how to import acad drawing to word document.pdf

8/13/2019 How to import ACAD drawing to WORD document.pdf

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How to Import AutoCAD Drawings Directly into Word Documents 1

Jeffrey Donnell

The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

HOW TO IMPORT AUTOCAD DRAWINGS

DIRECTLY

INTO WORD DOCUMENTS

Jeffrey DonnellThe George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

The Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, GA 30332

SummaryThis document reviews the steps that a beginner should take in order to import an AutoCAD drawing file directlyinto a Word or PowerPoint file. Specifically, this document explains:

1) How to adjust the drawings background color.

2) How to use Words tools to import the AutoCAD drawing.

3) How to adjust the Word display of the imported drawing.

4) How to use Words tools to insert a figure number and caption.


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Other presentations here show you how to 1) export drawings as bitmaps or metafiles for later import into Word

and 2) insert AutoCAD drawings using familiar copy-and-paste procedures. When you export your drawings as

bitmaps or metafiles, you have a simple and effective method of transporting drawings, but you must convert

your files in a way that limits flexibility. When you insert drawings through a copy-and-paste operation, you use

a reasonably quick and simple method for moving drawings, and you maintain some flexibility for making

adjustments to your drawings. A third method of transporting drawings is available--importing AutoCAD draw

ings directly into Word. This method for obtaining drawings offers maximum flexibility, but you it can cost you

some time in tweaking your Word and AutoCAD settings in order to get various versions of the two programs to

cooperate. With this caution about the problems associated with importing CAD drawings into Word, we will

demonstrate how you might do so.

You have made this drawing in AutoCAD, and you need to insert it into a report that is prepared in Word:

To obtain an adequate display, you must first adjust the background color to white for the hardcopy presentation.

Second you must size and save the image. Third, you must invoke Words import functions and locate the draw

ing file. After the drawing appears in your Word document, you may elect to adjust the display. Finally you will

apply a caption to the drawing. This document will walk you through these steps.


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1: Adjusting the background for display

To change the background color, you first open AutoCADs Optionsdialog:

Select the Display tab, and select Colorsunder Window Elements. A Color Optionsdialog box will open, as

shown at the right of this screen. Here the pull-down members give you access to a number of areas in CADs

display; Here we set the Model Tab background to White. We will then select the Apply and Closebutton.


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After selecting Apply and Close, we are returned to the OptionsDialog:

Here we have applied the light background to the drawing, and the display behind the dialog box obviously

reflects the change. We now select OKto exit the options box. We will next save the file and then we will

import that saved file into Word.


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2) Import the Drawing

Open your word Word document and place the cursor at the location where the drawing should appear in the

report. Pull down Words Insertmenu and select Object, as indicated below:


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When Object is selected, Word will present the Insert Objectdialog box. Here, you can notify Word of the file

type that you intend to access, and from the Create Newtab, you have the opportunity to create new graphic ele-

ments by calling up the programs themselves. The AutoCAD file that we want to import has already been cre-

ated, so we notify Word that an AutoCAD drawing file will be used, and we select the Create from Filetab in

order to locate that file.


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We are returned to theInsert Objectdialog box, and we see that our files path is shown in the file name window.

We accept this file by selecting OK:


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The drawing is displayed in the Word file:

Here the image appears to be poorly sized. Its best not to greatly re-size AutoCAD drawings using Words

tools, but it is possible to crop images without creating problems. We will demonstrate this next.


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3: Adjusting Display size

To crop this image, open Words Formatmenu and select Object:


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The Format Objectdialog displays, the picture tab is selected and the object is cropped from the left and the top


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4: Inserting a caption

To insert a caption, open the Insertmenu, highlight Referencesand then select Captionin the submenus.


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The Captiondialog box will display:

In the Caption dialog, you are allowed to type your descriptive caption, to characterize the graphic for Word, and

to select the position of the caption. For large documents, you can ask Word to manage the numbering of your

figures and tables. Should your instructor dislike boldface captions, you can adjust the captions appearance as

you would adjust any chunk of text. This drawing is treated as a Figure, and its caption is placed below the dis-

play:


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With the caption information filled out and verified, select OK, and you will be returned to your document page.

It should look something like this: