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need to print an initial 2d sketch (without any 3d work done on it).
Printing this in sketch mode seems to output a screen capture, i.e. some
lines appear wriggly and not as precise as an ordinary plot of an idw or dwg
file.
A sketch w/o any 3d work will not be accepted as an idw file, thus I am not
able to use all the formatting (tblocks, fonts, dimstyles, etc.) options
available to idw files.
Is there a way of printing a 2d sketch (w/o any 3d work) as an idw file?
Thanks for any help.
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a lot for the replies Wolfe and Roger.
Wolfe, when you print the ipt file this way, does your plot turn out with
the same quality as a plot from an idw or dwg file?
Mine turns out with soft (not crisp) lines, especially on those geometries
which are apparently computed by the program, like circles, ellipses,
polygons, etc.
I am printing with an HP laser printer and it has always printed all idw or
dwg files clearly.
I was hoping that I can do my 2d plotting on IV altogether, without having
to go back to Acad/idw for printing. But I can't get IV to print well directly
from an ipt file.
Is this a limitation of the program? its settings? HP printer?
Would appreciate any help.
Thanks for the advice people. I have also been having this problem. I may be crazy but surely the whole point of designing something in this fancy program is so that someone will build it at the end - how the hell they are supposed to do that if they can't easily print out sketches from the models is anybodies guess.
As a recent user of this program and CAD in general I guess i' might be missing something but I feel it's a severe limitation if you can't print out a decent plan to bring down to the workshop.
The workflow in Inventor, as well as in most (all?) other 3D modelers, is to create the model (3D), then create drawings to document the model (2D). In Inventor, the 3D model is created from a series of 2D sketches that are revolved, extruded, swept, lofted, etc. and modified with holes, fillets, chamfers, drafts, etc. Then create a drawing (.idw or .dwg) and place various views of your model and annotate them.
This is a very old thread that you're replying to, and the software has changed a bit since then. Unless you're using version 8.0 or less, you might want to ask your question in a new thread. Model sketches now can be displayed in drawings, and if the only thing in your model is a sketch, that is automatically displayed when you create a view normal to the sketch. Oh, and be sure to let us know what version of the software you are using.
Thanks for the reply.
I am working with Autodesk Inventor Professional 2013 (but the 'student licence' version of the professional)
I've followed on from this thread - since I googled "how to print 2d sketch" in the first place. Probably this thread is where i would end up again if I was still looking.
I made some revolutions of a 2D schetch to make a 3d sketch of what are effectively a set of spools, with groves etc cut into them. Clearly the 2D sketch defining the cross section that I made to originally revolve into the 3d sketch are the definition of the shape I need to create in real life. My question is - what is the best way to export them to some sort of printable format.
If I expand the revolution, open the sketch, and then click export it pops back to the model view.
If I write click on the sketch there is an option to export, although when i have opened the dwg file that is created, it simply is a black outline - without any of the dimensions on it - which is what i've spent the time defining.
I followed the advice earlier in this thread about copying the sketch and dumping it into another drawing, which works. kind of.... -but clearly this is a bit of an inefficient and un-joined up way of doing it. Copying and pasting graphics around reminds me of using paint. My question is what is the proper way of doing it....
(and question part B - for lazy people like me who simply want a screen shot of the 2D drawing output to a picture\pdf file what is the easy way of doing it within Inventor - without having to create another file for each sketch - are there some options I've missed.)
Thanks,
JP
Create a IDW or Inventor DWG 2D drawing of your 3D part. Make sure the sketch you wish to see is normal to the view you create. Right click on the view in the browser and select Retrieve Dimensions and then click on Selcet Dimensions. Select the dimensions you wish to retrieve.
From the 3D model go to Application Options Colors tab and select Presentation then click on Apply. Make your sketch visible and normal to the display then click on the print icon.
An Inventor Drawing is the way to document a design. The drawing can be either a .idw or .dwg format. Create a new drawing file, then place a base view of your model. Then place projected views from the base view.
Now use the tools on the Annotations tab to annotate it.
I strongly discourage dimensioning your model sketches as if they are drawings. Many times the design intent, captured in the modeling process, is not the same as the manufacturing/fabrication dimensions that are needed in the drawing. Modeling symmetrically around the centerline of a part is good modeling practice, but in most cases it's not good drawing practice to dimension to a symmetry line which doesn't actually exist as a feature.
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