mport DXF File

Boundaries , bolts and polyline or polygon drawing tools can be imported

into Phase2 from a DXF file (AutoCAD Drawing Exchange File), using the Import
DXF option in the Importsub-menu of the File menu. This allows users to import
drawings created in AutoCAD, for example, into Phase2.

Importing boundaries or support from a DXF file is equivalent to adding boundaries

or support using the options within Phase2 (e.g. Add Excavation, Add Material, Add
Bolt etc). That is, all the same rules apply, and boundaries/bolts will be automatically
checked for validity, intersected with existing entities if necessary, etc.

To import boundaries from a DXF file:

1. Select Import DXF from the Import sub-menu of the File menu.
2. In the DXF Options dialog, select the entities you would like to import, using
the checkboxes provided.

3. At the bottom of the dialog you will notice the Run Geometry Cleanup after
import checkbox. If this checkbox is selected, the Geometry Cleanup option
will be automatically run after the boundaries have been imported. This
checkbox is on by default. In general the Geometry Cleanup option is
recommended, particularly after importing geometry from a DXF file.

4. Select the Import button, and you will see an Open File dialog. Select the
required DXF file and select OK, and all entities you selected in the DXF
Options dialog will be imported into the current Phase2 document.

If boundaries already exist in your current Phase2 document when you use Import
DXF, you may see a warning message if the imported boundaries are not compatible
with existing boundaries. For example, if you try to import an Excavation which is
outside of the existing External boundary. So always be aware of what is in your DXF
file when you try to import entities.

NOTE: if you are having problems trying to import a DXF file into Phase2, make sure
you read all of the information below.

Layer and Entity Types

If you are using AutoCAD to create DXF files for import into Phase2, use the following
conventions for layering and entity type:

Phase2 Object Layer Name AutoCAD Entity

Type
Excavation Boundary EXCAVATION Closed LINE /
POLYLINE
External Boundary EXTERNAL Closed LINE /
POLYLINE
Material Boundary MATERIAL LINE / POLYLINE
 Stage Boundary STAGE LINE / POLYLINE
Joint Boundary (both ends JOINT_FREE LINE / POLYLINE
open)*
Joint Boundary (both ends JOINT_BOTH_CLOSED LINE / POLYLINE
closed)*
Joint Boundary (first end JOINT_FIRST_CLOSED LINE / POLYLINE
closed)*
Joint Boundary (second end JOINT_SECOND_CLOSED LINE / POLYLINE
closed)*
Structural Boundary (both STRUCTURAL_FREE LINE / POLYLINE
ends open)*
Structural Boundary (both STRUCTURAL_BOTH_CLOSED LINE / POLYLINE
ends closed)*
Structural Boundary (first STRUCTURAL_FIRST_CLOSED LINE / POLYLINE
end closed)*
Structural Boundary (second STRUCTURAL_SECOND_CLOSED LINE / POLYLINE
end closed)*
Piezometric Line PIEZO LINE / POLYLINE
Bolts BOLT LINE
Polyline drawing tool POLYLINE_TOOLS LINE / POLYLINE
Polygon drawing tool POLYGON_TOOLS Closed LINE /
POLYLINE

* NOTE: for an explanation of "open" and "closed" Joint or Structural Interface

boundaries, see the Add Joint topic, and read the Joint End Condition description.

Importing Arcs from DXF Files

True circular arcs CANNOT be used to define boundaries in Phase2. All boundaries
in Phase2 are made up of linear segments connected by vertices.

However, if you import a DXF file which uses true arcs to define
boundaries, Phase2 will automatically convert arcs into a series of linear segments,
which approximate the arc.

By default, Phase2 will convert an arc from a DXF file into 40 line segments. This
value can be customized by the user if desired, in the Preferences dialog.
Select File > Preferences, enter a new value for DXF arc discretizations and
select OK. This value in the Preferences dialog will always be used to convert arcs
read from DXF files.

NOTE: importing arcs from DXF files was introduced in Phase2 version 6. If you are
using Phase2 version 5 or earlier versions, arcs will NOT be read from DXF files.

DXF Epsilon

When you import a DXF file with multiple lines or polylines of the same layer type
(e.g. MATERIAL entities), Phase2 will automatically attempt to "piece together"
individual entities to form larger polylines, if vertices overlap or are within a certain
distance of each other. If two vertices are very close to each other, but have slightly
different coordinates, Phase2 will automatically join the entities at that location, if
the vertices are sufficiently close together.

The parameter which controls this automatic merging of vertices is the DXF Epsilon.
The DXF Epsilon option can be found in the Preferences dialog in the File menu. The
DXF Epsilon is a relative value, which defines the critical distance between vertices,
as a fraction of the maximum extent of the model. If the distance between two
vertices is less than the DXF Epsilon (multiplied by the maximum extent of the
model), then the two entities will be merged at that location.

A default value of DXF Epsilon is automatically in effect, however, the value can be
adjusted by the user, if the DXF file is not importing correctly. In some cases, this
may help, although this should be considered an advanced option which is not
commonly used. Before you adjust the DXF Epsilon value, you should go through all
of the troubleshooting tips listed below.

Troubleshooting Problems with DXF Import

If you are having problems trying to import a DXF file into Phase2, this may be due
to one or more of the following issues:

Layer Names

Check that you are using the correct layer name for each entity. A summary of
layer names for the various Phase2 entities is given in the table above.

Layer Assignment

Check that entities in the DXF file are assigned to the correct layer.

External or Excavation polyline not closed

In Phase2 the External boundary and Excavation boundaries must be CLOSED

(i.e. they must form a closed polygon with the first vertex equal to the last
vertex). If these boundaries are not properly closed, you will not be able to
import them into Phase2 as the desired entity.


 Carefully examine your coordinate values to determine if this is the
problem. Sometimes the coordinates of two vertices are very nearly
equal, but are slightly different in the last decimal places. Check all
vertex coordinates and make appropriate modifications to ensure that
External or Excavation boundaries are continuous and closed.

 If your model includes a ground surface, remember that you must

close the ground surface polyline, by defining the "sides" and/or
"bottom", as required, so that an External polyline is created which
encompasses all of the model geometry. Phase2 will NOT automatically
close an open-ended ground surface polyline, it is up to the user to
 define the "sides" and "bottom" of the model, and join these to the
ground surface to create the External boundary.

 If an External or Excavation boundary in a DXF file consist of multiple

lines/plines, it is best to convert it into a single, closed polyline, before
you try to import into Phase2. Although Phase2 does attempt to join
segments in a DXF file into larger polylines (see the DXF
Epsilon discussion above), it is better if the user does this manually,
rather than relying on the automatic capability of Phase2.

Coordinates must be 2-dimensional and in the XY plane

Phase2 does NOT support the import of 3-dimensional geometry. All

lines/polylines must be 2-dimensional and in the XY plane (Z=0). If you have
3-dimensional (x,y,z) coordinates or if you have 2D coordinates which are not
in the XY plane (e.g. XZ or YZ), then you will have to apply appropriate
conversions and/or rotations to obtain the desired 2D geometry.

User Coordinates

Phase2 does NOT support the import of entities defined by User Coordinate
Systems (UCS). The DXF file reader will only read coordinates in the World
Coordinate System (WCS) with the 2D geometry (polylines, lines) on the XY
plane (Z=0).

Very large coordinates

If the absolute value of X and/or Y coordinates are very large, relative to the
extents of the model, this may cause problems with DXF import due to
numerical precision issues. Furthermore, even if the DXF import is successful,
very large coordinates can lead to modeling difficulties and/or incorrect
analysis results. If the X and/or Y coordinates in your DXF file are extremely
large, then you should translate the entire model to the origin (0,0), to avoid
potential problems. For example, if the Y coordinates of your model are around
100,000, then apply a translation which shifts the entire model by -100,000 on
the Y-axis.

As a general guideline, the ratio of the maximum model coordinates divided by

the maximum model dimensions (e.g. maximum X-coordinate divided by
maximum horizontal extent), should be less than approximately 10,000. If this
ratio is greater than 10,000, then numerical precision issues may occur, and
the model should be translated closer to the origin (0,0).

Measurement Units

Make sure that your measurement units are either meters or feet, according to
whether you are using metric or imperial units in Phase2.

Importing Arcs
 Importing arcs from DXF files was introduced in Phase2 version 6. If you are
using Phase2 version 5 or earlier versions, arcs will NOT be read from DXF
files. See above for more information.

Too many closely spaced vertices

It often occurs that DXF polylines have a large number of unnecessary vertices
(i.e. the geometry could be accurately defined with a much smaller number of
vertices). Also, vertices are often located very close to each other, due to
automatic creation of 2D sections from 3D geometry, or due to manual
digitizing procedures.

Although there is no limit to the number of vertices which can be imported

from a DXF file, it is a good idea to simplify the geometry as much as possible,
by deleting unnecessary vertices, so that the geometry is accurately defined by
a smaller number of vertices, and vertices are not extremely close to each
other.

This situation does not necessarily cause problems with the import of the DXF
file. The geometry may import correctly. However, closely spaced vertices can
cause modeling problems in Phase2, particularly with the finite element mesh.
When vertices are nearly coincident, this will usually result in a poor quality
finite element mesh at that location (e.g. long thin "sliver" elements). This can
create problems with the numerical analysis, and in the worst case, can lead to
incorrect analysis results, or a model which does not compute at all.

NOTE: after importing boundaries from a DXF file, you may want to use
the Geometry Cleanup option and / or the Simplify Boundary option, to
improve the model geometry by merging or removing unnecessary vertices.

Recommended DXF Import Procedure

If you have gone through the troubleshooting tips (above) and you are still
having problems with trying to import DXF geometry into Phase2, the following
procedure is recommended.

1.
1. In AutoCAD, save each boundary entity from the main DXF file, into its
own separate DXF file, by using the dxf export option in AutoCAD to
pick each entity you want to export.

2. Import the DXF files into Phase2 one at a time, starting with the
External boundary, then excavation, material, stage boundaries etc.
Only have one box checked (e.g. excavations) in the DXF Import
dialog in Phase2.

3. If you follow this simple procedure, this will often allow you to
successfully import the DXF geometry into Phase2, and identify the
source of any problems.
 4. You might want to practice this procedure, by starting simple just to
get the process down. For example: draw a simple external boundary
in AutoCAD, export it. Draw a simple excavation, export it. Draw a
couple of material boundaries, export them. Now bring them
into Phase2 in the same order, one at a time.

Save as DXF version 12

In some cases, it may help if you save the DXF file as (AutoCAD) version 12 or
13. However, this is not recommended unless you have tried all of the above
options first.