This video covers a simple example of How to import a CAD file in eQuest.

In this Video:

• Trace a simple cad file and import into eQuest
• Set up custom zones from a cad file

Importing a CAD file in eQUEST is done quite easily with the right knowledge. It can be done in either the schematic design wizard, or the design development wizard. In this case we’re on the wizard’s screen 3 of the schematic design wizard, looking at the building footprint. If we were to bring in a custom footprint, we can do that by selecting footprint shape and selecting custom, selecting blanks slate. We can leave the initial display extents as they are, and we’re going to select import CAD file. We can select ok, and you’ll have to navigate to the folder where your CAD drawings are stored. In this case we’re already there, however, we’re going to be importing a .dxf , so we have to change the “files of type” to have the .dxf extension. We’ll select the diamond.dxf and we’re going to select open and it’s going to prompt us with the name of the CAD drawing file, the unit conversion which we can typically leave at the default as the CAD program knew the CAD unit conversion. In the example we’re going to change it into units of feet.

Finally, the origin of the viewer is listed here, which we can typically leave at its default. Once we press apply, our drawing shows up in the background and we can click close. Once in this screen, you’ll note that the X and Y columns here are blank, because we haven’t actually defined the building footprint. Before we get to that it’s important to make note of a few things. The buttons in the upper left are useful and you should familiarize yourself with them. (2:19). Zoom button, pan button, and Zoom/Pan on CAD drawing. With Zoom/Pan on CAD drawing and Zoom button selected, any zoom that we make will actually change the zoom extents of the drawing itself, thus making the building bigger or smaller. SO take care when using that configuration.

The open CAD drawing file button, a CAD drawing properties button and the CAD drawing layers button. When you select the CAD drawing layers button. In most case you’re CAD drawing is going to be much more complex than this example and you’ll have several layers. What’s interesting here is that any layer that you click will flash on the screen, so it’s easy to see which layer it is. You’ll want to disable all layers that are unnecessary. We can click done. Select the view properties button will open a window to change the extents of the screen, or the viewing region. We can change the grids resolution, the snap ranges, the CAD vertices and here we want to change the snap priorities from first to the CAD drawing so that it’s easier to outline. And 2nd to the polygon, since we’re making a perfect square, sometimes you’ll need to play with these properties, in order to get what you’re trying to do exactly right. But here we can click done, and outline our CAD drawing. Pres the select button and start on any vertex and drag the cursor to the next vertex, moving counter clockwise. You can let go of the cursor and then click back on the last vertex and drag it counterclockwise to the next vertex. And we can continue this until we have the building outlined. Make sure you do this in counterclockwise order, or it will not allow you to save your changes.

If you look on the left, you’ll see each one of the vertices has been recorded. Please note that eQUEST can handle up to 120 vertices, so this is obviously a very simple drawing. Now that we are finished, we can click done, save the changes and you will we moved from and L shape to a square shape. However, this doesn’t look like our picture and while the zoning in our picture doesn’t make a lot of sense, we kept it as simple as possible just to illustrate this point. We can change the pattern now by going to custom, selecting blank slate and brining it again from our CAD file. Here you’ll see that the X and Y extents are left blank. We’ll have to click create new zone and outline our zone counter clockwise. Now that we have the zone defined, we’ll want to define the next zone. Remember you have to stay counterclockwise or the changes won’t stay recorded. Create new zone again, and finally we’ll create our last zone. Please note that we could do something out of the ordinary with the zone and we don’t have to stick within the extents of the CAD drawing. (6:35 )

So we need to define the last zone in this case. We weren’t in fact limited to anything in the CAD drawing, the CAD drawing just makes it a lot simpler. We can click done from here, and yes we want to save the changes. Now our changes will show up on the screen and we can move on in the project.