topic Re: Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong in Inventor Forum

Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong

Shag_Bore — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 19:22:54 GMT

We have a AXYZ CNC Routing Table and our operator uses CorelDraw X8 then VCarve Pro.

Our previous technical designer who is no longer with us used to export DXF files so that the routing operator could import and route. This was done with AutoCAD.

I am trying to achieve the same result but with Inventor.

I have tried exporting by right clicking on the face in the model and Export Face As...

I have tried exporting by creating a new sketch on the face and selecting the sketch and right clicking and Exporting Sketch As...

Also when performing the export I tried all the options in the File Version drop down menu, 2000, 2004, 2007 etc...

There must be a way to export a dxf file or possibly some other format so that my router operator can do a 1 to 1 import and route with having to redraw the part.

Or maybe Inventor is doing its Job and it is CorelDraw not importing right??

Here is what the import looks like vs the full part file

Re: Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 20:23:28 GMT

Probably the geometry to be exported is not a closed polyline and that is why corel draw does not read it correctly. I have worked with Adobe Illustrator and it does not erase the lines but relationships are lost sometimes. You can run it through AutoCad first to check and try to join the polyline and also try other geometries to see how it behaves. Greetings.

Re: Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong

Shag_Bore — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 22:07:21 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Probably the geometry to be exported is not a closed polyline

It has to be a closed polyline if features like extrude and face are used? If the face being exported is off a profile of a part it, there shouldn't be any open loops. Maybe we are not talking about the same thing.

I watched this video and it works with CorelDraw X5, it should work with newer versions, typically lol.

Thanks!

Re: Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong

johnsonshiue — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 01:17:25 GMT

Hi Sean,

I suspect it was CorelDraw related. The simplest test to try is to open the exported DXF in AutoCAD or DWG TruView or viewer.autodesk.com. If the geometry was incomplete there, it would be Inventor DXF Export's bug.

Many thanks!

Re: Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong

Shag_Bore — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 02:03:33 GMT

I may have found the solution, I will confirm when I speak to our router operator this week. Attached is the dxf export options settings for Inventor 2016. I didn't notice this option earlier and I don't know what is does as I don't have any AutoCAD experience, but after switching from Base View Scale - Model Space to Base View Scale - Layout in the options menu, I can now see the full 2D layout of my exported profiles. Hopefully the operator can transfer this directly to the cutting program and we can save some time and risk of errors.

Thanks, will update once confirmed, Cheers!

Re: Not sure if Inventor is Exporting DXF incomplete or CorelDraw is Importing Wrong

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 20:51:19 GMT

Hello, I understand your point and many times I assumed the same thing,
there should be no open points. However, the transition of the geometry
from one software to another does not happen sometimes as we expect,
sometimes the lines and curves are loose, especially if they are splines or
parts of ellipses, a single polyline is not created, I particularly had to
adjust manually in AutCad, and send to the vector program (corel draw or
illustrator) many times.
I hope in your case it is a configuration problem, anyway I leave you the
tip so that you take it into account.
Greetings.