Interfaces - What's New?

Service Pack 2 2023(V 2802)

Update to CADfix 12 SP2.1

With the update to CADfix 12 SP2.11 the following format versions are now available in HiCAD 2023:

2-D DXF/DWG Export: New settings dialogues

The dialogue windows of the Export options for 2-D DXF/DWG files have been extended with Service Pack 2 by several new features.

For example, the transfer of parts as blocks can now be controlled via the Export settings dialogue window. Manual configuration of the system file keyword "FIGBL" is no longer necessary.

New setting options for the transfer of layers, colours and line types into the DXF/DWG format can be found in the new menu window tabs DXF layer assignment, DXF layer definition and Line type assignment.

Other old configuration file keywords that have been dropped as a result are: BYLAY, LAYER, LTDEF, SONST, TXTLA.

IFC attribute mapping: Display HELiOS attributes

In the attribute mapping configuration for the data transformation between IFC and HiCAD, you can also export HELiOS attributes as of Service Pack 2.

In the Configuration Editor you can find a new checkbox Display HELiOS attributes at Interfaces > IFC > Attribute mapping configuration > ISD defaults > Define.

If this is activated, HELiOS attributes are also available for mapping in the pull-down menu of the source attributes.

You can expand and collapse corresponding overviews of the different categories of attribute types.

The target attribute determines which HELiOS attributes are offered to you: For a mapping with the IFC attribute Elements > Name, for example, the attributes of the types HELiOS article attribute and HELiOS document attribute are available; if the selected IFC target attribute is, for example, Project > Name, then Project attributes and Folder attributes are displayed for possible mapping.

HELiOS attributes of all four object types are available for other IFC properties.

Service Pack 1 2023 (V 2801)

2-D DXF/ DWG: New settings dialogues for import and export

The import and export options for 2-D DXF/DWG files have been extended by dialogue windows with the help of which you can conveniently set, for example, the processing of colours and layers, the conversion of units of measurement or the target version of the DXF format.

Please note the following in this context:

In earlier HiCAD versions the header variable $INSUNITS of DXF files was not evaluated and thus the imported data was not scaled. Using the import setting option for the Unit of length, the variable is now evaluated, converted into the current HiCAD drawing unit and scaled accordingly if necessary.

Furthermore, by providing the new dialogue options, some codes that were manually edited in the corresponding configuration files in earlier HiCAD versions are omitted:

DSTV-NC: Threads and countersinks

The Others area of the DSTV-NC format export dialogue has been extended by the options to suppress Threads and Countersinks or to write only a core drilling instead.

By default, threads and countersinks are exported (setting selection is set to Write in each case).

Major Release 2023 (V 2800)

DSTV-NC - Combining powder marking lines

For the DSTV NC export, it is now possible to specify on the Extended tab whether powder marking lines are to be listed individually in the NC file or whether the powder marking lines are to be combined into one block per marking line causing part.

 

Example:

In the image below, Parts 101 and 102 cause powder marking lines on Part 100.

 

Excerpt from the DSTV NC file of Part 100.

IFC import

Support of IFC 4 Addendum 2

HiCAD 2023 supports the IFC 4 Addendum2 data format for IFC import.

Note that as of HiCAD 2023, when importing IFC files, the IFC version specified in Configuration Editor at Interfaces > IFC is no longer evaluated. The version is automatically detected during import. However, when exporting IFC files, the parameter will still be evaluated.

 

Set BOM-relevance

For IFC import, an additional option is now available for determining the BOM-relevance (HiCAD attribute #SR). For this purpose, the previous checkbox in the dialogue window has been replaced by a selection box.

 

The following options are available for selection:

Delete

The BOM-relevance of the imported parts is set to No, i.e. the imported parts are not BOM-relevant.
Set

The BOM-relevance is assigned to the imported parts.

From file

The BOM-relevance is determined by the imported file or by the attribute mapping defined in the Configuration Editor for the import.

When inserting a NWC file created by HiCAD into the Navisworks Manager, attributes exported by HiCAD are also displayed there. Which HiCAD attributes are transferred and how can be configured via a system file.

The group name of the HiCAD attributes displayed in Navisworks can also be changed if required.

NCX-Export - Rotate beams and profiles

HiCAD offers the possibility to rotate beams and profiles during NCX export - from HiCAD 2023 onwards also by 90° and 270°.

To use this option, the files

in the HiC sys directory must be manually supplemented by the following line:

<H>::TEXT=""::ATTR="%NCROT"::TYP="COMBOBOX"::EDIT="NO":::E_WIDTH="401"::E_LIMIT="130"::FILE="..\sys\H_NCRotation.txt"::TL_WIDTH="130"

 

This extends the Part attributes dialogue for beams and profiles by a selection box for the setting NCX beam rotation.

3D DXF/DWG-Import Transfer of layers to 3-D data structure

Until now, when importing 3-D DXF/DWG files created with flexijet, the part structure ( layer ) was transferred in the form of layers. This meant that the complete flexijet model was transferred to HiCAD as one part. From HiCAD 2023 it is possible to transfer these layers also as 3-D parts into the HiCAD part structure. For this purpose, the dialogue window has been extended by corresponding options.

 

Layer in part structure

If this checkbox is activated, an attempt is made to transfer the layers from the DXF file into the HiCADAD part structure. For this purpose, the points, lines and parts, which are assigned to certain layers, are collected in parts, which are named according to these layers. Activating the checkbox can be useful, for example, when importing files created with flexijet.

 

Dots as structure separators

This option is only available if the checkbox Layer in part structure is activated. If the checkbox Dots as structure separators is active, it will be checked whether a highly detailed part structure is given by the layer names, namely by dots as separators. Components of a layer name preceding a dot are then created in HiCAD as an assembly, the associated remainders of the name then result in the parts lying under the assembly.

2-D DXF/DWG import and-export: New dialogues

In order to be able to edit the import and export settings of 2-D DXF/DWG files more comfortably, new configuration dialogues have been integrated into the HiCAD interface.

These replace the manual editing of system files (acadhcad.dat, hcadacad.dat), which are thus no longer necessary.

However, settings from older configuration files can still be read in and taken into account accordingly.

Load/Save Files via Interfaces