Save Sketch as PDF (for silk screen art creation)

[Phil.E]

I've struggled with this for 15 years. Creating something as simple as a silk screen for mechanical models is a pain.

• Instrument panels
• Safety instructions
• Company logos
• Etc.

The only required data is a decent PDF, getting there is the hard part.

So far:

1. Fusion 360 has exact 1:1 model. Another key ingredient.
2. Fusion 360 also has Sketch Text! Without which, this would be pointless.
3. Missing: Right click on a sketch and save as PDF.

PDF output from a sketch? It would make the sketch text extremely valuable to the designer.

Currently, in order to create a silk screen PDF file, a user with Fusion 360 will have to:

• Export the mechanical file as .SAT or other generic.
• With no text visible, the 3D model text is not usable downstream.
• Open the file in Inventor.
• Make 1:1 drawing views.
• Export as .DWG
• Open in AutoCAD to clean up the file.
• Export to Adobe Illustrator.
• Re-draw the text!
• That is over $10k in additional software, tripping the data through 3 additional platforms, doing the text twice, and hope you don’t have an edit prior to final production!

Wish for Fusion: right click on sketch, Export to PDF.  Saves the user $10k, hours of extra work, and user enjoys quick accurate updates.

[Oceanconcepts]

Also would be useful for creating the decals/ labels we need for our screens. Great suggestion. 

[Helmi74]

Well,... i'm trying to say that this is exactly what i'm praying for dxf exports for months now. Can't believe it is already there. 

Paul Deyo is already discussing this for dxf export for sketches and as far as i'm into file formats it shouldn't be a big way from dxf to pdf as they're both vector based and well... you're autodesk 🙂

Unfortunately i can only give +1 😉

[schneik-adsk]

I hope that DXF out does give us a start on this. You will proabably have to explode text to vectors to get an exact conversion.

[garin]

I remember you asking for this capability in Inventor a few years ago when you worked at Phoenix Gold. Good request! 

[Phil.E]

I know, my dreams can come true now! 🙂

[schneik-adsk]

Save a sketch as dxf is in the May 21st update.

[Phil.E]

As you can see below, the path to silk screen is somewhat shorter than when I originally wrote this!

Current workflow for silk screen, in March 2018

1. Create a sketch on the panel that needs text

2. Add the text using Fusion Sketch Text

3. Explode the text

4. Exit sketch, then right click on it in the browser.

5. Export as DXF

In Illustrator, the sketch lines of the exploded text should take a "fill" and become the letters.

Likewise, rather than doing the text in Fusion, you could just export the panel sketch (after projecting in all the edges) as DXF and use the now full scale 1:1 lines in Illustrator or other art program.