DXF-G(1)

📦
version 7.44.0 · 2 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 DXF-G(1) — bestie edition ✨

okay so real talk: this is dxf-g from the BRL-CAD fam, and we're gonna convert AutoCAD files into BRL-CAD databases like it's nothing. periodt. 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

dxf-g — converts an AutoCAD DXF file into a BRL-CAD database. that's it, that's the whole vibe. 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

dxf-g [-c] [-d] [-v] [-t tolerance] [-s scale_factor] [-h] [-?] file.dxf database.g

like, you give it a .dxf and a .g and it does the thing. 💖

🫶 DESCRIPTION 🫶

so dxf-g takes an AutoCAD DXF file (file.dxf) and turns it into a BRL-CAD database (database.g). the input needs to be in ASCII DXF format, as defined in the AutoCAD 2006 manuals. no cap, that's the spec. 📄

the DXF entity types it handles are: POLYLINE, LWPOLYLINE, LEADER, DIMENSION, VERTEX, LINE, CIRCLE, ARC, ELLIPSE, 3DFACE, TEXT, MTEXT, ATTRIB, SOLID, and SPLINE. and for POLYLINE subtypes you also get 3D polylines, 3D polygon meshes, and polyface meshes. iconic. 👑

heads up tho — SOLID entities are 2D filled shapes, but this converter does not perform any filling. so it's giving shape, not shade. 😭

every DXF layer becomes its own separate BRL-CAD object, and layer colors are preserved 💖. and if you ever wanna go the other way? that's g-dxf(1), the inverse conversion. round trip queen. 🌈

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • -c — ignore colors. by default each layer may get split into separate BOT primitives by color; with this flag you get a single object per layer no matter what colors are in there. one layer, one object, simple. ✨
  • -d — turn on a debug flag that requests a core dump on failure. useful only for developers. like, genuinely, if you're not hacking on this, leave it alone 🙈
  • -v — verbose mode, so it prints progress output on standard error. chatty converter bestie. 💬
  • -t _tolerance_ — max distance, in millimeters, at which two vertices count as the same point. so anything closer than that gets merged. 🧚
  • -s _scale_factor_ — multiply all input coordinates by scale_factor. super useful for DXF files that forgot to say what units they're in. 😭
  • -h, -? — print a usage message and dip. 👋

🌟 EXAMPLES 🌟

Example 1. Convert a DXF file drawn in inches

dxf-g -s 25.4 -t 0.01 drawing_inches.dxf drawing.g

this takes a DXF authored in inches and makes a millimeter-unit BRL-CAD database by scaling every coordinate by 25.4, while merging vertices that lie within 0.01 mm of each other into a single point. two birds, one command. 🐦

Example 2. Round-trip a model through DXF

g-dxf -o part.dxf part.g component
dxf-g part.dxf part_reimport.g

first it exports the object component from part.g to DXF with g-dxf(1), then re-imports the result into a new BRL-CAD database so you can compare or keep editing. the full circle moment. 🔁

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

brlcad(1), g-dxf(1), mged(1)

🎀 AUTHOR 🎀

BRL-CAD Team — love them for this fr fr 🫶

This software is Copyright (c) 1989-2026 by the United States Government as represented by U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

💀 BUG REPORTS 💀

if something's busted, reports of bugs or problems should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org. tell them everything. 💌

okay that's the whole page!! this one's BRL-CAD flavored DXF-G(1), brought to you by the BRL-CAD crew — go convert something gorgeous bestie 🌸💜✨

📦 where this page comes from