DXF FILES DONT WORK

[HRTFAB]

Hi Guys, when I create a sketch in fusion and then export it as a dxf file, it always reimports at a huge size...like 10x bigger than the original, this is happening for everyone whos recieveing the files from me as well on their various different software platforms ie 2017 multicam... this happens even when using a fusion exported file and re inserting the  dxf in fusion.. i understand that dxf files are unitless by nature but even exporting and then re importing from and into fusion 360 produces a scale change  which doesnt make any sense to me, the file types unit settings are always in inches and it always exports in centimeters, but even then the scale isnt correct, ie you cant just re scale at 2.54... when i try to send fusion files to my local steel supplier to get him to cnc plasma cut parts for me he always tells me the fusion dxf is huge like 10X biggger than the drawing.. any help would be greatly appreciated...

[jhackney1972]

You use the term "drawing" and then talk about exporting a sketch to DXF.  I will assume you mean you create a model sketch in the Design Environment and are not in the 2D drawing environment at all.  If so, the reason that your DXF is 10X the size is probably because you are sketching in millimeters and when you use the Export to DXF function it is automatically returned in centimeters.  The Autodesk cloud conversion engine uses centimeters as it units thus it is 10X size.  If you use the Insert DXF command in Fusion you will see this and the ability to change it.  Of course you vendors are not using this command but must either realize it or you do the conversion before sending it to them.

[MatthewNZ · Accepted solution]

I had the same scaling issue when trying to export to DXF for our lazer cutting team (from the export menu in F360). Long story short, I have to use project and then export the new sketch file as a DXF.

This video explains how. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4s2p2epaeg

[HRTFAB]

Hi Mark , im not sure where the confusion was there, but what i meant was  when i try to export a sketch from the modeling workspace even when my design preferences are set to inches and the selected units in the current design are set to inches, fusion takes the liberty during an export of that modeling sketch and changes the units to centimeters and then incorrectly scales the units to boot. If I create new desgin and then insert a dxf and select inches from centimeters, the scale is way off, in this example the lower vertical  legs in this screen shot were sketeched at 16" aparts, but after the export, insert and unit change, an inspect will show 40+"?  see the attached screen shot below as well as the dxf file attached. Because of this I have been unable to use fusion 360 to have outside suppliers produce cnc plasma and the like parts of my designs because the .dxf files they recieve are always corrupted in this way, note I have AutoCad and I do not have this issue with it, I would just like to get to the bottom of why this happens in fusion 360?

[HRTFAB]

Hi, thank you for the response, my guy thats running the cnc router parts is gone for the day but im hopeful that this is the solution, when i did the export of the model sketch this way and the inserted it as a dxf it scaled correctly and in inches which was nice, i think this is gonna work, but ill know for sure in the morning and ill let you know... 

[MatthewNZ]

Cool cool, Hope it works out. 🙂

I can do a screencast showing how I do projections etc for more complicated models/sketches if you're having trouble.

Also, I use Autodesks 'DWG TrueView' (It's free) for checking DXF files before I send them to clients/team members instead of re-importing them back into F360. Worth a look if you're exporting for use in Autocad/CNC machines as that's likely close to what they'll be seeing at the other end.

[daniel_lyall]

@HRTFAB When you bring the .dxf back in you should use the insert menu if the insert units are set to cm it is fine with the workspaces units set to inch and the sketch is done in inch.

It should export it out as the units it is set to in your case inch.

I don't remember it being a problem using save as .dxf or export as .dxf  before now I am not 100% sure though @jeff_strater can you please have a look at this I am seeing this problem in two other programs I have.

[HughesTooling]

The online translators default to CM as they are not linked to or aware of Fusion's settings. I guess they could read the units in the file but that would still only be what it was last saved in. Export is going to use the online translator for DXF as it can export the 3d model not just the 2d sketches like Save As DXF.

Although the export is in CM the unit info is stored in the DXF so the opening program can read the units info and scale correctly. 

If you use Save As DXF the current document units will be used for the export, so you can export to any units you like this way.

Mark

[HRTFAB]

Got the program into multicam this morning and everything looks good, thank you so much I have been fighting this for over a year and i thought it was just something i was gonna have to live with with fusion 360... ill check out autodesks true view also, thanks again that worked!

[HRTFAB]

Thats correct when using the insert function it defaults to centimeters which is fine, trouble is when you select inches from the insert dxf menu, fusion does not scale the original drawing correctly back into inches. For example in the 3d modeling workspace if youre preference are set to inches and youre current workspace units are set to inches and you sketch a 16" x 16" sqaure, if you then  go to file export>save as dxf> open a new tab with a new sketch and do an insert>dxf file> change it from centimeters to inches, you end up with a  40.xxx" x 40.xxx" square model sketch ... like matt stated above if you right click on the individual sketches from the project tree in the modeling workspace and right click on that sketch choose save as dxf this exports and imports correctly, theres definitely a glitch going on here when it exports the whole models project tree when there's only a sketch in it, it definitely does not handle it the way it should....

for anybody reading this down the road, read matts response above as this solved my issue and made it possible for me to get my dxf file to a vendor in the correct dimensions....