Creating AutoCAD dimensions in QY CAD

When creating QY CAD dimensions from an AutoCAD dimension, the AutoCAD dimensions being translated must contain both the dimension properties, and dimension style objects. If either set of data is missing or incomplete the QY CAD dimension created from this data will take on different characteristics.

In AutoCAD versions 12 and 13, the dimension styles objects were not always defined as part of the AutoCAD dimension. When importing files created in these versions, you should not translate the AutoCAD dimensions to QY CAD as dimensions. Dimensions without this information are translated to the default QY CAD dimension style. However it is possible that the dimension that is translated to QY CAD will not reflect the precision, round off, or other style information found in the AutoCAD dimension.

In the translation of data from one system to another it is not always possible to support options or work flows from the foreign system in QY CAD. Therefore the following assumptions have to be made:

QY CAD does not support the suppression of the dimension lines. Therefore, regardless of their state in AutoCAD, in QY CAD dimension lines are always displayed.
For import conversion, the text color of a dimension assigned as a driven or driving dimension color.
QY CAD does not support extending the dimension line past the projection (extension) line. When importing AutoCAD files, this parameter is ignored.
AutoCAD supports 20 different Arrowhead types and allows you to create user-defined arrowheads.
The QY CAD arrowhead used during import is defined by the Arrowhead Import Mapping which becomes part of your configuration file once you finish the AutoCAD Wizard. If there is no mapping for an AutoCAD Arrowhead, the import defaults to Closed Filled.
Since QY CAD does not support user-defined arrowheads, all AutoCAD user-defined arrowheads default to a QY CAD filled arrowhead. In AutoCAD, user-defined arrowheads are made simply by referencing the name of an existing AutoCAD Block. You can use the Arrowhead Import Mapping section of the configuration file to map user-defined arrowheads. To do this, add a line that contains the name of the AutoCAD Block that defines the arrowhead to the configuration file and then set the value to one of the eight QY CAD arrowheads. For example, if you create a block called User Arrowhead 1 for your user-defined arrowhead, you will need to add the following line to the configuration file to map the user-defined arrowhead to the QY CAD Dot arrowhead.
```
User Arrowhead 1 = Dot
```

Since the number of arrowheads supported by AutoCAD (20) exceeds the number offered in QY CAD (8), a section in the AutoCAD configuration file manages the mismatch between systems.

[Arrowhead Import Mapping] 
Closed filled = Arrow (filled) 
Closed blank = Arrow (hollow) 
Closed = Arrow (hollow) Dot = Dot 
Architectural tick = Back Slash 
Oblique = Back Slash 
Open = Arrow (open) 
Origin Indicator = Dot 
Origin Indicator 2 = Dot 
Right Angle = Arrow (open) 
Open 30 = Arrow (open) 
Dot small = Dot 
Dot blank = Dot
 Dot small blank = Dot 
Box = Dot Box filled = Dot 
Datum triangle = Dot 
Datum triangle filled = Dot 
Intergral = Back Slash 
None = Blank 
Where: 
The value to the left of the equal sign = is the name of a built in AutoCAD arrow or the name of a user-defined arrow. 
The value to the right of the equal sign = is the name of the Solid Edge arrowhead to which the AutoCAD arrowhead is being mapped. 
The only valid inputs for this field are: 
Arrow (filled) 
Arrow (hollow) 
Arrow (open) 
Back Slash 
Blank 
Circle 
Dot 
Slash

QY CAD does not support independent rotation of dimension text. Therefore, dimension text imports according to its alignment with the dimensions.
AutoCAD defines a set of control codes that can be embedded in Dimension Text to alter the appearance of a subset of the text. QY CAD does not contain similar functionality. Therefore, many of these control codes cannot be converted into QY CAD dimensions. These include such things as text color, height, and font. The control codes that are converted to QY CAD include a subset of the special characters and the new line command /p.

For special character mapping, the AutoCAD control code is extracted from the string and replaced by the appropriate QY CAD special character control code. The following table defines this mapping.

Name	Symbol	AutoCAD Control Code	QY CAD Control Code
Degrees		%%d	%DG
Diameter		%%c	%DI
Tolerance		%%p	%PM
Percent	%	%%%	%

For converting Dimension Text containing the AutoCAD new line control code, the translator starts with the basic Dimension Text format.
For Superfix/pPrefix <> Suffix/pSubfix the angle brackets <> indicate where the Dimension Value of the Dimension Text is placed.
From there, the translator parses the Superfix, Prefix, Suffix, and Subfix substring and assigns them to the corresponding string in the QY CAD Dimension.
If the AutoCAD <> symbol for the location of the dimension text is not found the QY CAD Dimension Style blank is created and the Text override string is used as the QY CAD Dimension value. The only exception to this rule is when the text override contains the special value for Stacked dimensions \S. When this condition exists the string is not interpreted by QY CAD and is displayed as entered in AutoCAD. If the string is surrounded by (?), it indicates that the dimension value did not translate.

In the following example:
```
AutoCAD Text Over ride = 10.0 \S +.01^ -.01
```
Interpreted as
```
(?) 10.0 \S +01 ^ -.01(?)
```
If this same text override exists with the <> QY CAD interprets the value and place a stacked dimension rather than the blank dimension style.
AutoCAD uses the Dimension Fit parameter to automatically control when Dimension Text, Dimension Lines, and Arrowheads are drawn inside or outside of the projection (extension) lines based on the width of the dimension. Since QY CAD does not support this feature, it ignores these AutoCAD parameters during import.
The automatic placement of arrowheads inside or outside the projection (extension) line based on the width of the dimension is not supported by QY CAD. Therefore, QY CAD always places the arrowheads on the inside during import.
The Alternate Units section defines the mapping of the AutoCAD Dimension parameters that enable and define the appearance of alternate or secondary units. QY CAD only supports dual units in a stacked display. Therefore, all dual unit AutoCAD Dimensions import in a stacked display.
When dimensions are imported to sketch they are not attached to the line and arc elements. The lines and arcs of a translated dimension are construction elements that are placed on the _Translation layer. This layer is Off by default. You must reattach or construct new dimensions to modify the geometry. In other words these dimensions are simply reference dimensions.

Mapping dissimilar fonts

Mapping dissimilar fonts may result in unexpected line breaks during translation.

In AutoCAD, Multi-line text (Mtext) is a single line of text with a specific width. If the text string is too wide to fit in the specific width, the string is broken at a space or punctuation mark, and continued on the next line. Since AutoCAD does not specify where text splits, when displayed, the translator must determine that. Given the specific width, it computes the width of the string based on the QY CAD font in which the string is displayed and breaks the string at a space or punctuation mark if the string is too wide.

Because of character width differences between different fonts the translator does not always break a string at the same place AutoCAD does.

Defining AutoCAD block origins on import

AutoCAD Import Translation Wizard