DXFV 2.5 user's manual

DXFV 2.5 for PALM OS
User's manual

DXFV: Quick start
DXFV is a viewer of DXF files compatible with Autocad v12 (use save as type "Autocad V.12/Autocad LT2"), written on CF/SD card or Memory Stick. You can start the program by clicking the DXFV icon. Within the program you can zoom in/out, pan and measure the elements of your drawing using snap (intersection, end, middle or no snap).

The size of the dxf files that you can open depends on the size of the dynamic memory of your PDA/Smartphone.

DXFV is a shareware program and you should not use it for more than 30 days after its installation. Unregistered version can not perform snap to middle and zoom in/window when the size of the dxf file exceeds the limit of 350 Kbytes.

Minimum requirements:
- PALM OS 4.1 and higher (DXFV is OS 5 compatible).
- CF/SD card or Memory Stick (sold separately).
- Color display.

If you have problems with the operation of DXFV read the troubleshooting section at the end of the page.

The author takes no responsibilities about any possible problems that may be caused by the use of program or its installation. You use the program by your own responsibility. If you disagree with these terms you should uninstall the program from your machine. The installation and the use of DXFV implies the acceptance of the End User License Agreement EULA.txt which is part of DXFV installation zip file.
The trademarks, logos, and service marks (collectively the "Trademarks") mentioned in this help file or within DXFV are trademarks of their respective owners.

Transferring dxf files to your PDA/Smartphone
DXFV displays dxf files compatible with Autocad V.12/Autocad LT2. You should select to export your drawing from the CAD program you are using in Autocad 12 dxf format (ASCII dxf, not binary). Before exporting the drawing it is advisable to use the purge command in order to delete any unused elements from the drawing, thus creating smaller dxf file.

The dxf files can be written to CF/SD/Memory Stick using hotsync or using a card reader.

- If you want to move the dxf files using hotsync, you should first insert a CF/SD/Memory Stick card in you PDA/Smartphone and run DXFV. This will create a /DXF directory on the card. On your desktop computer you can drop the dxf files to the QuickInstall icon, and they will be written to PDA/Smartphone's card the next time you hotsync. We suggest to transfer only one dxf file per hotsync operation. Please note that the transfer of dxf files using hotsync may take several (e.g. 10) minutes.

- You may also write the dxf files directly to the CF/SD/Memory Stick using using a card reader. You must create a directory named DXF under the root directory of you card, and copy the dxf files in this directory. For example the path of the sample file should be \DXF\sample.dxf.

- You can also receive dxf files using an e-mail client (e.g. Versamail), and save the dxf file(s) to the SD card. DXFV searches for dxf files the root (/) directory of the SD card/Memory Stick where the e-mail client has saved the dxf file.

Viewing the drawing
You can navigate through the drawing by using the zoom and pan commands. You can zoom using:

Zoom window. You can select this state from Menu->Zoom->Zoom window or by tapping the first graphic button of the left toolbar on the top of the screen. When zoom window is selected you can easily draw on the screen the area you want to zoom in by pressing down the pen to the first point of the zoom rectangle and dragging it to the ending point of the rectangle.

Zoom extents. By clicking the Menu->Zoom->Zoom extents the DXFV program will zoom to the extents of drawing.

Zoom in. You can zoom in from the current view by selecting Menu->Zoom->Zoom in or by pressing the Scroll Up hardware button of your PDA. The percentage of zoom is defined from the Menu->Options-> Zoom level window.

Zoom out. You can zoom out from the current view by selecting Menu->Zoom->Zoom out or by pressing the Scroll Down hardware button of your PDA. The percentage of zoom is defined from the Options->Zoom level window.

Pan. You can move around the drawing by selecting the pan state from Menu->Zoom->pan, or by tapping the second graphic button of the left toolbar on the top of the screen. When pan is selected you can move up/down/left/right by pressing on the screen and dragging the pen to the appropriate direction.

You may perform zoom in/out and pan using the 5 way navigation keys. Press the select (center) button to toggle between pan and zoom. When the pan graphic button is active you can move the view up/down/left/right using the same 5 way navigation buttons. When the zoom graphic button is active you can zoom in/out by pressing the up/down button of the 5 way navigator.

If your PDA/Smartphone does not support 5 way navigation you can zoom in/out by pressing the up/down button.

Measurements
You can measure the size of the elements represented in the drawing by using the Dimension menu. You must specify the first and the second point of the distance you want to measure.

You can specify the first point by selecting Menu->Dimension->Set dimension point 1 or by tapping the third graphic button of the left toolbar on the top of the screen and clicking inside the drawing. The first point is marked on the drawing with a cross.

You can specify the second point by selecting Menu->Dimension->Set dimension point 2 or by tapping the fourth graphic button of the left toolbar on the top of the screen and clicking inside the drawing. The second point is marked on the drawing with an X.

In order to achieve accurate measurements you can select to snap to an intersection of two elements or to the ending of an element in the drawing and then clicking on the drawing as described. Note that when you have selected snap to intersection or to end and you click on the drawing but the mark symbols (+ or X) do not appear then you should click again to define the dimension point.

To select/unselect the snap types use:
Dimension->Snap off, or tap the first graphic button of the right toolbar
Dimension->Snap to intersection, or tap the second graphic button of the right toolbar
Dimension->Snap to end, or tap the third graphic button of the right toolbar
Dimension->Snap to middle, or tap the fourth button graphic of the right toolbar

Please note that when you tap the screen to define dimension point 1 or 2, an hourglass appears on the top right of the screen, meaning that your PDA is working to find the point. Do not tap again the screen while the hourglass is active on the top right of the screen.

Snap to middle (center for arcs and circles) is not available in the unregistered copy of DXFV.

If you would like to see again the last measurement use Menu->Dimension->Show dimension.

The number of decimals points presented on the dimension pop up window are defined from the Menu->Options->Dimension accuracy window.

Layer control
You can show/hide the different layers of the drawing by selecting Menu->Options->Layers.
A pop-up window will appear with all the layers defined inside the drawing as well as the state of each of them.

You may activate/deactivate the layers by tapping on a layer name and then pressing the "Activate" or "Deactivate" buttons. After you have finished all the activations/deactivations press the OK button to see the changes on the drawing.

Options
If the contrast of the colors on the screen does not allow you to inspect the details of the drawing you can select the black and white drawing mode by selecting Menu->Options->Black and white mode. To switch back to color drawing select Menu->Options->Color mode.

If you want to change the background color of the drawing to white select Menu->Options->Background color white. To switch back to black background select Menu->Options->Background color black.

In order to speed up the drawing of the screen you may select not draw the text, by selecting Menu->Options->Hide text. To switch back select Menu->Options->Display text.

The percentage of zoom in/out, when you press Scroll Up/Down hardware buttons of your PDA, can be set from the Menu->Options->Zoom level window.

The number of decimals points presented on the dimension pop up window are defined from the Menu->Options->Dimension accuracy. Note that the result of the measurement is rounded to the nearest decimal number with the accuracy you have defined. For example if you define 2 decimal points and the dimension result is 1.0052 you will see 1.01. If the dimension result is 1.0042 you will see 1.00.

Registering your copy of DXFV
This software program is distributed as shareware. The essence of shareware is to provide you with software that you get to "try before you buy", while rewarding the efforts of the developers. When you think about it, the opportunity to try before you buy is the ultimate guarantee of a product's quality and usefulness to you. In fact, shareware can be just as professionally developed as software that comes in a fancy box (with a lot of hype and yet no way to determine issues such as the "look and feel", etc.), but the price of shareware can be set lower because it does not have to cover expensive marketing costs. Still, software businesses that market their products as shareware need to get paid for their efforts just as any other business. When you support the shareware concept, it ensures that the concept will continue to work and you will continue to get to "try before you buy". Thank you for understanding and honoring the "shareware" concept.

If you want to use DXFV for more than 30 days without the unregistered version limitation you must register.

You can register DXFV at: http://www.geosynn.com

DXFV is a shareware program. You should not use it for more than 30 days after its initial installation. Unregistered copies of DXFV do not perform the zoom functions when the size of the dxf file exceeds the limit of 350 Kbytes, and do not perform snap to middle.

Troubleshooting
1) File seems to load but I see a black screen at the end of loading.
Some PALM OS PDAs present some incompatibilities with the color system. Just press Menu->Zoom-> Zoom extents and you will see the drawing without any other problems.

2) On Zire 71/Tungsten E/Tungsten T3/other I have opened some files, but after some time DXFV stops when I try to open a dxf.
Palm Zire 71 and Tungsten E and T3 have a bug with the SD card reading operation. Download and install the patch from PALMONE. The link was at the time of DXFV 2.5 release:
http://www.palmone.com/us/support/downloads/

3) Sometimes it takes some seconds to perform a snap during measurements, when I open a big file.
Snap finishes more quickly when you have performed zoom to the area where the line/arc you want to snap is located.

4) I see my drawing rotated.
DXFV presents the TOP view of your drawing. Try View->3D Views->Top at you desktop CAD to have a coherent view of the drawing.

5) When I have the mp3 player running at the background DXFV sometimes seems to stop working.
Please turn off the mp3 player while you work with DXFV. The same applies to any other program that works at the background.

6) It takes several minutes to hotsync dxf files.
DXFV has nothing to do with this. It is the hotsync process that takes so much time. You may use a card reader to transfer your files.

7) I have just opened sample.dxf on my T3 and my PDA performed a reset.
It has been reported that on some Tungsten T3s, during the first run of DXFV there are some problems. Please re-run DXFV, and the problems will stop.

Always visit http://www.geosynn.com for the latest versions of DXFV.