| Surpac

Getting Started with DraftSight* Pro Pack

DraftSight Pro Pack provides geologists, mining engineers and surveyors access to Dassault Systèmes’ full-featured,
professional-grade 2D CAD product.

Easy to use and install, with more than 3.5 million downloads worldwide in over 100 countries, across 11 major industries,
DraftSight provides a better way to create, edit and view DWG files. DraftSight Pro Pack is seamlessly integrated into
GEOVIA Surpac™, saving users time and offering increased plotting capabilities. Surpac plots open automatically in DraftSight for
review and editing, eliminating compatibility issues and cumbersome import and export processes reducing time and ultimately
saving money.

With a familiar user interface and features common to other CAD products such as menus, toolbars and commands, existing CAD
users can become proficient in DraftSight in no time. Here are a few steps to help Surpac users get going quickly:

Step 1 – Ensure your licence includes the

DraftSight Pro Pack connector
1. Start Surpac

2. Choose the File → Licencing → Change / Inspect Licence menu item

to display the Update licence form.

3. Choose local or network depending on how your installation is licenced and

press the Apply button.

4. If using a network licence you will need to enter the host name of the
network licence server on the Network Licence Request form and press the
Apply button. The default value of “:” will generally work. If your network Figure 1: Confirming the DraftSight connector is enabled
licence server is running on a different sub-net you will need the host name.
Check with your Surpac site administrator.

The Update Licence Token form or the Network Licence Request form will then be displayed
showing the list of licenced modules. Confirm that the DraftSight Connector is enabled
(Figure 1).

*Note: Other versions of DraftSight are available.However, these do not include Surpac
integration and therefore cannot open DWF files created by Surpac.DraftSight Pro Pack allows
you to read, write and edit DWF files created by Surpac and save them as DWG files, which can
be opened in other versions of DraftSight for subsequent review and editing.

Figure 2: Opening the DWF file

Step 2 – Starting DraftSight from Surpac
1. Using the Surpac navigator, double click any DWF file that you have previously created
with Surpac to open the file for review and editing (Figure 2).

2. If DraftSight Pro Pack has been correctly installed the DraftSight startup banner will now
be displayed while DraftSight is loading (Figure 3).
Figure 3: DraftSight banner displays
3. DraftSight will then open with the selected DWF file displayed and ready for editing. while loading
Step 3 – Working with Model and
Layout Tabs
When a Surpac DWF file is opened in DraftSight, there is a
Model and Layout tab.
TIP: Like most CAD packages, DraftSight uses concepts of
model and sheet (or layout) to distinguish between model
and layout

Model: The model geometry is on the Model tab. Always

make edits to the geometry on the Model tab. (Figure 4)
Figure 4: Editing in the Model tab
Layout: The presentation of the model for hardcopy and
output to printers and plotters is on the Layout tab. Always
print from the layout tab. (Figure 5)
Coordinates Used in the Model Tab

DraftSight Pro Pack integration is achieved via the DWF

file that Surpac creates. If a review or edit of a DWF file
is required, Surpac sends the DWF file to DraftSight. The
content in the DWF file will have been transformed through
various processing steps to achieve presentation quality
using Surpac’s unique clash elimination process.

Although the geometry and text are all correct relative to

each other at the specified plotting scale, the coordinates Figure 5: Printing from the
in the DWF file have been transformed from the original Layout tab

coordinate system and are now in centimetres on the sheet

of paper. An important part of the DraftSight Pro Pack
integration with Surpac is sensitivity to the drawing scale
so that DraftSight dimensioning works correctly.
Figure 6: Use the
Flow Between Surpac to DraftSight Print plot file
menu item
The flow of activities from Surpac to DraftSight to printed
copy is one way only. DraftSight cannot save the DWF file
format for loading by Surpac.

Step 4 – Printing Surpac Plots

From Surpac
Figure 7: Choosing multiple file names
1. The traditional way of printing a Surpac DWF file using
the Print plot file menu (Figure 6) item still works and
can be used to print multiple DWF files simultaneously.

2. Simply choose more than one filename on the form as

shown here (Figure 7).

3. Selection of the WINDOWS plot device and the printer to

be used (Figure 8) will then display the printer properties
form to allow paper size and other properties to be
selected (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Selecting paper and
From DraftSight other properties
Figure 8: Selecting Windows Plot device

Printing from DraftSight is quite simple.

1. Select the Layout Tab (Figure 10)

2. Choose File -> Print from

the menu or toolbar
(Figure 11)

3. Select print, paper size

and output options. Press
OK (Figure 12)
Figure 10: Selecting the Figure 12: Selecting print, paper and
Figure 11: Choosing Print on the File menu
Layout tab output options
Step 5 – Saving the drawing
1. Choose File → Save, File → Save As, Ctrl+S
(Figure 13) or the toolbar save button to save
the plot to a variety of DWG, DXF or DWT file
versions (Figure 14).

DraftSight does not save to DWF files as these

Figure 13: Saving the drawing
don’t support all the features that may be added
to the plot using DraftSight.

Step 6 – Exploding the

drawing for editing
You MUST use the Model tab to make edits to
the drawing. When Surpac creates the DWF file,
all items in the drawing are aggregated into a
single block. If you want to edit the geometry
created by Surpac, which includes the title
block, grids and other sheet elements, you must
first explode this block.

1. Select the Model tab. Figure 14: Selecting the file

version to save
2. Select the model by positioning the mouse Figure 15: Selecting an open file to view

over the title block, or any other drawing

element and click the left mouse button. The
entire drawing will be shown in the DraftSight
selection style.
3. Click the Explode icon on the toolbar or
choose the Modify → Explode menu item.
Working with multiple
DWF files in DraftSight
The correct way to open multiple DWF files in DraftSight
from Surpac is one at a time. This will allow Surpac to open
each DWF file as a new window in DraftSight.

You will know you have successfully exploded To view and edit the different files that have been opened,
the drawing because individual objects will be select the drawing of interest from the DraftSight
highlighted as the mouse rolls over them. Window menu.

D.13.1
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