Export a DXF/DWG Drawing

To export a drawing as DWG or DXF, select File ▸ Export ▸ DWG or DXF. A dialog allows you to define the parameters for the conversion.

The Export as DWG/DXF dialog

• Format version via a pop-up menu. This menu lists all the supported DWG/DXF versions from R12 to the latest 2018-2025.
• View: open this menu to select a view to export. The available options are:
  • Current view: exports the drawing that is currently actve and visible on screen.
  • All Sheets: exports all the sheets in the project.
  • All visible sheets: exports only the sheets that are visible.
  • Custom set: use the table to select what items you want to export.
  • Project Views: if the project contains named views, you can select one from the list.
• Sheets table: a list of the sheets in the projece. You can select Drafting Sheets, Details, Schedules and Layouts;
• Destination: you can choose the export the drawings as one file or as separate files.
  • Option to export all selected sheets as a single DWG/DXF document;
  • Option to export each selected sheet as a separate document (all documents are collected in one folder).

Important

CAD programs that use DWG/DXF as their native file format have a different system of arranging drawings and layouts compared to BIM-oriented programs like HighDesign. In those kinds of software, the project is usually contained in one virtual space called Model, scaled at 1:1. The various drawings are usually placed one next to the other, tiled on an infinite drawing board.

HighDesign on the other hand uses sheets to organize the project, which means that each drawing as its own, independent space. When exported as DWG/DXF, a HighDesign project may show some drawings overlapped in the Model space.

To avoid that, you may want place your drawings so that they do not overlap, by using the sheet’s visibility options, or you can export each drawing to a separate file by selecting the “One file per sheet” option.