Exporting to CAD Formats

You can export a Revit project to several CAD formats.

Revit supports export to the following file formats:

• DWG (drawing) format is supported by AutoCAD® and other CAD applications.
• DXF (data transfer) is an open format that is supported by many CAD applications. A DXF file is a text file that describes a 2D drawing. The text is not encoded or compressed, so DXF files are generally large. If you use DXF for 3D drawings, you may need to perform some cleanup to make the drawing display correctly.
• SAT is the format for ACIS, a solid modeling technology that is supported by many CAD applications.
• DGN is the file format supported by MicroStation of Bentley Systems, Inc.

If you use one of the export tools (click ExportCAD Formats) while in a 3D view, Revit exports the actual 3D model, not a 2D representation of the model. To export a 2D representation of the 3D model, add the 3D view to a sheet and export the sheet view. You can then open a 2D version of the view in AutoCAD.

Note: You cannot export to CAD formats while in Revit Viewer.

Before exporting a Revit model, you may want to:

• Reduce the amount of model geometry to be exported. See About Limiting Model Geometry Before Exporting.
• Create or modify layer mapping to ensure that all the project information stored in Revit categories and subcategories will be exported to the proper CAD layers (or levels, if exporting to DGN). Revit automatically maps categories and subcategories to preconfigured layer names. For example, a Revit door object automatically maps to A-DOOR layer in AutoCAD. You can change the preconfigured layer/level names and modify other export settings. For DGN, the information is saved in text files (see Export to DGN); for DWG and DXF, it is saved in export setups (see Export to DWG or DXF).

  For any of these formats, you can load an existing layer mapping file (current or legacy) and manually change values for it, or you can load layer settings from any of the following mapping standards:

  • American Institute of Architects (AIA)
  • ISO standard 13567
  • Singapore standard 83
  • British standard 1192
• Adjust the view scale to control the precision/performance ratio.

  When you export to 2D DWG or DXF, you export a scaled 2D view of the model. The view scale you apply determines whether the resulting view is exported for precision or for performance. For example, if your model contains 2 lines that are 1/4" apart and the view scale is 100, the lines will be considered to be within tolerance, and the exported DWG will contain a single line (exported for performance). If the view scale is 20, the exported DWG will contain separate lines (exported for precision).