > DXF-DWG Translation Setup...

then click the Browse... button to the right in the screenshot above at the top of this post.  Navigate to the V: drive, then to ArchiCAD > CJMW DWG Translators, and pick one of the files (and then after import, come back and get the other one!).


Files being exported out of ArchiCAD into DWG format should be done through the Publisher if possible, in order to have consistent output with controlled Layer Combination, Scale, Structure Display, Pen Set, Model View Options (MVO), and Renovation Filter.

The Model View Option in the Template called FLOOR PLANS FOR CAD EXPORT is set to override all fills to have a transparent background.  If you are working in a Project that does not have the Model View Option for CAD Export, all you really need to do is use the FLOOR PLANS MVO, check the Override Fill Background Color box, select Transparent Background, then in the upper right of the MVO dialog, pick Store As... and name it as below.

What this is going to do, is it will export the DWG without Background Fills, which translate in DWG to Raster Images and severly bog down the panning and zooming (and everything else) in Autocad.

Currently, these Translators are set to append each layer with a postfix: -EXIST, -DEMO, and -NEW, presumming it to be a Renovation Project.  This will export multiple Autocad layers for a single ArchiCAD layer.  A-WALL-EXTR.A in ArchiCAD, with Elements on each Renovation Status, some walls on Existing, some on To Be Demolished, and some on New Status, will produce in Autocad:
A-WALL-EXTR.A-EXIST
A-WALL-EXTR.A-DEMO
A-WALL-EXTR.A-NEW

Not only that, but we can specify that different parts of the Elements that are on A-WALL-EXTR.A in ArchiCAD will translate to different layers in Autocad.  For instance, Doors, Windows, Cover Fills, Skin Separator Lines, etc. can all get exported to unique layers with its ArchiCAD Source Layer appended with text indicating what that Element originated as in ArchiCAD.  See below:

Doors and Windows on these walls each get their own layer, depending on whether they are Existing, Demo, or New, Skin Separator Lines go to a new layer.  The following layers in the DWG are the result of the Translator separating linework exported from the single layer A-WALL-EXTR.A in ArchiCAD:

Here is some additional reading on DWG Translators:
DCS - DWG Translators
DCS - DWG Translation Extras

We may need to revisit this and look at having more than these two Translators available and provide preset Translators for Renovation vs. New Projects and have Paper Space / Model Space Translators for each.

Additionally, Pen Conversion Charts can be established so that Pen 1 in ArchiCAD converts to Pen 7 in DWG, for instance.  There is so much flexibility in the DWG Translators, that it is likely to vary widely what is needed from Project to Project, so please let me know if you'd like assistance in customizing a DWG Translator for your particular export needs.