How to convert .dwg format files in AutoCAD to Visio?
Windows – How to convert AutoCAD file to Visio
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In practice, there are a few tools available to convert an image to a Visio diagram. One of them is Image Converter for Visio, which pretends to even be able to "Add connection points to shapes".
While I haven't personally tested such tools, I would be highly surprised if they would work for something other than the most basic situations. Not because of the reason mentioned by SecurityMatt¹, but because image to vector conversions are known for not working very well. Even Live Trace feature in Adobe Illustrator is not working perfectly well, while Adobe invested a huge amount of effort in this feature.
Images are not rendered perfectly well. For example, if we were exporting the same diagram, the images would not be identical at pixel level, for example because I have slightly changed the Clear Type options for my LCD screen. This makes the OCR of a diagram not obvious, not counting the fact that Visio diagrams can be customized by changing color, size, weight and other visual aspects of elements.
Visio can also embed ordinary images, which makes things even more difficult, especially if those images are acting as shapes (imagine having a network map where network devices are replaced from the ugly default ones available in Visio by some more graphical ones).
Conclusion: feel free to try the tool I referenced or similar tools, but don't expect magic from them.
¹ It seems to me that the case illustrated by SecurityMatt would be extremely rare. If the arrow is joined up behind an element, there is something wrong with the diagram. Why would somebody do that? Isn't the point of a diagram to make it visually clear what is joined where?
I managed to workaround the problem, and even have a better handling of .dwg
files behaviour by changing the way I install the file association.
Instead of modifying HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.dwg
, I just leave that alone and modify HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.dwg\UserChoice
instead.
This overrides the default association for .dwg
files, and AutoCAD won't even bother.
If anyone is curious, this is what I'm doing:
AutoCAD_2006_2014.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.dwg]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.dwg\UserChoice]
"Progid"="AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi]
@="Open with AutoCAD 2014 / 2006"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2014\\en-US\\acadficn.dll,49"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell]
@="Open_with_AutoCAD_2014"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2006]
@="Open with AutoCAD 2006"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2006\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\AutoCAD 2006\\acad.exe\" \"%1\""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2006\ddeexec]
@="[open(\"%1\")]"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2006\ddeexec\Application]
@="AutoCAD.r16.DDE"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2006\ddeexec\Topic]
@="System"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2014]
@="Open with AutoCAD 2014"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2014\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2014\\acad.exe\" \"%1\""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2014\ddeexec]
@="[open(\"%1\")]"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2014\ddeexec\Application]
@="AutoCAD.r19.DDE"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoCAD.Drawing.Multi\shell\Open_with_AutoCAD_2014\ddeexec\Topic]
@="System"
This allows both AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD 2014 to coexist on the same system, AutoCAD 2014 being the default one, and you can right-click any .dwg
file and open with AutoCAD 2006.
This was created because some of our architects are relutant to upgrade from AutoCAD 2006, and some of our scripts are only compatible with AutoCAD 2006.
This does not answer the fundamental question though, so I'm not accepting it as answer. How to reset the DWG association setting on AutoCAD remains a mystery.
Best Answer
To Convert DWG to VSD
Answer taken from here