Cap8 Eng Impression 3

Open, Import, and Save
Content
You start most Impression illustrations by opening or importing a drawing from another
application. Then you can save your stylized design illustration in a variety of formats.
Tips for Preparing Drawings for Impression

You can take several steps to prepare the original drawing for rendering in
Impression.
Your stylized Impression illustration usually has a different purpose than the
more precise drawing from which it is derived. Suppose that dimensions and
details from the original drawing are not required for your presentation version.
To make the best transition from the original drawing to Impression, consider
the following guidelines:
■ Turn off or freeze all layers that contain unneeded detail, such as dimensions
or text. You can set up a layout that contains viewports set up for the views
you plan to import into Impression.
■ Position viewports as you want them to appear in the Impression illustration.
When opened in Impression, each view and viewport is converted to a sketch.
Place the viewports in the same relative location that you want the
corresponding sketch to occupy in the Impression illustration.
8
37
Viewport 1 retains its position when opened in
Impression
■ Assign properties, such as color and lineweight by layer instead of by
object. Impression tracks the styles applied to each layer. If your original
drawing changes, assigning color, lineweight, and linetype by layer saves
you time when you update changes in Impression.
■ Use plot styles or set up your source file so it works well with your standard
CTB or STB files. Then select that plot style when you import or open the
drawing in Impression. This practice helps ensure that the linetypes,
lineweights, and colors for the imported geometry are preserved in
Impression.
■ With block insertions that require some variation, consider placing multiple
insertions of the same block. Then use the multiblock feature in Impression
to enable random variation of the inserted image. For example, this method
is useful for site plans that have a variety of trees and shrubbery. Members
of a multiblock that contains several types of vegetation randomly replace
the original block insertions.
38 | Chapter 8 Open, Import, and Save Content
■ For AutoCAD® Architecture files, use the Display Manager to hide surface
hatching of elevations and sections. You can also use the
EXPORTTOAUTOCAD or the AECTOACAD command to convert objects
to a form that can be opened in Impression.
■ For drawings published to DWF format, turn on PUBLISHHATCH. This
system variable is available in products such as AutoCAD. It treats hatch
pattern components as a single object instead of as individual lines. This
variable only affects drawings that are published to DWF format. It does
not affect drawings that you print to DWF format.
Prepare Drawings Created in Revit

You can prepare drawings created with Revit-based products such as Revit ®
Architecture 2009 to ensure that you get the results that you expect.
A three-dimensional Revit drawing is converted to a two-dimensional plane
when it is opened in Impression. You can then stylize the drawing to give it
a hand-drawn look.
Prepare the Revit Drawing
The basic steps for preparing a Revit drawing are as follows:
1 Make a copy of the Revit file. Save the file locally to prevent accidental
modification of the source drawing.
Prepare Drawings Created in Revit | 39
2 In that copy, prepare the view you want to stylize.
■ Create a view if necessary.
■ Delete any geometry that is not required for the illustration.
■ Set the rotation or viewpoint of the objects in the view.
3 Add the view to a new sheet.
4 Export the sheet to a DWG (preferred) or DWF format. This activity
creates three files:
■ Large DWG file representing the 3D model.
■ Smaller DWG file representing the view.
■ PCP file containing the plotter configuration files.
Open and Stylize the Revit Drawing in Impression
After you have exported your Revit file, as described in the previous section,
open and stylize the view in Impression.
1 Open the smaller DWG or DWF file that contains the view.
NOTE Specify a plot style as the file is opened in order to preserve information
about how the original drawing was rendered.
2 Edit block styles, or explode blocks in order to apply styles directly. Many
material textures are converted to blocks in Impression. To apply
stylizations, do one or more of the following
■ In the Styles palette, under Block Styles, select the block style. Then
edit its settings in the Style Editor.
■ Explode the block. Then set the resulting objects to be bylayer (to
inherit the layer style) or apply the style as an object override.
3 Edit textures that are imported as hatch fills. Some materials are imported
as hatch fills, which can be edited just as you would edit any other hatch
style.
4 Apply styles and area fills to finish the drawing. See Apply Appearance
Styles and Add Fill to Closed Areas.
NOTE When Impression imports 3D views, “hidden” objects are deleted or
clipped. To remove objects in the foreground, you can update the original
drawing and then update the CAD geometry.
Open a Drawing
The drawings you open in Impression usually originate in other applications.
You can also start a drawing from scratch using an Impression template and
then import additional content.
Overview: The Design Illustration Workflow
The basic workflow for opening and stylizing an Impression drawing is as
follows:
1 Open the drawing in Impression using one of the following methods:
■ Open or import a DWG or DWF file. In the import wizard, specify the
view, stroke type, scale ratio, and other settings.
■ Use the Export to Impression feature, available in some
AutoCAD-based products. Specify the view and stroke type.
2 In Impression, use the Global Stroke dialog box to adjust the stroke type
and stroke weight as needed. This feature affects all saved styles and
blocks.
3 Apply styles to the geometry.
4 If the source drawing changes, update CAD geometry to update those
changes in Impression.
Open a 2D Drawing from Another Source
When you open a two-dimensional (2D) drawing created in another source,
its contents undergo a conversion, as described in Content Conversions.
NOTE You cannot open more than one drawing in the same Impression session.
To open two drawings at the same time, first double-click the Impression icon on
the desktop to open a second instance of Impression. Then open the second
drawing.
Start by specifying a view, layout, viewport, or DWF page to convert to an
Impression sketch. Upon opening or importing a drawing, you also specify
Open a Drawing | 41
how to apply appearance styles to the geometry. In the DWG Import Wizard,
the following options work together to set the initial formatting of the objects:
■ Set the initial appearance. Retain plot style settings, specify a stroke style,
or use a combination of settings.
Specify plot style table settings. If a source DWG file uses a plot style, you
can retain the color, lineweight, and linetype settings in Impression. Choose
between CTB and STB files. CTB files are color-dependent plot style tables
in which color assignments map to output colors, lineweights, and
linetypes. STB files are named plot style tables that assign properties directly
to objects and layers.
Set a stroke type. Apply a specified stroke to all incoming geometry. This
method is the quickest way to achieve a consistent, hand-drawn look
without doing additional work.
Specify both a stroke and a plot style table to apply a stroke style (such as
pencil) while retaining lineweight and linetype from the original drawing.
■ Set the drawing unit display type. In the source drawing, the unit of
measurement represents the real-world value of each drawing unit (such
as an inch). As you open a drawing, you can change this measurement
type. The displayed measurements are recalculated to reflect the equivalent
value in the new unit type.
■ Exclude or include layers that are frozen, turned off, or excluded from
plotting. By default, layers that were frozen, turned off, or have plotting
turned off in the source drawing are excluded. This feature improves
performance and keeps you from dealing with details that are unnecessary
for your presentation illustration. If you do not have access to the original
drawing, however, you can import frozen and turned off layers.
■ Exclude or include certain object types. If you do not need dimensions,
leaders, or text objects in your design illustration, you can discard them
as you open the drawing. You can also exclude hatches and replace them
with Impression fill styles.
■ Pack layers to improve performance. You can pack objects with
characteristics such as the same style and consecutive draw order into a
single object to improve program performance. Unpack packed layers by
clicking the Packed Layer icon on the Layers palette. For more information,
see Pack Layers to Improve Performance.
Open a 3D Drawing with Hidden Lines Removed
When you open or import a three-dimensional (3D) or perspective drawing,
Impression by default removes hidden lines. Except for perspective views, you
can alternatively open the drawing to show the wireframe lines.
You also have the option of hiding the edges where the 3D objects intersect.
Original object (left) and imported objects in Impression
A side-effect of selecting hidden line removal is that blocks, dimensions, and
tables are exploded into their component parts and text is converted to outline
text geometry.
Open a Drawing | 43
Three-dimensional objects such as solids or extrusions are treated as a single,
connected object in Impression. When you select any segment of the imported
3D object, the entire object is selected.
Solid object remains one 2D
object in Impression
Impression discards any objects that are hidden, or obscured, by other 3D
objects. However, partially hidden objects are clipped. That is, geometric
objects—including outline text and the components of exploded blocks, tables,
and dimensions—are “broken” at the point where they pass behind other
geometry. The obscured sections are removed.
Source DWG: Text and 3D object
Impression: Imported text and 3D
object
Impression: Clipped text (converted
to outline text) is moved
NOTE Object clipping also occurs when the original geometry extends beyond
the viewport in the original drawing. See About Object Clipping and Masking
Open a 3D Drawing to Display Wireframe Objects
You can also choose to open or import most 3D views with the objects
displayed as wireframe. (Perspective views are only opened with hidden lines
removed, however.) By setting the number of contour lines, you can adjust
the display of rounded objects.
Remove Hidden Lines off, with 2, 4, and 10 contour
lines
When Remove Hidden Lines is off, blocks, text, and other complex objects
are not exploded, clipped, or masked.
Open a Drawing | 45
Open a New Drawing Using a Template
When you first set up an Impression illustration, you name the new drawing,
specify the paper size, and set the unit of measurement and scale.
Most settings for new Impression drawings are based on the default template.
This template is an “empty” Impression drawing. It contains standard
geometry, libraries of frequently used blocks and styles, and unit settings that
reflect the real-world scale of your drawing. Whenever you open a new
drawing, the drawing template is opened with a read-only status. Save it under
a different name to save any changes made to your illustration.
By default, the drawing template is located in the Templates folder. Impression
provides two templates for your use:
■ The startup_imperial.irf file provides unit settings in feet and inches.
■ The startup_metric.irf file provides unit settings in metric values.
You can modify either template or create additional templates. You specify a
different default template in the Files area of the Options dialog box.
To open any drawing as a template without changing the default, use the
Open as Template option on the File menu. If you make changes, you are
prompted to save the file under a different name.
Procedures: Open a Drawing
To open Impression
Do one of the following:
■ On the computer desktop, double-click the Autodesk Impression 3 icon.
■ In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Impression.exe file and double-click
it. By default, it is located at C: \Program Files\Autodesk Impression
3\Impression.exe.
To open an Impression drawing
1 Click File menu ➤ Open.
2 In the Open dialog box, find and select a file with the .irf extension. Click
Open.
NOTE The icons on the left side of the dialog box provide quick access to
commonly used files and their locations.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+O.
To open a recently opened Impression drawing
■ Click File menu ➤ Open Recent Files. Click the name of the file you
want to open.
NOTE You can change the number of files displayed on the Open Recent
Files list in the Options dialog box.
To open a drawing from Windows Explorer
1 Open Impression by double-clicking its icon on the desktop.
2 In Windows Explorer, find the file you want to open. Drag it onto the
Impression canvas.
To open a DWG file in Impression
2 In the Open dialog box, find and select a file with the DWG extension.
Click Open.
3 In the DWG Import Wizard, click Next to proceed through all the panels,
or click the navigation list on the left to change specific settings.
4 Specify which layout, viewport, or model space view you want to open.
5 Specify how to assign styles when the drawing opens in Impression:
■ To match styles as closely as possible to a plot style table in the
original drawing: Select a file from the Plot Style Table list.
■ To specify a default stroke for all geometry: Select a stroke from the
Set Stroke Type list.
■ To blend plot style settings with a default stroke: Select both a plot
style and a default stroke.
Procedures: Open a Drawing | 47
6 If the Impression unit type differs from the unit type in the source
drawing, select a new unit type from the 1 Imported Unit = 1 list.
7 Specify other options to simplify the opened drawing and improve
performance.
8 Click Finish to open the drawing.
To open a DWF file in Impression
2 In the Open dialog box, find and select a file with the DWF extension.
Click Open.
3 In the DWF Import Wizard, click Next to proceed through all the panels,
4 For multiple-sheet DWF files only, select a sheet.
5 Select a stroke style (such as pencil).
6 Specify other options to simplify the opened DWF file and improve
performance.
7 If the DWF file is password-protected, the DWF Password dialog box is
displayed. Enter the password and click OK.
To open a new Impression drawing
1 Click File menu ➤ New.
2 In the New dialog box, enter a name for the new drawing and specify
the canvas size, orientation, and output quality.
3 Click OK.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+N.
To modify the default template
2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the Autodesk Impression 3\Templates
folder. Click the template file you want to modify and click Open.
NOTE The default templates provided with impression include
startup_imperial.irf and startup_metric.irf.
3 Modify the template as needed. For example, you can include styles and
blocks that you use frequently.
NOTE You can designate style or block sets to be displayed as libraries in the
Styles and Blocks palettes. See To include a library in all new documents.
4 Click File menu ➤ Save As.
5 In the Save As dialog box, enter a new template name, if needed.
6 Click Save.
NOTE You can save any Impression file as a drawing template. For best
results, save all templates to the Templates folder to make them easier to
locate.
To set a different default template
1 Click Edit menu ➤ Options.
2 In the Options dialog box, click Files.
3 In the Default Template box, enter the name of the Impression file you
want to use or click the Browse button to find and select it.
4 Click Apply or OK to save the changes.
To open a new drawing with a non-default template
1 Click File menu ➤ Open as Template.
2 In the Open dialog box, find and select a drawing to use as the drawing
template. Click Open.
3 Modify the drawing and click File ➤ Save As to save the changes.
4 In the Save As dialog box, enter a new name for the file and click OK.
Procedures: Open a Drawing | 49
To set the number of recently opened files displayed on the File menu
3 In the Number of Files Displayed box, enter the number of recently used
files to list on the File menu, up to 20.
4 In the Keep Files in History For box, enter the number of days that you
want to retain the list, up to 365.
5 Click Apply to save the changes.
To close an Impression drawing
Do one of the following:
■ Click File menu ➤ Exit.
■ Click the X at the top right corner of the application window.
Import Content
You can import content contained in viewports, layouts, and DWF pages into
an open Impression drawing.
Import Drawings
When you import geometry from applications such as AutoCAD, the objects
are placed on Impression layers that correspond to the layers in the source
drawing. If no layers have the same name, Impression creates a new layer.
When you open or import a DWG file, you specify layouts, viewports, or
model space views. (You cannot import named views.) If the drawing units
in the imported drawing do not match the units in Impression, you can
synchronize them as you import.
If the imported drawing contains external references (xrefs), the Layers palette
indicates the name of the referenced drawing in brackets. For example, the
new Impression layer called <Carriage> DIM contains the objects that were on
the DIM layer in the externally referenced carriage.dwg drawing.
Import Other Types of Content
You can also import images, such as raster images and entourage, including
several types of file formats: IRF (Impression), DWF, BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX,
DCX, PSD, PNG, TGA, and TIF. Impression adds the imported images to the
objects on the current layer of the Impression drawing.
You can also import the following content into an Impression drawing:
■ Styles. See Import Styles and Style Elements.
■ Style maps. See Share Styles with Other Drawings.
■ Blocks and block substitution maps. See Share Block Libraries and
Substitution Maps
Work with External Files
If you import a file that references other drawings, images, or textures, you
can set up folders to contain the content. Then specify default search paths.
These paths, set up in the Paths panel of the Options dialog box, improve the
efficiency with which Impression finds the files.
When searching for externally referenced files, Impression searches in the
following order:
■ Current folder and one level of nested folders
■ Search paths defined in the Options dialog box
■ Folders specified by Microsoft® Windows®
Procedures: Import Content

To import an Impression file
1 Click File menu ➤ Import.
2 In the Import dialog box, find and select an .irf file that you want to
import.
NOTE The icons on the left side of the dialog box provide quick access to
commonly used files and their locations.
3 Click OK.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+I
Procedures: Import Content | 51
To import a drawing (DWG) file
2 In the Import dialog box, find and select a DWG file that you want to
import.
3 In the DWG Import Wizard, click Next to proceed through all the panels,
or click the list on the left to change specific settings.
4 On the What to Open pane, specify which layout, viewport, or model
space view you want to open.
5 On the Style Assignments pane, specify the initial style assignments:
■ To match styles as closely as possible to a plot style table in the
original drawing: Select a file from the Plot Style Table list.
■ To specify a default stroke for all geometry: Select a stroke from the
Set Stroke Type list.
■ To blend plot style settings with a default stroke: Select both a plot
style and a default stroke.
6 On the Import Options pane, specify unit type and style map preferences.
■ If the Impression unit type differs from the source drawing unit type:
Select a new unit type from the 1 Imported Unit = 1 list.
■ To import a style map, a block substitution map, or objects on frozen
or turned off layers: Click the expansion arrow and specify which
options you want to import or change.
7 On the File Clean-up and Pack Layers panes, specify other options to
simplify the opened drawing and improve performance.
Placement of the objects depends on whether you selected a layout, a
viewport, or model space in the import wizard:
■ Layout. Each viewport in the layout becomes an Impression sketch,
which retains its original scale. The paper space view becomes a
separate sketch.
■ Viewport. The viewport and its contents become an Impression sketch,
which retains its original scale.
■ Model space view. The model space view becomes an Impression
sketch that is scaled to fit the page.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+I.
To import a DWF file
1 In the Layers palette, select a layer to contain the imported content.
3 In the Import dialog box, find and select a DWF file with the content
you want to import.
4 In the DWF Import Wizard, click Next to proceed through all the panels,
5 On the Import Options pane, specify a sheet to open (multiple-sheet
DWF files only) and whether to apply a stroke style (such as pencil).
6 On the File Clean-up, One-Layer Drawings, and Pack Layers panes, specify
other options to simplify the imported file and improve performance.
7 Click Finish.
All objects are placed on the current layer.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+I.
How Data Changes in Impression
When you open or import content from other applications, Impression
maintains the integrity of most geometry, but some adjustments occur.
About Object Clipping and Masking
When you import a viewport, Impression clips or masks any objects that cross
the viewport boundaries.
Clipped Objects
Object clipping occurs when you import overlapping 3D geometry with hidden
lines removed. See Open a 3D Drawing with Hidden Lines Removed.
In addition, most objects that do not lie wholly within a viewport are clipped
when they are opened or imported into Impression. Impression “breaks”
objects at the viewport boundary and discards the portions that fall outside
the boundary.
How Data Changes in Impression | 53
Source DWG: Viewport to be
opened or imported
Impression sketch: Shaded area illustrates discarded
objects
Impression sketch: Objects
retained in illustration
If you open or import a portion of a closed polyline that is broken by the
original viewport boundaries, Impression closes the broken shape using the
boundary path to define the new segment.
As a result, you can apply a fill style to a closed polyline that you import or
open, even if the object is clipped by the sketch. (You do not get the same
result if the original object was not closed.)
You cannot restore the discarded parts of a clipped object. Three-dimensional
objects that are opened with using hidden line removal are also clipped.
Masked Objects
Impression masks some imported or opened objects—including blocks, text,
images, and gradients—that fall outside the original viewport boundaries. For
each sketch the mask follows the shape of the original viewports, not the
object itself.
To move or rotate masked objects, make sure to select all the objects. If you
move some of the objects so that they extend into the mask, they become
masked. If you move some of the masked objects so that they no longer extend
into the mask, the previously masked portions become visible. Notice how
the hatch area is clipped at the viewport boundary.
About Object Clipping and Masking | 55
Gradient, text, and hatch
imported into Impression
Imported image moved to the
left
Although the mask itself surrounds the boundaries of the imported viewport,
you can turn off Mask by Sketch to remove masking for each object
individually. Turning off object masking displays the object fully. In the
following example, masking is off for the text and gradient objects.
Masking off for text and gradient
fills
You can restore the mask by clicking the shortcut menu option again.
NOTE If the text extends beyond the viewport, and Remove Hidden Lines is off
in the DWG Import Wizard, Impression might not import the text object. If you
do not plan to edit the text in Impression, you can open the drawing with Remove
Hidden Lines selected. The text is then imported as geometry. This option also
explodes the geometry in all blocks and converts text to geometry.
Masking for DWF viewports is like masking for DWG files. However, imported
DWG files have only one mask per sketch. DWF sheets sometimes contain
multiple masks. When you import a DWF sheet into Impression, it is converted
into a single sketch. A DWF sheet with multiple viewports results in an
Impression sketch with multiple masks.
As with masks produced by DWG files, you can turn off masking for individual
objects that originated in DWF files. If you move or rotate objects with this
type of masking, be sure to select all of the objects in the imported viewport
to retain the masking.
Objects with Clipping Boundaries
Some source drawings contain a block or an xref with a clipping boundary
(created using XCLIP). Impression removes or masks clipped geometry that
extends beyond the boundaries. This handling follows the same rules used
for imported objects that extend beyond viewports. That is, Impression clips
or discards most objects. However, Impression masks blocks, text, images, and
gradients.
You can turn xclip masking on or off from the shortcut menu. This option is
available only if the original object extended beyond the clipping boundaries.
If XCLIPFRAME is on in the original drawing, Impression imports the clipping
boundaries. They inherit the layer style of their xref or block.
Imported Wipeout Objects
In programs such as AutoCAD, a wipeout area is a polygonal area that masks
underlying objects with the current background color. Wipeout areas are
imported as white fill with a stroke for the boundary. Because layer order
determines draw order in Impression, the appearance of illustrations with
wipeout areas can differ from the original drawings. For example, if the layer
that contains the wipeout object follows the layer that contains the masked
objects, the masking does not occur.
Solve this problem by moving the wipeout object to a layer that is higher in
the Layers palette hierarchy. You can also move up the layer that contains
the wipeout.
Procedures: About Object Clipping and Masking
To remove or restore object masking
1 Import or open a viewport in which a block, text, or gradient fill extend
beyond the viewport boundary.
About Object Clipping and Masking | 57
2 On the canvas, select the object whose masking status you want to change.
3 Right-click and do one of the following:
■ For masks produced by DWG files: Click Masked by Sketch.
■ For masks produced by DWF files: Click Viewport Mask.
A check mark next to the option indicates that masking is on. The
geometry on the canvas reflects the new status.
To remove or restore xclip masking
1 Import or open a drawing with an xref or block that extends beyond the
clipping boundaries.
2 On the canvas, select a block, text, image, or gradient that extends beyond
the clipping boundary.
3 Right-click. Click Xclip Mask.
A check mark next to the option indicates that masking is on. The
geometry on the canvas reflects the new status.
File Format Conversions
How content from other applications behaves in Impression depends upon
the origin.
How Formats Are Converted
The following table gives a high-level overview of the how Impression converts
the content you import or open.
File Type If Opened
Raster images (such
as BMP, GIF, JPG, PDF,
PNG, and PSD)
■ Centers image on the canvas as an image object (not reformatted).
■ 32-bit BMP images are imported as 24-bit BMP images
(with alpha channels ignored). For best results with 32-bit
BMP images, convert them to PNG format before importing
them
AutoCAD-based
drawings (DWG)
■ Opens selected model space, layouts, or viewports, retaining
page size and drawing unit settings.
File Type If Opened
■ Imported or opened views are known as sketches.
■ External references become Impression geometry.
■ See Content Conversions.
■ For imported views, drawing unit differences are reconciled.
Autodesk Design Converts files as follows:
Web Format-2D only
(DWF)
■ Layers ➤ Impression Layers
■ Geometry ➤ Bezier Splines
■ Text ➤ Single-line Text
■ Images ➤ Images
■ Drawing unit differences are reconciled for imported files.
See DWF Files.
NOTE The appearance of geometry and text opened from a
DWF file can change somewhat in Impression. The origin of
the DWF file affects object conversion.
Content Conversions
Content brought into Impression from other applications retains geometry
and many original properties. However, some components are converted to
different Impression formats.
How Objects Are Converted
The following tables describe how objects change when you import or open
them in Impression.
Blocks
Original compon- Converted to
ent
Block geometry is retained as a block. Attribute text is converted
to Impression text and grouped with the geometry as part of
an object group.
Attributes
Content Conversions | 59
ent
Impression blocks are added to the Saved Blocks list of the Blocks
palette. Block layers are added to the Layers palette. Block styles
are added to the Block Styles list in the Blocks palette.
NOTE Objects that were saved as blocks in Autodesk® VIZ are
not opened as blocks in Impression. DWF blocks are not supported.
Block definitions
Block geometry on Geometry inherits Impression layer properties.
layer 0 (zero)
If you specify a plot style table on import, geometry retains original
color, lineweight, and linetype properties.
Block geometry on
other layers
Impression styles. This conversion depends on the plot style and
stroke options selected when you open the file.
Color, lineweight
Dynamic blocks One Impression block for each dynamic block.
Geometry Bezier splines.
Impression stroke. Appearance varies, depending on stroke settings
specified when you open the drawing.
Linetype
Multiple block inser- Inserted as an object group.
tions (MINSERT)
Text: Multiline Single-line text.
Text: Single-line Single-line text.
Dimensions
ent
Color and linetype Appearance style.
Dimension text Single-line text.
Extension lines Appearance style and strokes.
ent
Tolerances Symbols are not displayed properly.
DWF Files
ent
Blocks Not supported. To retain blocks, import DWG files.
Bezier splines.
3D solids plotted to DWF format are imported as images. Extruded
objects that are plotted to DWF format with lines hidden
Geometry
retain visible geometry, converted to a 2D plane. This process
loses layer differentiation.
Gradient fills Displayed as gray fills.
Hatch patterns Individual lines.
Images Images.
Impression layers. Layer order is determined by the display order
of the objects in the original file. The object with the highest
display order determines the hierarchy for that layer.
Layers with text are displayed on top.
Layers
Not retained on import. Dashed line becomes a series of short
lines.
Linetype
SHX fonts Vector objects.
Single-line text. The appearance can differ somewhat from the
original.
Text
Objects clipped by DWF viewports (usually gradients and text)
are masked. If the original drawing is in DWF format, the Impression
drawing can have more than one viewport mask.
Viewport clipping
Geometry (2D)
ent
Bezier splines. Wide polylines with varying widths use the starting
width of the first segment only.
Geometry (2D)
Result differs depending on choices made in the DWG Import
Wizard, where you can set a default stroke and retain aspects
Color, lineweight,
and linetype.
of the original plot style. The appearance of dashed lines can
differ.
Not supported for DWG files. To use these objects in Impression,
Publish the original file to DWF format, or explode the objects
before saving the original file.
Express tools objects
Supports the presence of wipeout objects and the on or off
setting for their frames.
Wipeout objects
Geometry (3D)
ent
If Remove Hidden Lines is on, Impression clips portions of 2D
geometry hidden by 3D objects and deletes the obscured sections.
If Remove Hidden Lines is off, Impression retains all objects
within the view.
Geometry (2D)
3D geometry (as shown in the selected view) is converted to
Bezier splines in a 2D plane. Impression clips portions of 2D
Geometry (3D)s
geometry hidden by 3D objects, and deletes the obscured sections.
If Remove Hidden Lines is selected: Opens as 2D geometry, but
hides portions of geometry that would be hidden in a 3D view.
If Remove Hidden Lines is not selected: Opens as 2D geometry,
but displays wireframe vectors.
Geometry and SHX
text with thickness
Text becomes a geometry object.
ent
of the original plot style.
Color, lineweight,
and linetype
For perspective views, Impression places the line that defines
where the ground and sky meet on a “horizon” layer at the end
Horizon line
of the layer list. Objects on higher layers sometimes obscure
sections of the horizon.
Gradient Fill
ent
Impression gradient fill (gradient fill with an empty stroke applied
as style override on the layer that contains the boundary).
Gradient pattern
Gradient colors can differ somewhat. Impression supports linear,
centered, and spherical patterns. Parabolic, non-centered
spherical patterns, and 3D gradients are imported as radial
gradients.
Gradient fill boundary Bezier splines.
Hatch Fill
ent
Hatch fill styles. Elements of the hatch inherit layer stroke styles.
If the hatch is imported to a layer with a fill style, it retains the
Hatch segments, patterns
appearance of the original linetype. Hatches created in products
based on AutoCAD® Release 14 or earlier are imported as blocks.
NOTE The shape of the hatch pattern fill can change somewhat
when you open the hatch in Impression. The appearance of
hatches with origin points far from the 0,0 origin might be different
than expected.
Insertion angle, ori- Retained.
gin, draw order
ent
Not supported. Area fill anchors provide a way to refresh
boundaries, however. See Work with Area Fill Anchors.
Hatch type, associativity
with boundaries,
FILLMODE setting
Scale One hatch fill style for each insertion scale.
Before opening drawings that use custom hatches, move the
hatch pattern files to the Impression Support folder.
Custom hatch patterns
AutoCAD® Architec- Impression hatch fill styles.
ture (formerly
Autodesk® Architectural
Desktop)
hatches
Images
ent
Image (no change).
Not supported: Mapped and indexed images and pasted images.
Inserted images such
as images in PNG or
JPG format
Layer
ent
of the original plot style.
Color, lineweight,
linetype properties
By default, Impression does not import frozen and locked layers,
or layers with plotting turned off. However, you can choose to
include them in the DWG Import Wizard.
Frozen, turned off, or
with plotting turned
off
Impression does not import empty layers.
Layer names Impression layer of the same name.
Object draw order Layer draw order.
Layout Views
ent
Layout Impression sketches (multiple).
Layers in each view- Impression layers.
port
Layout viewport Impression sketch at same scale.
Page size Retained.
Units of measurement Drawing units.
(as displayed)
Leaders
ent
Multiple leader lines Imported as separate, grouped objects.
Collected multilead- Imported as separate, grouped objects.
ers
Linetypes
ent
Width Stroke width (in appearance style) retained.
Dashed stroke properties.
NOTE Unsupported linetype styles become a continuous linetype.
If a dashed linetype is defined by the plot style, the scale
might be incorrect.
Dashed properties
Retains the current appearance, regardless of the PSLTSCALE
setting.
Scale
Model Space Views
ent
Model space view Impression sketch.
Page size Retained.
Units of measurement Retained.
(as displayed)
If opened: Scaled to fit default paper size.
If imported: Scaled to fit current paper size.
Scale
If the original geometry is far from the drawing origin (0,0), the
Impression origin point is repositioned to be closer to the center
of the drawing extents.
Drawing origin
Plot Styles
ent
Retained if you select an STB or CTB plot style upon import or
open. The stroke type setting you specify also affects the appearance.
See Open a Drawing.
NOTE If a dashed linetype is defined by the plot style, the scale
might be incorrect.
Color, grayscale, linetype,
lineweight, and
most line end and
line join styles
Dither, pen numbers, Not supported.
virtual pen numbers,
diamond end and
join styles
Revision Clouds
ent
Arcs Bezier splines.
Color, lineweight Appearance style (stroke properties).
ent
Linetype Appearance style (stroke properties).
Tables
ent
Color, lineweight, Appearance style.
linetype
Table grid Bezier spline (grouped objects).
Text Single-line text (grouped with spline that forms grid).
Text
ent
Alignment and spa- Generally supported, but might differ under some circumstances.
cing
Annotative objects Not supported.
Text is placed on block layer 0. Color property is based on the
color assigned to the layer that contains the text. Text has By
Insert Layer style. Text is black in the Block Editor.
Block text: Color assigned
by insert layer
(text on Layer 0)
Text properties match the color assigned to the layer that contains
the block.
by layer or by
block
Text properties match the color assigned to the layer that contains
the block. Color is set to be By Insert Layer.
BYBLOCK
(blocks)
Bounding box (multil- Not supported.
ine text)
Characters Impression text objects. See Fonts.
ent
Color assigned by Text properties match the color of the layer style.
layer
Text properties match the color assigned to original text (as a
style override).
Color assigned to objects
Impression stores the path to the font folder for the source
drawing. If fonts have the same name as fonts in the Impression
Fonts: TrueType,
SHX, and Big Font
SHX folder, the Impression font gets priority. Priority for other source
applications depends on the order of installation.
Impression converts fonts that it does not support to the default
font type, which you can set in the import wizard. Some
formatting can be lost.
The Text Properties palette displays Big Fonts (used for Asian
languages) in the following format: SHX_font_name.shx, @bigfont.
shx. The rotation is maintained in Impression.
SHX fonts retain a lineweight property that can be modified in
the Text Properties dialog box. By default the lineweight is set
to 0.71 points.
Fonts: Postscript Default font type.
Line wrapping Line breaks match text wrapping.
(Mtext)
Properties (multiline Text properties (Text Properties palette).
text): Font size, underline,
boldface, italic,
numbering, bullets,
leading, justification,
stacking, and width
factor
Properties (multiline Not supported.
text): All-cap styles,
margins, overlines,
oblique angles, mirroring,
and tracking
ent
Properties (single-line Text properties (Text Properties palette).
text): Format, width
factor, and vertical
Properties (single-line Not supported.
text): Upside-down,
backwards, oblique
angle, and mirroring
SHX fonts: alignment retained.
TrueType fonts (including Big Fonts preceded by @): Western
fonts rotated 90 degrees.
Properties: Vertical
alignment
Not supported. However, you can explode these Express Tools
objects in the original drawing. The resulting MTEXT objects
can then be imported into Impression.
RText (reactive text
objects)
Viewports
ent
Bezier spline, placed on a layer within the same Impression
sketch as the content it encloses.
Viewport border
A different Impression sketch for each viewport, with name and
scale retained. Nonrectangular viewports are retained.
Viewports
Xlines (Construction Lines)
ent
Xlines and rays Not supported.
Xrefs (External References)
ents
Geometry and its properties incorporated into the Impression
file. The xref name is appended to the Impression layer name.
Example: The name of the layer that contains a converted xref
named Trees.dwg becomes Trees Layer 1. If the file has more
External references
than one instance of the xref, the layers are sequentially
numbered (Trees Layer 2, Trees Layer 3, and so on).
Retained in Impression. Impression masks objects outside the
clipping area. Some objects are clipped and discarded. See
About Object Clipping and Masking.
If IMAGECLIP is 1, image frames are imported as geometry on
the same layer as the image.
Xclipping
Invert clip is supported. Clipdepth is not supported.
Blocks with an xclip mask are exploded and geometry outside
the mask is clipped.
3D Blocks
Save an Illustration
Save your illustration in its native format (IRF, or Impression Rendering Format)
or in a variety of other formats, including BMP, JPG, PNG, and DWF. You can
also set up automatic backups at regular intervals.
Options for Saving
It is good practice to save your illustration frequently as you work. The
Impression Rendering Format (IRF) uses the following icon:
You can also set Impression to create backup copies automatically at frequent
intervals. If the program terminates unexpectedly, you can open the backup
copy.
The File menu offers the following options for saving:
■ Save a new drawing. Save your illustration and assign it a name as soon
as possible after you start it.
■ Save an existing drawing. Save your illustration frequently to prevent
losing your work due to unexpected events. When you use the Save
option, you continue working in the original drawing after you save
it.
■ Save and rename a copy of the current illustration. When you use Save
As to copy and rename the current illustration, the original drawing
closes and the newly named drawing becomes current.
■ Save a version of the current drawing. When you use the Save a Copy
option, a copy is saved and you continue working in the original
drawing. Use this method to preserve different versions of the
illustration as you experiment.
■ Save selected objects. Save only the objects in a selection set.
■ Save to a different format. For more information about saving to other
file formats, see Share Files and Formats.
The options that are available to you in the Save As dialog box depend on the
format to which you are saving. Impression preserves changes made to these
options from session to session.
Drawing Recovery
By setting the Auto Save option, you automatically create a backup copy
named <filename>.ibak.
The location of the saved file depends on how it was created. The Auto Save
files for new files that have never been saved are added to c:\Documents and
Settiungs\<user_name>\Local Settings\Temp folder. Impression saves the Auto
Save files in the same directory as the current file.
By default, a copy is saved every 10 minutes. You can change this interval in
the Files area of the Options dialog box.
If an illustration has closed improperly, you can choose to open the auto save
copy after first changing its extension to .irf. If you open the Auto Save version,
that version overwrites the original file, retaining the original name.
Optionally, you can open the last-saved version.
Save an Illustration | 71
Procedures: Save an Illustration
To save a new drawing
1 Click File menu ➤ Save.
2 In the Save dialog box, Save In list, find and select the folder where you
want to save your design illustration.
3 In the File Name box, enter a name for the illustration.
4 In the Files of Type box, select the .irf file extension.
5 Click Save.
You can continue working in the current illustration.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+S.
To save and work in a copy of the drawing
2 In the Save As dialog box, Save In list, find and select the folder where
you want to save your design illustration.
3 In the File Name box, enter a new name for the copy of your illustration.
4 Click Save.
The original drawing closes and the newly named drawing becomes
current.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+SHIFT+S.
To save a copy of a drawing as you continue to work in the original drawing
1 Click File menu ➤ Save a Copy.
you want to save a copy of your design illustration.
3 In the File Name box, enter a name for the copy of your illustration.
4 Click Save.
The original drawing remains open and Impression saves the newly named
drawing to the location you specified.
To save a drawing as a template
2 In the Save As dialog box, Save In list, find and select the Templates folder.
3 In the File Name box, enter a name for the template.
4 In the Files of Type box, select Autodesk Impression (*.irf).
5 Click Save.
Impression saves the template with the .irf format.
Alternate procedure: Press CTRL+SHIFT+S.
To save selected objects
1 On the canvas, press CTRL and select the objects you want to save.
2 Click File menu ➤ Save Selection As.
you want to save the new file.
4 In the File Name box, enter a name for the new file.
5 Click Save.
Impression saves the selected objects as a separate illustration.
To save automatically at intervals
3 Select Auto Save.
4 In the Auto Save Every box, click the Arrow keys or enter the number of
minutes that represent the interval for automatically saving a file.
5 Click OK.
To open an auto save file
1 In Windows Explorer, right-click the .ibak file. Click Rename.
2 In the text box, change the file extension to .irf.
3 In Impression, click File ➤ Open. Select the renamed file.
Procedures: Save an Illustration | 73

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