select all, open the Properties, adjust the Z height to whatever value you want.

download the flatten.lsp and appload it

Hi
The problem you could face would be a block that contain several entities so even you "move" the block to zero Z value then the actural contained in the block, are still in their own hight.
Sometimes the old DXB export are still better than a "flatten" but it will only make a new graphic the DXB format do not even hide the original scale, still for a fast and dirty job, it could be the option you ask.
Othervise you must be sure that all blocks are exploded ---- acturly this was a huge problem for several generations AutoCAD but if you want to be sure you change all entities ,there are no better way, than using the tables search functions and Ssget filters all way down where there are no block inserts, ----- sorry I can't gurantie if the Explode function will work with complex and unequaly scaled entities contained in scaled blocks, but I guess there are a reson ,why "flatten" are still so often suggested.
Now I know that AutoCAD 14 are a bit trickey about just this ,that you need to check if an exploded unequal block insert _can_ be exploded if the block contain just one entity, but I also experienced and payed for, the fact that blocks can explode back to original xyz value instead of being exploded to carry the measures given by xyz scaling the block insert , but I also guess theis fora carry more knowleagable specialists, that know the limitations about changing Z value.
Anyway Flatten and DXB ,just aswell as a number of print applications alway's was avaible.

If you have express tools, there is a menu item called 'flatten object'. Just select everything and remember to explode the blocks before using the tool.

press control-a to select all, and then what if you just type 'change' then 'e' for elevation and then '0'...?

I maby shuld explain where this is a problem ; say you model a boat hull but find that the boat hull must be 20 pct longer and 5 pct more shallow in the water. What you could do was to make the boat into a block and insert that block with the scale factor that make it 20 pct. longer and 5 pct. more out of the water, keeping the same wide.
Now from that you can not extract any geometric information, unless you read the scale factor from the block insert entity property, that you get with Ssget --- there you can find the scale factor even you forgot it, but if the AutoCAD explode the hull back to original xyz measures becaurse it can't maneage complex blocks, then you must find a way to get the new measures to produce that actural hull.
----------- Now both Flattern and Explode face the same problem as they both must be able to reach the innermost block contain and alter the original entities compared the scale you used inserting their block,--- my solution so I could shape and form boathull standard blocks into nice designs, was to re-calculate all innermost contained point informations up against the scale information and with Entmake produce a new block and a messeage ,that "now a new block with the "oldname" plus "New" was made and made replace the block you pointed out to be truely Exploded , I still do such modeling with my own explode functions never trust those Romans..

i can't just "select all" because i'll be selecting text, hatches, etc... i've tried turning on an off layers, but whoever set up this drawing didn't follow any layering standard - so some lines are on the same layer as hatches and/or text (the z-plane issue is not the only issue).

my problem is things like random lines start at 3" and end at 7" on the Z axis or something like that... i can't extend or trim lines because nothing is in the same Z plane... so i've been selecting things as i run across them and setting them to "elevation 0".

we really don't want to be modeling anything at this point - these are working drawings, so nothing should be 3D.

I was just wondering if there was an easy way to go about this- but i guess there isn't.

thanks for the suggestions, though.

-to

Can't you use FILTER or Quick Select to exclude things that aren't lines or polylines?

seems to me you should be able to quick select anything whose Z value doesn't equal (<>) 0 and then go to properties and change everything to 0.

i just tried to do this and i had to select "lines" that weren't at zero, then "hatches", then "x-refs", so it might take you 10 steps or so.

Hi
Tosteroven there are an easy way, it's the dxb plot option that make any entity into just vectors when you import the DXB into an emty drawing --- sad thing is that you lose any information about hatches and lines but they still are there just as vectors all being compleatly "flatterned".
Also you don't need to select all, there are many way's to flter out lines, polylines, or only select lines or polylines ,look at the Ssget "x" options that allow you to chose just anything you want to add the selection set.

toasteroven,
a-f is exactly correct. in the Properies box after you select all, you can pick the pull-down ribbon and it'll list all object by type. Simply select "lines" and it'll automatically filter everything fromthe selections et except lines. no need to worry at all about layers, etc.

Per,
Occam's Razor - look it up for chrissakes...

Hi
Realy things only get as good as you expect them to be, if god want a world at a third the cost four times as strong, god proberly would use a guy like me to promote the promise, just to fool you guy's, someone who already try make it just a bit better as making it just as yestoday is no challance . Maby god just want to offer you Romans the chance to make some beauty with the new technology ,think about that Romans.

hhahahaah

OMG!

heehehehehehe

i really want to know what mrs. per thinks of our resident genius. i wonder if she is a roman like the rest of us?

why are we still talking about this?

just use the flatten.lsp and everything will be ok, no need to get complicated

it is pretty simple it makes all z coordinated flatten down to the 0 xy plane

?

command "zzero" grab everything, pl will not be effected.

what is the 'flatten.lsp' and how do you download it and use it?

Hi
A bit off/topic I agrea that the use of flattern allway's made me wonder.
Sure it is handy to sort of take a screen shot of a 3D scene ,make it into a flat thing but realy that's also where you stop making 3D sense.
3D cad systems realy are not so complicated, I guess the reson for this tread is that the system can't accept to edit on a 3D line or connect 3d lines that don't share the same plane --- well shuldn't we be glad it will not, as if you expect to connect two lines without drawing a line inbetween is like solving the problem with apples by making them into banana's .
Realy if you "flattern" a 3D line that line are lost, you now have a line that seen from top would look as having same length but it don't , it is something quite else all information are lost and only thing to use it for, is a topview. Bang the 3D inviroment with a huge hammer make it flat what's the point ?
Sure it make nice plans but just plotting from top down will make the same. Then edditing polylines that will not conect is also against nature in a CAD program what's the point?
Now there are a handfull of calculations avaible when you fiddle around with vectors in 3D , but most often to edit polylines to lay on same plane, so you can extrude them, is about making the system remember the various entities, so you can delete them when you made actural new ones, new ones that acturly follow those planes, that is obvious that you need to follow all according what rutines you want to use ---- yestoday I found a "3D map" of the city of copenhagen , and thought "wow now someone else made what I needed so often", it shuld contain road maps and houses just everything ; but when I downloaded the 10 Mb drawings, all I found was a flat scanned city map with all entities down at z zero --- now "that" they call a "3D map" .

Same dead end road.

Amo amas amat, amamis amatis amant
We're all Romans, unconscious collective
We are all Romans, we live to regret it
We are all Romans and we know all about
straight roads
Every straight road leads home
Home to Rome
Two plus two, equals four, four plus four equal eight
We organise via property as power
Slavehood and freedom, imperial purple Pax, Romana!

Centurion: What is this then? Romanes eunt domus, "People called Romanes they go the house"?
Brian It-it says, "Romans, go home"!
Centurion: No, it doesn't! What's Latin for "Roman"? [grabs Brian's ear] Come on, come on!
Brian: Romanus!
Centurion: Goes like?
Brian: Annus!
Centurion: Vocative plural of annus is...?
Brian: Anni?
Centurion: [writes] Romani. And eunt? What is eunt?
Brian: "Go"! Let-
Centurion: Conjugate the verb "to go".
Brian: Ire; eo, is, it, imus, itis, eunt!
Centurion: So eunt is...?
Brian: Third person plural, present indicative. "They go!"
Centurion: But "Romans, go home" is an order, so you must use the...?
Brian: The... imperative!
Centurion: Which is...?
Brian: I!
Centurion: [twisting Brian's ear] How many Romans?
Brian: [yelling] I.. Plural, plural! Ite, ite!
Centurion: [writing] Ite. Domus? Nominative? But "go home", it is motion towards, isn't it, boy?
Brian: Dative, sir!
[The centurion promptly draws his swords and presses it against Brian's throat. Brian yells:]
No, not dative! Not the dative, sir! No! The... accusative, accusative! Domum, sir, ad domum!
Centurion: Except that domus takes the...?
Brian: The locative, sir!
Centurion: Which is?
Brian: Domum!
Centurion: [writing] Domum... -um [sheathing his sword] Understand?
[Brian nods eagerly]
Now, write it out a hundred times!
Brian: Yes, sir, thank you, sir! Hail Caesar!
Centurion: Hail Caesar. If it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut your balls off!
Brian: Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar and everything, sir!

Hi
Today I visited two sites about CAD and 3D. I told about the first where "Now a 3D Town plan are avaible" ; that 3D drawing showed to be a lame 2D scan of a map of copenhagen with every object a zero Z and highest count Z also as zero is the hight of vectors while they are 2D entities, but the second site, a site about the digital challances in building construction the claim was, that drafting standards realy was a must and something shuld be done agout it, as othervise how can we share drawings where the simplest dimentions are missing, like diameters for steel axis.
Now as from what I would expect ,a 3D drawing realy don't need to carry dimentions like the old 2D would show dimentions for diameters and sorts, becaurse as anyone who learned just the basics would know ,that with 3D you draw one-to-one ,so if you complain about missing dimentions , you shuld rather look if this are for once a true 3D drawing, as in such one the measures are there avaible with the measure tools and you don't need to reverse engineer it into a 2D , --- but I guess it allway's be like that ; those who shuld know most are those who mixes it all together 2D 3D what the heck , it's all falt on a piece of paper or what ? In particular if the CAD drawing are "scaled" you rather ask if this is realy a CAD drawing or some substitude for CAD, as in CAD it is alway's been and for future will be 1:1 nomatter if it is 2 or 3D.
-------- Unless you decided for your own CAD standards.
Anyway at the same site, they almost decided for scrapping CAD as a 3D tool ; there simply are no need for those geometric informations and if dimentions are not seen on the screen it is left to another group discussion for the next 3 years to be ansvered, no problem with that they just ask another 200 mill to spend the time, Then "standards" can be decided by someone that allway's worked the good old way ,and by no means can see how to put into a CAD system, the fact that workers drink beer, and use this as a fact against the wierd 3D thing.
------ Something is flat in the state of denmark.