Inserting Autocad .dwg files into fields

[Young Padawan]

Hi,

Does anyone here know if it's possible to import Autocad .dwg files into filemaker pro 7 and have them show up on the screen as a graphic instead of just the filename? I'm making a database for my employer (in manufacturing) and they wanted to have their engineers or anything else doing a search for past quotes and jobs to be able to easily see the autocad drawings on the screen. I thought about converting them into another file format but if there was a way to just have the original drawings it would be much more elegant and better for what I want to be able to do.

[MarkWilson]

Yes.

First Choice: Embed the drawing

In your container field, CADdwg, select Edit (or Right-click) > Insert Object

Select: Create From File

Object Type: AutoCAD Drawing

File Path: C:/MyDrawing.dwg

(Ensure the Display as Icon: and Link: are not checked)

This will insert a copy of the drawing into FileMaker leaving the original file in its current location. If you double-click the image it will open in AutoCAD under the file name [Drawing in AutoCAD].

Second choice: Link the drawing

In your container field, CADdwg, select Edit (or Right-click) > Insert Object

Select: Create From File

Object Type: AutoCAD Drawing

File Path: C:/MyDrawing.dwg

Link: Checked

(Ensure the Display as Icon: is not checked)

This will create a link to the original drawing. If you double-click the image it will open in AutoCAD under the [MyDrawing.dwg].

Review FileMaker's OLE Objects info for additional help and updating of the drawing images.

I am using AutoCAD 2004.