I'm puzzled about SVG export: it doesn't produce files that are readable by other applications.
Attached is a PDF of a simple example: it's dimensioned in modest master units, close to the model's origin. Yet when I export this, the SVG file has absurd coordinates. Design file setting is 10,000 UOR per master. For example, here's one of the lines:
line x1="7.39147e+006" y1="-7.39146e+006" x2="7.39249e+006" y2="-7.39146e+006"
The e+006 is exponential notation for 10 to the power 6, which is one million. How does a line 7m long translate in SVG to 7 million units?
Corel Paint Shop Pro says that example.svg, created from the same model as the PDF, is not valid SVG. I don't have Illustrator, so haven't been able to test. But the Adobe SVG plug-in for web browsers won't display a MicroStation exported SVG either.
What's the position with SVG: How was the exporter tested? How do we obtain a successful export? I don't see many settings options in the export.
John,
having no knowledge and experience in programming I am restricted to talking from a user's point of view.
What you point out concerning the benefits of XML is very interesting. I was not aware of the fact, that SVG can contain more than the graphic elements. It is good to know that SVG could be used as a container for information. Is the accuracy of SVG similar to CAD or to illustration graphics software?
Actually I am looking for ways to transport information from CAD to other applications, such as facility management or quantity take off. A standard format like SVG would be great to simplify import and export from and to these applications.
Recently my research for an FM application led to a product called Morada (http://www.smbag.de/), which uses SVG to represent the graphics in the FM application. Thus they can make the graphics accessible without the need of a CAD viewer. With your information I can have a talk with them, wether SVG could be a way to get information into the system (now they have a own AutoCAD plugin to get the data from DWG to Morada).
Thank you for sharing your insights.
Regards
Gunnar
Unknown said: SVG can contain more than the graphic elements. It is good to know that SVG could be used as a container for information.
SVG can contain more than the graphic elements. It is good to know that SVG could be used as a container for information.
You don't have to be a programmer to understand SVG or XML — they are plain text files, albeit with lots of angle brackets, the same as HTML. You can see the content of an SVG file using a simple text editor. However, something that interprets XML can present the structure of the data: for example XML Notepad or Internet Explorer.
Unknown said: Is the accuracy of SVG similar to CAD or to illustration graphics software?
Is the accuracy of SVG similar to CAD or to illustration graphics software?
The coordinates passed in SVG are decimal numbers. They are as accurate as the creating software wants them to be.
Unknown said: I am looking for ways to transport information from CAD to other applications, such as facility management or quantity take off.
I am looking for ways to transport information from CAD to other applications, such as facility management or quantity take off.
SVG conveys vectors, including shapes and Bezier curves. It includes symbology such as line weight, style, and fills for closed shapes. In other words, it's a close match to MicroStation 2D graphics.
Additional data would not be useful to an SVG viewer, but equally the viewer should simply ignore additional data. But an FM application might be designed to accept SVG with additional markup, such as room type or door code, if the source application could export such data.
Regards, Jon Summers LA Solutions
Interesting note on the Adobe SVG site. They will discontinue support as of, 1 January 2009.
http://www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install/
Matt Phillips: Interesting note on the Adobe SVG site. They will discontinue support as of, 1 January 2009. http://www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install/ I was unable to work with it successfully with earlier releases of V8i and with discontinued support I stopped testing it.