Export drawing as flattened DXF

[edburns000]

Hi,

I'm trying to output projected geometries for a CNC vendor, with all geometries projected onto z0 and the drawing annotated to indicate depth / types of cut / etc.

The clearest and easiest way for me to do this is to create a drawing layout with the relevant sections showing cut depths and profiles (that way if / when I update the model, the dimensions and sections follow automatically). But... when I output the drawing as a dxf it retains z values with the geometry. I can't find any options to output the drawing as a flattened .dxf, or figure out another way to do it.

I know I can create a new sketch and project the geometries into it and then export that, but then I have to manually annotate and describe all the geometries in a new file which has no link to the original model.

Am I missing something? Does anyone know of a workflow that could work? Is there a post-processor I can use to set all the z coordinates to zero?

Thanks!

[jodom4]

Hey edburns000,

Is the vendor going to use the DXFs as cut geometry or are you just providing shop drawings? If it's the latter, you'll want to use the drawing environment.

[edburns000]

Hi,

Vendor is using the dxfs to cut, but would like annotations describing the different cuts, quantities, etc on the same drawing to suit their workflow.  I'm currently using the drawing environment. The workflow is easy, and the output is almost perfect, except that the DXF does not have everything projected into the z plane.

[g-andresen]

Hi,

please tell us in a screencast what you want to achieve.

günther

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

Here's an example of the problem with Fusion's simplified DWG and DXF export from the drawings workspace, see screencast. This should be simple if all you need is a 2d drawing with a few dimensions and specifications so your fabricator can use the DXF in their software but doesn't work as the views are 3d. If all you have is Fusion then you're stuck having to export a sketch and also make a 2d drawing with your dimensions then the headache of maintaining 2 drawings.

Mark

[edburns000]

This is exactly the problem I am having - thanks for the screencast. Does anyone know a fusion-based solution for this? Or can anyone recommend a program that can flatten / scale the output as in the screencast, but with a reasonably low licence cost?!

[edburns000]

I have found that QCAD is able to flatten the drawing (found in the menu: Misc >> Modify >> Flatten drawing to 2D).

Still very disappointing that I can't do this straight out of Fusion - it seems like a pretty common requirement from the searches that I have been doing.

[TimeraAutodesk]

@HughesTooling is spot on. The initial DXF output project from the Drawings workspace is currently targeted at only documentation workflows, and not manufacturing. As with any project, we release them in phases, and will continue to add complexity / robustness to these features in the future, so thank you for the feedback!

[glessboards]

Is there any update on this topic? This is something we need also, we need the dxf files flattened on the zero plane to output for our cnc. Inventor does this without any issues, seems like basic functionality for writing out a dxf file.

Is this considered an enhancement or a bug fix, and is it on the road map to be fixed?

Thanks,

[laughingcreek]

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@TimeraAutodesk wrote:

... The initial DXF output project from the Drawings workspace is currently targeted at only documentation workflows, and not manufacturing. As with any project, we release them in phases, and will continue to add complexity / robustness to these features in the future, so thank you for the feedback!

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@TimeraAutodesk -This is a confusion statement.   Drawings are an inherently 2d environment.  I get that things are rolled out in phases, but if your targeting documentation with this phase, why would an output from drawings EVER be in 3d?

[laughingcreek]

@edburns000 -if you need a fusion only solution, you can open the DXF in fusion, edit a sketch, window select everything, rightclick-move to sketch plane.  repeat for all sketches.  Then you can file-export the MODEL as a dxf.  It's a workaround, but does work if you have to have everything on one plane.

[ClintBrown3D]

Hi Everyone

Just an update on Flattened DXF & Simplified DWG exports from the drawings environment. With the July release of Fusion, DXF & Simplified DWG are now flat.

As part of the July "Quality of Life" update, we improved the DXF/DWG export. Furthermore, we included font controls for Attributes in the title blocks. We also made a change that stops accidental dragging of borders and title blocks. More on the blog here: https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/july-2022-product-update-whats-new/#Drawings

I'd love to hear from you directly, and to get your thoughts on these improvements. If you're up for it, here is a link to my calendar, please book a 30-minute session with me, and we can chat on Zoom. I can also show you some of the new tools that are coming soon (see the public roadmap here). Or if a good old-fashioned email is more your style, feel free to ping me Clint. Brown {a} Autodesk.com