Page Comparison

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This page is written for [SAP2000|sap2000:home], though it also applies to [CSiBridge|csibridge:home].
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*SAP2000* models may be *exported to DWG* (Drawing) format through the process which follows:

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# Within [SAP2000|sap2000:home], select File > Export > AutoCAD .dxf File, as shown in Figure 1:
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{center-text}Figure 1 - Export SAP2000 model to DWG format{center-text}
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# Select AutoCAD .DWG Files (*.DWG) from the drop-down menu within the browse window, as shown in Figure 2:
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{center-text}Figure 2 - Select file for export{center-text}
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# Choose the SAP2000 model you wish to [export|kb:Export] to DWG format from the list of saved files which are available.
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# Select Save to begin the conversion process. During conversion, the destination software will automatically open and then close. The SAP2000 model will then be available in DWG format.

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A few notes which concern this process are as follows:

* AutoCAD must be installed on the desktop to successfully export a SAP2000 model into DWG format. DXF [import|kb:Import] andor [export, however, does not require AutoCAD installation on the desktop.

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DXF is a text file with known/published format and anyone is allowed to write it without AutoCAD installation. DWG is a binary file and we don't want to read/write by our own functions. We use ActiveX technology by using AutoCAD through their API. So we need AutoCAD for import/export of DWG file.
{hidden-content}|kb:Export] between SAP2000 and DWG. This is because DWG files are in binary format, and must be read or written using the AutoCAD functions available through the AutoCAD API. DXF import and export, however, does not require AutoCAD installation because DXF is a text file of published and available format.

* SAP2000 uses {new-tab-link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveX}ActiveX{new-tab-link} late binding to create AutoCAD entities.

* SAP2000 objects will convert into DWG entities as described in the following table:

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|| || MAPPING content || ||
|| || SAP2000 object || DWG entity ||
| 1 | [Point|kb:Joint] | AcadPoint |
| 2 | [Line|kb:Frame] | AcadLine |
| 3 | [NLink|kb:Link] (2 or 3 points) | AcadLine |
| 4 | NLink (1 point) | AcadPoint |
| 5 | [Area|kb:Shell] | Acad3DFace |
| 6 | [Solid|kb:Solid] | AcadPolyFaceMesh |

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*NOTE:* DWG Solid objects differ between export and import. For export, AcadPolyMesh is useful for obtaining object coordinates. For import, AcadDb3DSolid is useful for DWG files.
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h1. See Also

* [Import DWG to SAP2000|Import DWG into SAP2000] article

* [Export SAP2000 to DXF|sap2000:Export SAP2000 to DXF] article