Export Excavation Drawings and SOE Sketches to DXF
- Dec 26, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 25
Turn Your DeepEX Models into CAD Drawings in Seconds
Designing a deep excavation is only part of the engineering effort.
Once the analysis is complete, engineers often need to prepare excavation sketches, support-of-excavation (SOE) details, wall sections, construction stage drawings, and plan views for reports, clients, contractors, and permitting agencies.
Creating these drawings manually in CAD software can consume hours—or even days—of valuable engineering time.
DeepEX helps eliminate this repetitive drafting effort by automatically generating and exporting excavation drawings directly to DXF format.
The Challenge: Converting Analysis Models into Deliverables
After completing an excavation design, project teams are typically required to prepare:
Excavation sections
Support-of-excavation details
Construction stage sketches
Retaining wall sections
Site plans
Wall elevations
Design report figures
In many cases, engineers must recreate information that already exists within the analysis model.
This duplication of effort increases project costs and introduces opportunities for drafting errors.
Figure 1: Export an anchored excavation sketch to DXF including the stratigraphy - DeepEX
Figure 2: Export a braced excavation sketch to DXF including the result diagrams - DeepEX
How DeepEX Helps
DeepEX automatically generates detailed engineering sketches directly from the project model and exports them to DXF format for use in AutoCAD and other CAD applications.
This allows engineers to move quickly from analysis to deliverable production without redrawing project information.
Automatically Generate Engineering Drawings
DeepEX can create a wide variety of project drawings, including:
Excavation side sections
Support-of-excavation sketches
Retaining wall details
Construction stage views
Model result plots
Soil stratigraphy sections
Wall elevations
Site plan views
These drawings are generated directly from the design model, ensuring consistency between calculations and project documentation.
Export All Construction Stages
Construction sequencing is often one of the most important aspects of excavation design.
DeepEX can automatically generate sketches for each excavation stage, allowing engineers to clearly document:
Initial conditions
Excavation progress
Support installation stages
Final excavation configuration
Wall and support layouts
This can significantly reduce the time required to prepare construction sequencing drawings.
Figure 3: Anchored excavation sketch to DXF in DeepEX - Include all stages
Create Professional Support-of-Excavation Drawings
Support-of-excavation drawings are commonly required for:
Design reports
Contractor submissions
Building permit applications
Peer reviews
Construction documentation
DeepEX automatically generates professional excavation sketches directly from the model, helping engineers produce consistent project documentation while reducing manual drafting effort.
Export Site Plans and Wall Elevations
For projects that include three-dimensional excavation layouts, DeepEX can also generate:
Excavation site plans
Wall elevation views
Support layouts
Perimeter wall drawings
These drawings provide valuable visualization tools for project reviews and construction planning.
Figure 4: Braced excavation - Plan view sketch export to DXF - DeepEX
Customize Drawing Appearance
DeepEX provides several options for controlling the appearance of exported drawings, including:
Drawing scale
Text size
Templates
Layout settings
Annotation options
This allows exported sketches to align with company drafting standards and project requirements.
Fully Compatible with CAD Workflows
All exported drawings are saved in DXF format and can be opened and edited using any CAD software.
Engineers can further customize drawings, add project-specific details, and incorporate them into construction document packages.
Why Engineers Use DeepEX Drawing Exports
DeepEX helps bridge the gap between engineering analysis and project documentation.
With DeepEX, engineers can:
✔ Automatically generate excavation drawings from analysis models
✔ Export support-of-excavation sketches directly to DXF
✔ Create construction stage drawings in seconds
✔ Produce wall sections, elevations, and site plans
✔ Reduce manual drafting effort
✔ Improve consistency between calculations and drawings
✔ Accelerate project delivery
Instead of recreating excavation geometry in CAD software, engineers can leverage information already contained within their DeepEX models and focus their efforts on engineering design rather than repetitive drafting tasks.
Availability
DXF Export capabilities are included in all current DeepEX software packages.
For excavation site plans, wall elevations, and other 3D drawing exports, the DeepEX 3D package is required.
Let us show you how to reduce your design time by up to 90%!