Through features such as eTransmit, ePlot, and DesignXML, you can share your drawings in the way that best meets your needs. Use eTransmit to easily bundle multiple files into a single package that's convenient for sending electronically. With ePlot, create an electronic plot of your drawing that mimics its paper alternative and send that out for review rather than the paper-based drawings. Through DesignXML, a design data schema for representing DWG drawing data in XML (Extended Markup Language) channels share specific design data with any CAD application.

Packaging Files with eTransmit
The eTransmit feature is specifically designed to address the challenges of electronically sharing drawings with others over e-mail or web posting. For example, it automatically ensures that all files associated with a drawing, including xrefs and fonts, are included with the set of files (called a transmittal set) that you are preparing to share electronically (see Figure 1). This method guarantees that the recipient will have all the files required to open and edit the drawing.

Figure 1: eTransmit automatically adds all support files to the transmittal set.
(click image to enlarge)

eTransmit also helps you track who has received what set of drawings. It automatically generates a report detailing the files included in the transmittal set. And you can add custom notes to the report, including whom you plan to send the files to and where these people are located. You can then post the transmittal set to your Intranet/Extranet, or send a copy as an e-mail attachment and save the the original transmittal set in your project directory.

Introduced in AutoCAD® 2000i, eTransmit is enhanced in AutoCAD 2002 to automatically include a copy of an AutoCAD Drawing Standards (DWS) Check File if one is associated with the drawing. DWS Check Files are associated with specific drawings and are used to verify that various drawing elements, such as layers and text styles, comply with the designated standard format (see Maintaining AutoCAD Drawing Standards by Dave Pitzer for a description of the STANDARDS command).

Creating Electronic Plots with ePlot (and DWF)
With the AutoCAD ePlot feature, you can create very compact electronic plots of drawings and share those electronically rather than the actual paper drawings. Just attach your ePlots to e-mails or post them to your Intranet/Extranet. E-mail recipients or web visitors can easily view them using a free viewer that plots the files to local system printers. With ePlot you are creating web-enabled, plot-ready electronic copies of your drawings.

When you use ePlot to create electronic plots of your drawings, you're actually creating DWF (Drawing Web Format) files. These small, compact files produce high-quality images specifically designed to quickly display over the Internet. While DWFs have been around for a while, the updated version in AutoCAD 2002 includes enhancements with which you can produce DWFs optimized either for accurate plotting or for viewing without the need for AutoCAD software. And despite their compactness, DWFs contain the same level of detail and quality as a plot generated from AutoCAD software.

To complement the updated DWF format, Autodesk enhanced both Volo® View and Volo View Express. These two viewers provide many features, including Zoom and Pan, Layer On/Off control, and a set of markup tools for redlining and adding comments to DWFs. Volo View Express is a free download, while Volo View includes several additional features and may be purchased online.

Sharing Design Data with DesignXML
DesignXML represents the first step in Autodesk's move toward presenting DWG drawing data in XML (Extended Markup Language) format. With XML, an open meta-markup language designed for preparing content for posting to the Internet, authors, developers, and content providers can define specific languages for specific domains—such as design, in the case of AutoCAD. XML is already widely used and accepted. So look at DesignXML as the "web-aware" replacement for DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) files. There are many tools available that work with XML and many more programmers are familiar with XML than with the DXF format. AutoCAD 2002 writes and reads XML files that conform to the emerging Design XML and AcDbXML schema definitions. Figure 2 shows a portion of an AutoCAD DesignXML output file that other CAD systems as well as non-CAD applications can easily read.

Figure 2: A portion of an AutoCAD 2002 drawing's output to DesignXML format.

AutoCAD 2002 supports DesignXML in two ways:

1. You can save any or all objects in a drawing to DesignXML format using the WBLOCK command and manually giving the file an XML extension in the file name box of the Write Block dialog box.

2. You can insert a DesignXML format file much as you would a standard DWG file using the INSERT command. In the Select Drawing File dialog box, set the Files of type list box to filter for XML file extensions.

You can find out more about DesignXML from the following two articles:

1. Creating and loading DesignXML files

2. The Importance of DesignXML

Summary
Autodesk has developed software features and data formats that make it easy to share your design data electronically in the format and communications channel that work best for you. Whether you are quickly bundling a drawing and all its support files into a single electronic package, creating paperless electronic plots of drawings, or using the power of the DesignXML language, you have a variety of convenient and useful methods for sharing your designs.