The use of existing data is a very efficient and comfortable way of creating technical illustrations. Use construction data in order to avoid double work.

Many graphic programs provide filters in order to open data created in a CAD program and to further use these data from the construction department. DXF, IGES and various others are common exchange formats. Make sure that not too much information unnecessary for the illustration is written into the format. The STEP format, for example, contains a lot of non-graphic data, which are of a very large size and produce unnecessary extra-work.

Make tests with different settings of your CAD converter in order to only import important things like layer structures and different line types, but not more. After opening the file in your graphic program you should save it on your hard disc and control its size. A size too large could also negatively affect the performance of your DTP system. The HPGL format should only be considered as a last possibility because the losses are generally too large and further processing is, due to the file structure, not easy.

A lot of supporting mechanisms which help you with data import are integrated in IsoDraw. For example, you can decide which CAD line type is to be converted into which IsoDraw pen. Layers are taken over. 3D files can be taken over and put into the right perspective. Furthermore, in IsoDraw CADprocess it is possible to automatically delete hidden lines and to structure the illustration automatically with thick and thin lines.