Preparing DXF floor plans for an automated compliance check

A PDF of a floor plan is a picture of the drawing. Lines have lost their units, equipment is a set of strokes rather than an object, and text may be split into separate characters. A DXF keeps the geometry, the layers and the named blocks that the architect actually drew, which is what an accurate check needs.

What a DXF gives a check that a PDF does not

• Real dimensions. Distances are computed from coordinates, so no scale needs to be guessed from a title block.
• Named equipment. A block called FRYER_2BASKET is a fryer wherever it is placed and however it is rotated.
• Layers. Walls, equipment, furniture and annotation can be told apart, so dimension text is not mistaken for an obstruction.

Export checklist

• Set drawing units to millimetres with the UNITS command, and check that a known dimension measures correctly with DIST.
• Keep equipment as blocks. Do not explode them before export, because the block name is what identifies the equipment.
• Use consistent block names from your equipment library rather than copies like "Block1" or "fryer-copy(3)".
• Put the floor plan in model space at 1:1. Viewports and paper space scaling are ignored.
• Run PURGE and AUDIT to remove unused definitions and fix database errors.
• Bind or remove external references so the file contains everything that is drawn.
• Save with SAVEAS and choose a recent AutoCAD DXF format.

One plan per file

If a single file holds the ground floor, mezzanine and a few alternative layouts side by side, a check cannot tell which rooms belong together. Export each floor, and each option you want reviewed, as its own DXF.

When you only have a PDF

A PDF can still be reviewed, but results depend on a readable scale and clear labels. Vector PDFs exported straight from CAD work far better than scans. Where the drawing does not show whether a piece of equipment is present, NiyamX reports it as possibly missing rather than failing the store.

After upload, NiyamX lists the equipment and areas it found so your team can confirm them before the rules are run. That review step is also a quick way to spot blocks that were exploded or misnamed during export.