Methods and Apparatuses for Preprocessing a CAD Drawing

• US 20100121614A1
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Auto PREP LLC
• Original Assignee: M.E.P. Cad, Incorporated
• Inventors: Schaeffer, Phillip M., Reghetti, Joseph P.
• Application Number:
  US12/598,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121614A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/08 Bandwidth reduction

Abstract

Methods and systems for preprocessing a drawing to enhance its usability for subsequent viewing or modification by simplifying information displayed in the drawing, reducing the size of the drawing file, and removing unnecessary data. The invention also includes a wizard function that can record many of the functions or steps taken by a user to modify a drawing and then be used to preprocess a similar type of drawing using the recorded functions and steps.

Claims

1. An apparatus for converting a drawing file, including one or more layers, to a simplified version of the drawing file that is easier for a user to view and modify, comprising:

an external reference file utility for converting one or more external reference files referenced by the drawing file into one or more blocks, for inserting the one or more blocks into the drawing file, and for deleting an external reference file referenced by the drawing file if the external reference file does not exist in the drawing file and cannot be converted to a block;

a block utility for expanding one or more graphic objects and one or more attributes within one or more desired blocks into the drawing file, for automatically deleting one or more undesired blocks from the drawing file, and for deleting one or more invisible text or one or more unnecessary text included within the attributes of the one or more desired blocks;

a graphic object utility for expanding one or more desired graphic objects into the drawing file and for deleting one or more undesired graphic objects from the drawing file;

an externally created graphic object utility for converting one or more externally created graphic objects into the one or more desired blocks or the one or more undesired blocks for processing by the block utility or treating the one or more externally created graphic objects as a group of graphic objects and processing the group of graphic objects with the graphic object utility; and

a layer utility for moving the one or more desired graphic objects in the one or more layers into a smaller subset of layers, for deleting the one or more undesired graphic objects, and for deleting one or more empty layers within the one or more layers after automatically viewing the one or more empty layers.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a hatch utility for expanding one or more desired hatch objects into the drawing file and for deleting one or more undesired hatch object from the drawing file.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a line utility for deleting one or more duplicate lines from the drawing file.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes an arc and circle utility for deleting one or more duplicate arcs or one or more duplicate circles from the drawing file.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a polyline utility for deleting one or more duplicate polylines from the drawing file.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a dimension utility for standardizing one or more desired text lines within the drawing file.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a multi-line text utility for converting one or more multi-line text lines to one or more standard single text lines and for removing a Unicode format from the one or more standard single text lines.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a text utility for maintaining or converting one or more text lines within the drawing file and for deleting one or more undesired text lines from the drawing file.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphic object utility includes a text style utility for converting all box-type attribute text into simple text and for enabling one or more user defined font and text styles for the simple text within the drawing file.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a wizard utility for recording one or more actions taken by the user using the external reference file utility, the block utility, the graphic object utility, the externally created graphic object utility and the layer utility and repeating the actions on a second drawing file that is similar to the drawing file.

11. A method for converting a drawing file, including one or more layers, to a simplified version of the drawing file, comprising the steps of:

converting one or more external reference files referenced by the drawing file into one or more blocks, inserting the one or more blocks into the drawing file, and deleting an external reference file referenced by the drawing file if the external reference file does not exist in the drawing file and cannot be converted to a block;

expanding one or more graphic objects and one or more attributes within one or more desired blocks into the drawing file, deleting one or more undesired blocks from the drawing file, and deleting one or more invisible text or one or more unnecessary text included within the one or more attributes of the one or more desired blocks;

expanding one or more desired graphic objects into the drawing file and deleting one or more undesired graphic objects from the drawing file;

converting one or more externally created graphic objects into the one or more desired blocks or the one or more undesired blocks for processing in accordance with the step of expanding one or more graphic objects or treating the one or more externally created graphic objects as a group of graphic objects and processing the group of graphic objects in accordance with the step of expanding one or more desired graphic objects; and

moving a set of desired graphic objects in the one or more layers into a smaller subset of layers, deleting a set of undesired graphic objects, and deleting one or more empty layers within the one or more layers after automatically viewing the one or more empty layers, whereby the drawing file becomes the simplified version of the drawing file.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the step of expanding one or more desired hatch objects into the drawing file and deleting one or more undesired hatch objects from the drawing file.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the step of deleting one or more duplicate lines from the drawing file.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the step of deleting one or more duplicate arcs or one or more duplicate circles from the drawing file.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the step of deleting one or more duplicate polylines from the drawing file.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the step of standardizing one or more desired text lines within the drawing file.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the steps of converting one or more multi-line text lines to one or more standard single text lines and removing a Unicode format from the standard single text lines.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the steps of maintaining or converting one or more text lines within the drawing file and deleting one or more undesired text lines from the drawing file.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of expanding one or more graphic objects includes the steps of converting all box-type attribute text into simple text and enabling one or more user defined font and text styles for the simple text within the drawing file.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, further including the step of recording one or more actions taken in the step of converting one or more external reference files through the step of moving a set of desired graphic objects and repeating the one or more actions on a second drawing file that is similar to the drawing file.