Autodesk 12812-051462-9011 User Guide 3 - Page 1767

If a live data link is not important to you, the DWG/DXF Import functionality processes drawings, exported from Revit, in the same intelligent way as the File Link Manager. You just don't have the benefit of the live data link. See also: ■ Using Layers to Organize a Scene on page 7438 ■ File Link on page 6976 ■ Interpreting Layer Data from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit on page 6986 AutoCAD Geometry in 3ds Max The basis of your model in 3ds Max is the geometry of the objects, blocks, and other entities that are transferred through the file linking functionality. In many cases, these objects behave just like the editable meshes and splines you create in 3ds Max. But because the link to the source drawing plays such a central role in your workflow, 3ds Max has special rules and tools for handling linked AutoCAD geometry. When you are working with linked objects and blocks from AutoCAD, you will find that these are composed as groups of related objects in 3ds Max. These groups are organized hierarchically below a 3ds Max VIZBlock object. VIZBlocks are special objects created by the file linking functionality that are used to contain other file linked objects in a group. VIZBlocks don't contain any geometry directly, so for example it is meaningless to apply modifiers to them. However, they do reference the components below them so that transforms applied to a VIZBlock will be applied to all the component objects it contains. See also: ■ Styles on page 7054 ■ Instanced Objects on page 7047 ■ Blocks on page 7048 7022 | Chapter 23 Managing Scenes and Projects