This command allows the user to import a new floor plan, and add it to the current ‘building’. The plan must have been previously defined with a standard CAD package, and exported in DXF format.
Specify the file which is to be imported with the ‘Open Floor File’ dialogue box. You will also be asked to type in a name that you wish to act as a title for this new floor. Simulex will analyse the data in the file. You will then be asked to specify a scaling factor for the DXF file (metres, inches, feet etc.) because the DXF format does not contain unit scaling information. Usually the correct setting will be metres, but some CAD packages use default units of inches, feet or millimetres.
When a new floor plan is successfully imported, a new window is created, and the floor plan is displayed when the window is opened. You will notice a linear scale in metres around the perimeter space which encompasses each plan. If you have specified an incorrect scaling factor when importing the DXF file, then the plan will appear with an incorrect size, compared with the scale at the edges. If this is the case you will need to delete this current (incorrect) floor and add it again using the method described above.
It is important to note that usually the same scaling factor will apply each time when you use files created with the same CAD package.
Note: when you double click into a floor window with the mouse, a dialogue box will appear which allows you to add additional perimeter space around a building. This perimeter space should be a minimum of 0.5 metres in all directions if any links are later inserted near the perimeter.
