export sketch and generate full size pdf

[dgemily]

Hello,

I need to provide a full size pdf from a sketch. I use to export the sketch as .dxf file then use dwg trueview to generate the pdf from this dxf file. This method was working well, but since some months, I can't anymore export sketch as dxf , it freeze fusion360 when there are too much lines on the sketch. the bug report was posted there: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-support/save-sketch-to-dxf-freeze/td-p/12002548

as this is not fixed and don't know if it will be fixed, I'm looking for an other way to generate those full size pdf, does anyone have a method to do it ?

[Warmingup1953]

Do you need to create a .pdf with all the data from a Sketch or just from closed profiles? Can you post an example?

[dgemily]

Hi, those sketchs are only line and text, there is an example uploaded on the other post: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-support/save-sketch-to-dxf-freeze/td-p/12002548 but I can uplaod another sketch example if needed.

I need pdf with original size to use it as "paper mask"

[Warmingup1953]

I can only assume that the issue is the total number of Text Blocks that have not been exploded. Assumption only. Can you share a simpler example? Have you considered Exploding ALL the text blocks?

[Warmingup1953]

Part of the original final with text Exploded presented as 1:1 pdf (Via CorelDraw).

pdf Attached.

Screen Capture:

[HughesTooling]

If you extrude each section as a tile and cut the text into the body you could make a 2d drawing and export to PDF.

Mark

[dgemily]

hello,

@Warmingup1953 thank you for your answers and tests. In fact the problem is not regarding text part but number of lines.

I join an example of the same design without text and we have the same problem with it ( fusion 360 freeze when I try to export as dxf) . if I copy and past a part of the design on a new sketch ( like half of the design) then I'm able to export as dxf. I also tested first half part and second part and I'm able to export both so I deduce also that is not a corrupt line and  I have this problem on several design not only this one, So I assume the problem appear when there are too many lines...

@HughesTooling thank you for your answer but make a 2d drawing force you to select a "sheet size" with a list of defined format/size and my design doesn't fit in those formats (my designs are too big) and I need to generate a full size pdf ...

thank you for your help

[HughesTooling]

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@dgemily wrote:

@HughesTooling thank you for your answer but make a 2d drawing force you to select a "sheet size" with a list of defined format/size and my design doesn't fit in those formats (my designs are too big) and I need to generate a full size pdf ...

thank you for your help

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Do you have a commercial licence or personal? If you have a commercial licence you can save as a DXF and ignore the sheet size. Just hide the border and title block anything outside the sheet will export.

Mark

[dgemily]

@HughesTooling I have the personal licence and not the commercial one

[HughesTooling]

Well the next question is why are you using Fusion for this? One of the AutoCad clones like QCad would be a far better choice!

Mark

[dgemily]

@HughesTooling 

I'm building 3d wall designs to be 3d printed. but to place pieces on wall I provide a pdf to help .( using projector or print on paper and use it as "paper mask") .

you can see some of my models there: https://www.thingiverse.com/dgemily/designs

and here is a video tutorial : https://youtu.be/Il5RcY2GpiY?feature=shared

[HughesTooling]

Have you tried creating a 2d drawing say at 1:4 scale then when you print the PDF set the print scale to 400%?

Mark

[dgemily]

@HughesTooling thx ! interesting, I will try it this evening here when I will have more available time. for the moment I'm just getting a red square when I try to generate the draw...

[HughesTooling]

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@dgemily wrote:

 for the moment I'm just getting a red square when I try to generate the draw...

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Just testing myself with only a sketch in the design and no bodies and found I got a red square if the view is from the side. Setting the view Orientation to Top made the sketch visible.

Mark

[HughesTooling]

You can set the sketch line type for the sketch in the document settings.

[dgemily]

@HughesTooling thank you for help, ok I have generated the draw and can see all lines. but as I use personal licence I can not export draw as dxf ( this only available for the commercial licence 😉 ) then only way I can do from a draw is "print" and using software like pdf creator to generate pdf but it force me to select a paper format and my design doesn't feet on those paper format ( need to use custom format, I can do it using dxf but I can not force a custom paper format in fusion360) . 

so for the moment I'm only able to generate a scaled draw ( like 1:5) then generate a pdf on a paper format like A4 ( or what ever) . I will check about tool that let me scale back to the right size, change the paper format and hopping that it will not change the exact size of each elements on my design with those several scale / tools..

I will also check if it possible to export the design in to 2 or 3 parts  as dxf files, then find a way to recompose a full dxf file with those dxf part files...

thank you again for your help

[HughesTooling]

When you print from acrobat you can set a scale and a custom sheet size. Might be worth printing to a PDF printer first before actually printing. Edit. Looks like I'm only getting these options if I use PDFCreator as the printer.

[dgemily]

@HughesTooling yes it was I did but when you close the dialog box the paper format is back to the original.

I did more test using adobe pdf, and in the same way I can create a personalized paper format with a specific name. then it need to close an re-open fusion360 , print again and now I can see my personalized paper format name I can select it and use it.

so it seem that is a solution for my problem! I will do more tests this evening to be sure it's ok ( need to check if I'm able to center the design etc...) but it sound good.

the best way is to have the dxf export fixed ( it was working some months ago even with a lot of lines...) but it's a nice alternative and thank you soo much for your help, time and tests that you spend on it.

 as I wrote, I will verify the process and I will mark your post as accepted solution !

Thank you again Mark !!! 

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

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@dgemily wrote:

I will also check if it possible to export the design in to 2 or 3 parts  as dxf files, then find a way to recompose a full dxf file with those dxf part files...

thank you again for your help

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If you end up going down the 2 or 3 sketch exports try Qcad. Just start with a new document set to the correct units then use Insert to import the 3 sketches and it should scale and position them correctly.

Mark

[dgemily]

thanks for the tip, I will try it!