New DXF features:

  When loading or saving DXF files now, a requester pops up allowing
you to control more about the way objects are handled.

  In general, DXF files can store a color number and/or a layer name
for each "item" in the file.  Other software sometimes uses this
information to control how the data is split up into separate objects.

  The options for saving files allow you to control the layer name(s)
that are written, and what type of color numbering (if any) to use.
Basically, you can either use the default layer name, "0", a layer
name that you specify, or you can use the object name (set in the
Attributes requester) as the layer name.  For color numbers, you can
either not write them at all; specify a specific number to use; or
use a sequence of numbers, one per object, starting at a number you
specify.  There is one last item you can control when writing files
... the "type" of data that is written for the object.  You must
choose between "3DFACE" data, or "Polyface Mesh" data.  The "3DFACE"
format is older, and is probably supported by most "DXF importing"
software (in fact Imagine 3.0 recognized only 3DFACE data) ... but
it results in a larger output file.

  The options for loading files allow you to control how the layer
names and color numbers are (or can be) used to break up the file
data into separate objects, and whether or not any "2D" data appearing
in the file is ignored  (i.e. lines, motion paths, etc. ...  basically,
anything that doesn't produce "faces").  You can specify that Imagine
should read the file and produce only one object ("One object" checkbox),
or that it should split the data into different Imagine objects using
DXF layer name or using the color number ("One object per layer", and
"One object per color" checkboxes) or that it should read in the data,
building on one object, and start a new object when either the layer
name changes and/or the color number changes ("Layer change -> new object",
and  "Color change -> new object" checkboxes).  There is also an
"Entity change -> new object" option.  The "Entities section" of a
DXF file lists the actual "items" in the file.  When 3DFACE data
is used, each face of an object is an "entity" (and you would NOT
want to select "Entity change -> new object").  When "PolyFace Mesh"
data is used, each "Mesh", consisting of many faces, is an entity,
and "New entity -> new object" is a useful option.  If you are having
trouble loading a DXF file, and you're getting the "Too many points
in object" message from Imagine, try experimenting with the options
in order to get Imagine to break the data up into smaller objects.

Lastly, Imagine now recognizes most of the DXF "entity" types that
exist (i.e. 3DFACE, POLYLINE, CIRCLE, SOLID, ... etc.)




Howdy