Expert Training

There are lots of different vector and raster graphics file formats, but Microsoft has been pretty successful at making its WMF and BMP formats the lingua franca — or should that be lingua bill-a? — for exchanging graphical information in Windows.
WMF (Windows MetaFile) is a vector format, so it does a decent job of representing AutoCAD objects such as lines, arcs, and text.
To create a WMF file showing some or all of the objects in a drawing, use the EXPORT command (FileðExport) and choose Metafile (*.wmf) in the Files of Type drop-down list. After you create a WMF file in AutoCAD, use the other program’s file insertion command to place the image in a document.
Tip AutoCAD puts objects in the WMF file with the colors and display lineweights that you see on the AutoCAD screen. To create a WMF file that looks like a monochrome plot — that is, with varying lineweights and all objects black — you need to set layer and object properties in AutoCAD so the objects look that way on-screen before you create the WMF file.
You can go the other direction, from a WMF file into AutoCAD, by using the WMFIN command (InsertðWindows Metafile).