Autodesk 12812-051462-9011 User Guide 3 - Page 1934

Model Scale group Incoming file units This drop-down list lets you specify the base units in the incoming file. Available only when Rescale is on. Rescale Allows rescaling the incoming geometry by a factor corresponding to the most common unit type used. The importer tries to detect the units of the DWG file being imported, compares those units with the 3ds Max system units, and then provides the appropriate conversion factor. For example, if a drawing file is built in millimeters and 3ds Max has its System Units set to inches, the AutoCAD DWG/DXF Import Options dialog automatically has Rescale on and the Incoming File Units set to millimeters. When there is a scale disparity, It's generally advisable to rescale an incoming drawing to more realistic units to account for the precision limitations of 3ds Max compared to AutoCAD. For instance, if you import an airport designed in millimeters in AutoCAD, set Incoming File Units to Feet or Meters. For further information, see A Note on Large-Scale Drawings on page 7187. NOTE If the units are unspecified in the drawing, the drop-down list is blank. In this case, if you click OK to perform the import with Rescale on, you are prompted to select a value for Incoming File Units, and are then returned to the AutoCAD DWG/DXF Import Options dialog. Resulting model size Incoming geometry is evaluated to determine its bounding box size. This field displays the scene extents based on three factors: ■ Incoming file units ■ System units in 3ds Max ■ Display units in 3ds Max NOTE If the software cannot determine the size, the field shows "(Drawing Extents Not Known)". Derive AutoCAD Primitives By group This group box contains options for translating the geometry in the DWG or DXF file to 3ds Max format. [derivation method] Choose the method for deriving imported AutoCAD primitives from this drop-down list. The options are as follows: ■ Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy All objects on a given layer in the AutoCAD drawing that aren't in blocks are combined into a single Editable Mesh or Editable Spline object when imported into 3ds Max. The name AutoCAD (DWG) Files | 7189