Import CAD File

If you have a CAD file to use as a reference for your design, you can import it directly into Designer XI .

To import a CAD file, follow these steps:

In the Maps pane > CAD, click the Import CAD File tool.
Browse to the CAD file and Open it.
- The application supports the CAD file types of:
  - Drawing Exchange Format (.dxf)
  - AutoCAD file (.dwg)
  - MicroStation file (.dgn)
Use the Select Layers to Import dialog to choose the appropriate CAD layers.
- Use the Filter Layers field to type part of the layer name.
  - This filter acts as a keyword filter, searching any part of the name.
  - It returns all matching results.
- Check the layers you want to import. Notice it keeps track of the number of layers selected.
  
  TIP: The Select All box respects your filter. In other words, if you started with 60 layers and filtered down to 10, Select All checks the 10 layers, not all 60.
Click Import. Notice you receive a Notification of the import in progress.

TIP: You also receive a notification when it is finished importing.
When finished, notice the CAD file appears in the Maps pane > CAD.
- You can toggle the layer on and off.
- You can remove the layer, if needed.
The CAD is not visible in the map, yet. At this point, you would most likely use the Move CAD File to Current Extent tool and the Adjust CAD tool to perform georeferencing directly in Designer XI .

IMPORTANT: Have you already georeferenced the CAD and still can’t see anything? First, ensure the CAD layer is toggled on. Then, try a different basemap. Perhaps the color of the CAD is blending into the background.

When importing a CAD file, keep the following in mind:

All of the selected layers are grouped into the single CAD layer. In the example above, the three selected layers comprise the “1983.dgn” CAD layer. Thus, they are toggled on and off together.
Designer XI uses the CAD file name for its display name. You cannot change the display name once it is imported.