Unwanted Sketch Line Show Up in DXF

[leeackerson]

I created a simple body in Fusion360, TopPlate. I use sketches to define the outline, extrude it, then use other sketches to create cut patterns in the Push-Pull menu. I turn off the sketch visibility and use the 'Open Details on Web' to convert the file. The part shows up exactly as expected on the web. In the A360 menu I select convert to dxf. From my email I save the file and import it into the laser cutter. The image is filled with all the sketch lines! I also view it in a CAD viewer and all the construction sketch lines also show up. Why?? Shown below are the part in Fusion360, the part in A360 on the web,  and the dxf uploaded back into Fusion360. These construction line should not be there. How do I create dxf with only the part outline and features showing?

[paul.clauss · Accepted solution]

Hi @leeackerson

Thanks for posting! DXF filetype can contain 2D and 3D geometry, as well as solid and sketch geometry. When you export a DXF from A360 you will get all geometry that is compatible with any type of DXF - so you get all the sketches and the solid body.

I'm not sure what geometry your laser cutting is looking for exactly, but you could consider:

1. Simply deleting all the sketches from the DXF file, if the laser cutter usually takes solid models/geometry, or,
2. Projecting a sketch of the solid geometry (the part outline) shown in your screenshots and saving that individual sketch as a DXF, as shown below.

I hope this helps! 

[leeackerson]

Paul,
Thanks so much for your solution. I was tying myself in knots trying to get
clean dxfs for the laser cutter. Your solution is both simple and elegant.
But I still wonder why you cannot convert a body to a drawing without the
construction lines; there should be an option to only use visible
information rather than using all lines in the dxf conversion. After all,
when I select create 3D print in Fusion360, if I have multiple bodies in
the design all I have to do is turn off the display on one of them, then I
can create the stl using only the visible one. Also, if I do other types of
conversion, such as step or iges, I don't get all the extraneous
construction lines include in the converted file.

Lee

[Anonymous]

Agreed I should be able to export what I see not forced to export every phantom sketch and file in the design. When I export models to 3d DWG I am sharing them with another party. I don't have cad3d and they don't have time to clean up the file. This is very frustrating.

[giladk]

There are posts dating back to 2017 regarding ignoring the constructions lines when exporting to DXF.

How hard can it be to add this simple option for all those laser cutters out there?

Something like:

if(IgnoreConstruction == True && Line.Construction == True) continue;