Visio2000: How to Convert CAD Drawings into Visio Format

When you insert a CAD drawing, you get an image of the CAD drawing that you cannot alter by deleting, resizing, or modifying the objects in the drawing. If you need to modify the CAD objects in a drawing, you must convert those objects into Visio shapes.

For example, if you want to move an interior wall in a floor plan, you must convert the CAD objects that represent the wall into Visio shapes. You select the objects to convert by selecting the CAD layer or level on which they appear.

Whenever possible, convert only the CAD layers that contain objects that you want to modify. Working with an unconverted CAD drawing is faster and generally gives you better visual results.

You can do many editing tasks on an inserted CAD drawing that has not been converted. You can drag Visio shapes onto unconverted layers, hide layers, redline or mark up layers, and resize or crop the inserted drawing.

To convert CAD objects, follow these steps:

1. In Visio 2000, right-click the CAD drawing, point to CAD Drawing Object, and then click Convert.
2. In the Convert Wizard, hold down the CTRL key, and then click to select the layers or levels that contain the objects that you want to convert. Click Next.
3. Choose whether to delete or hide the original layers or levels.
4. For DWG files, specify how you want to convert dimensions:
   • To get dimension lines that are updated when you resize the associated Visio shapes, click Convert Into Visio's Dimension Shapes. Converted dimension lines lose their original CAD font and line style.
   • To preserve the CAD formatting of dimensions, including the font and line style, click Convert Into Lines And Text.
5. Click Finish to convert the objects on the selected CAD layers or levels.