AutoCAD Training - Flattening 3D Into 2D So You Can Paint, Hatch and Print Geometry
By Nancy Fulton
In this free Autocad training article, you learn how to turn a perspective or isometric view of 3D objects into a 2D view you can edit, paint and print. This is very useful for architects who need to be able to create artistically rendered perspective views of 3D geometry to their clients. It is also useful for interior designers, mechanical engineers creating concept art, and for sales professionals who need to create images to accompany sales copy.
Many designers know how to create 3D geometry using AutoCAD's surface and solids modeling tools. They know how to use the UCS command to work on any plane in 3D space, and how to use the MVIEW command to display views of their geometry in a paper space layout.
What most designers don't know how to do is to turn their 3D geometry into 2D geometry they can edit, paint and export into other applications. The following series of steps will prove useful to these designers.
Create your 3D geometry.
Go into paper space by selecting a layout tab.
Use the MVIEW command to cut holes in the layout which show your 3D model.
Use the tools on the View menu to display views of your model. Note that you can display orthogonal as well as perspective views.
From AutoCAD's File menu choose Export. Export the drawing to a WMF (windows meta file).
Import the WMF File back into a new AutoCAD drawing. You will find you can explode the geometry as you would a block. Edit it as desired. Remember that you can use the SOLID hatch pattern, found in the BHATCH command to fill closed areas with color.
You can also import the WMF files you export from AutoCAD into Photoshop and other applications. This gives you a larger variety of tools to edit the geometry with. Experiment with exporting BMP and other file formats as well. Being able to design in 3D, then edit 2D views of your finished model is a very useful thing.
Nancy Fulton has trained thousands of AutoCAD users worldwide. You can check out her free AutoCAD training blog at http://learn-autocad.blogspot.com/. You can find more of her tutorials online at http://www.complete-support.com.
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