Best product for creating DXF

[Anonymous]

Hi, 

What product is the best for creating DXF files? I want to upload pictures in software and outline them and create DXF files. Now I'm using Autodesk Inventor and using spline to create contour of image. And it takes some time. Maybe there are easier way to create DXF. Maybe there are something like this (check attacments) to use with product and create DXF files?

Deividas

[mcgyvr]

@Anonymous

Your question really doesn't make much sense..

All CAD programs can create DXF files.. 

But thats usually not a main requirement in selecting any CAD program..

Why is creating a DXF so important? What are you intending to do with it?

What type of parts are you drawing that you need a DXF file?

Maybe you don't mean dxf file at all.

Please explain what you are drawing and what you are intending to do in better detail..

[Anonymous]

I need DXF files for laser cutting. And I need to know which CAD software is best to create DXF files fast from images.

[mcgyvr]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I need DXF files for laser cutting. And I need to know which CAD software is best to create DXF files fast from images.

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@Anonymous 

Thats better information... but still lacking on any sufficient detail allowing us to make an educated guess..

When asking for help on software selection please use more than a sentence or 2 to describe your needs..

See if you can answer each of these 4 questions to start..

So is all of your work converting images to dxf files just for laser cutting or will you have other needs?

Why images?

Do you have an example of your typical image that you would convert?

How are you getting an idea of scale of these parts?

[Mark.Lancaster]

Putting my 2 cents in... 

Where are these images coming from?  What are you going to do with this laser cut products?   Are you sure you are allowed to reproduce from these images?   What about copy-right laws/guidelines?

Okay my 2 cents are up..

[kelly.young]

@Anonymous I see that you are a new poster to the Inventor Forum.
Welcome to the Autodesk Community! 

There is a cool program that Autodesk offers called ArtCAM, maybe check it out a bit and see if this is something that might be useful. I tinkered around with it and it does have the capability to turn your image into a path for cutting. 

Maybe post a question in the ArtCAM Forum and see if this might be an good fit! As for the tracing of an image to get a .dxf, depending on how monotonous the task is, this could relieve you of a few headaches. Thought I would offer of something outside the box. Hope this helps! 

Please select the Accept as Solution button if a post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Curtis_Waguespack]

Hi deividasdeivo,

The process you are after is often called "Raster to Vector" conversion.

There are several dedicated applications for this:

https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-raster-design/overview

https://vectormagic.com/

https://online.rapidresizer.com/photograph-to-pattern.php

https://www.vectorizer.io/

http://www.magictracer.com/

I have no experience with any of these other than AutoCAD Raster Design, and so I'm not endorsing any of them. At the time that I played with Raster Design it was more geared toward creating civil engineering designs from aerial photos and satellite images, more than for graphic design, but that's been many years ago.

Here's another link that lists several tools for this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_raster-to-vector_conversion_software

Search online for "Raster to Vector" and you will likely find more.

I hope this helps.
Best of luck to you in all of your Inventor pursuits,
Curtis
http://inventortrenches.blogspot.com