Flat DXF layers

The Flat DXF layers tab controls the flat-pattern DXF written for sheet-metal parts. It does not affect DXF files exported from drawings — those go through the drawing DXF translator and keep their own settings.

The Flat DXF layers tab: DXF version and the per-geometry layer table.
The Flat DXF layers tab: DXF version and the per-geometry layer table.

DXF version

Sets the AutoCAD version the DXF is written for. R12 is the default, because it is the version most cutting and nesting software accepts without complaint.

The layer table

The table lists the kinds of geometry a flat pattern can contain, and for each one you can set the layer name it is written to, whether it is exported at all, and its colour:

  • Outer profile and interior profiles
  • Bend up and bend down lines
  • Feature profiles
  • Tool centres
  • Tangent lines
  • Arc centres
  • Roll lines
  • Alternate representation

The usual reason to change these is a cutting machine or nesting package that expects particular layer names, or one that should only receive the outer profile and nothing else.

Check the first DXF you produce against your machine’s expectations before running a large batch through it.