paulr@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Paul T Russell) (02/27/91)
I need to be able to drive a machine which accepts DXF data, from a Macintosh. I'm not sure what DXF is - I believe it's some sort of CAD interchange format used in the PC (spit!) world. So, what I need to know is: what is DXF and are there any applications or utilities (eg: plotter drivers ?) which would allow DXF to be generated directly from a Macintosh ? //Paul
steve@cad0.arch.unsw.oz.au (Stephen Peter) (03/01/91)
In article <4589@syma.sussex.ac.uk> paulr@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Paul T Russell) writes: >I need to be able to drive a machine which accepts DXF data, >from a Macintosh. I'm not sure what DXF is - I believe it's >some sort of CAD interchange format used in the PC (spit!) >world. So, what I need to know is: what is DXF and are there >any applications or utilities (eg: plotter drivers ?) which >would allow DXF to be generated directly from a Macintosh ? > Almost any CAD system has a DXF output option. Are there any CAD systems on the Mac (spit! :-) AutoCAD (who originated DXF) is available on the Mac. >//Paul cheers Stephen. -- _--_|\ / \ Stephen Peter steve@cad0.arch.unsw.oz.au \_.--._/<------------------------------------------------------------------- v School of Architecture, University of New South Wales, Australia
zap@lysator.liu.se (Zap Andersson) (03/02/91)
paulr@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Paul T Russell) writes: >I need to be able to drive a machine which accepts DXF data, >from a Macintosh. I'm not sure what DXF is - I believe it's >some sort of CAD interchange format used in the PC (spit!) >world. So, what I need to know is: what is DXF and are there >any applications or utilities (eg: plotter drivers ?) which >would allow DXF to be generated directly from a Macintosh ? DXF is Drawing Interchange Format form the CAD program AutoCAD. AutoCAD is available for (puke!) Mac's, so you may use it. Also, any CAD software with self-esteem handles DXF, since AutoCAD is the worlds largest CAD software. Why do it on a Mac and not a real computer *) ? ;-> >//Paul *) Real computer = Amiga, or any other MULTI TASKING computer. Single taskers, context switchers and double barrels don't even come close. /Z -- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (This rent for space) * My signature is smaller than * Be warned! The letter 'Z' is Copyright 1991 * yours! - zap@lysator.liu.se * by Zap Inc. So are the colors Red, Green and * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Greenish-yellow (Blue was taken by IBM)
bobert@Autodesk.COM (Robert Murphy) (03/07/91)
In article <4589@syma.sussex.ac.uk> paulr@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Paul T Russell) writes: >I need to be able to drive a machine which accepts DXF data, >from a Macintosh. I'm not sure what DXF is - I believe it's >some sort of CAD interchange format used in the PC (spit!) >world. So, what I need to know is: what is DXF and are there >any applications or utilities (eg: plotter drivers ?) which >would allow DXF to be generated directly from a Macintosh ? > >//Paul DXF is a "data interchange format" for CAD and similar vector graphics data. It differs from PICT, functionally, in that it supports 3-D information and floating point coordinates. It was originally defined for use with AutoCAD on DOS machines, and has spread like a... well, I was going to say disease, but that's unkind to my employer. Anyway, it's supported by a lot of CAD packages as an output format, and by a lot of other packages (e.g. Mac Ventura Publisher and a lot of the Mac rendering programs) as an input format. I'm embarassed to say that I don't know what packages on the Mac use it as an output format, other than AutoCAD. Right now, Mac AutoCAD runs $3,000 list, which may or may not be pricey depending on what you're trying to do. Bob Murphy bobert@autodesk.com Disclaimer? Well, these are of course my remarks and don't represent company policy, but I am one of the authors of the coming release of Mac AutoCAD...
JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu (JKT) (03/08/91)
>Discussion on DXF; what it is, what to do with it.... As stated by the Autodesk rep., DXF is a CAD file format that was invented by Autodesk. So if you have a DXF file and want to plot it, you should not be seeking a plotter driver that supports DXF. You should be seeking a program that can read DXF and can subsequently plot the file. This program can be AutoCAD itself, MicroStation 4.0 (hint, hint; it's on the way for Mac!), or any of the other Mac applications that now have the capacity to read DXF format files. The output these applications generate to plot the file will not be a DXF file, but a plotter language, depending on what plotter you send the output to; could be HPGL, HPGL2, etc. Might even be PostScript if your application supports that. :-) Hope this helps! Kurt -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- || Kurt Tappe (215) 363-9485 || With. Without. And who'll || || 184 W. Valley Hill Rd. || deny it's what the fighting's || || Malvern, PA 19355-2214 || all about? - Pink Floyd || || jkt100@psuvm.psu.edu --------------------------------------|| || jkt100@psuvm.bitnet jkt100%psuvm.bitnet@psuvax1 QLink: KurtTappe || -----------------------------------------------------------------------