DXF importing

[N R A]

This question is not strictly GIS, but is to do with spatial data 
(groundwater protection boundaries), so please forgive the abuse.

Our National Groundwater has had some work done creating boundaries 
around various abstractions - the company that did the work produced the 
maps using Autocad version 12. As an afterthought, National also bought 
the DXF files that the company had produced.

We've been given these files and asked if we can import them. I've tried 
the v.in.dxf but after looking like it had imported, when I tried to run 
v.support, GRASS couldn't find the file ??

I've since tried a number of packages that supposedly import DXF (Corel, 
FastCad, W4W) and all have a problem with these files. I believe it is 
something to do with the maps using Autocad's 'paperspace' and 
'modelspace' option. We've since got hold of a copy of Autocad 12, but I 
blowed if I can produce a 'simple' DXF file with just the basic 
boundaries in. As an example a boundary of 2 lines and 2 polylines (arcs 
of a circle) were in a file of 150 Kbytes. I've tried deleting the 
paperspace labels plus the associated grid lines to leave just the four 
segments of the required boundary, but on exporting the map to DXF, it's 
still about 120 Kbytes, and GRASS still objects.

Can anyone tell me how I can persuade Autocad to to produce a 'simple' 
map rather than all this flashy paperspace stuff ??

Thanks in advance, from a very frustrated person,

Steve Culshaw
NRA North West
e-mail : nra at cix.compulink.co.uk (use this for general usage)
or         sculshaw at cix.compulink.co.uk (Private - only checked at best 
biweekly)