Creating DXF files with Nesting Utility 2019

[boothdrafting]

How do you set the scale of your dxf? Whenever I import to a dxf my scale is way to large. I asked autodesk help and they sent a screen shot to me saying how to adjust scale when you choose your source. The source had to already be a dxf to pick custom scale, but when I pick it no choises came up and it still did the same thing.

kelly.young has embedded your image for clarity.

[boothdrafting]

How do you set the scale of your dxf? Whenever I import to a dxf my scale is way to large. I asked autodesk help and they sent a screen shot to me saying how to adjust scale when you choose your source. The source had to already be a dxf to pick custom scale, but when I pick it no choises came up and it still did the same thing.

kelly.young has embedded your image for clarity.

[phillip.doup]

When you add the source, select "Custom" for the unit rule and then pick the unit you wish in the "Unit" column. This is the unit of the geometry in the DXF file you're importing

After you've done this, remember to re-extract the geometry by clicking "Start Extract" again so it extracts the geometry in the proper units.

[phillip.doup]

When you add the source, select "Custom" for the unit rule and then pick the unit you wish in the "Unit" column. This is the unit of the geometry in the DXF file you're importing

After you've done this, remember to re-extract the geometry by clicking "Start Extract" again so it extracts the geometry in the proper units.

[boothdrafting]

Thanks for the help but everything I try doesn't work, even re-extracting. My dxf is a 25.4:1 scale which makes me think I have a metric converter turned on somewhere. I just installed my 2019 design package last week and haven't set up everything yet. Also, does the source file need to be a dxf already? Seem the only way to get that  "Custom source" to be available. Any more help would be greatly appreciated, but I am leaving for the weekend shortly and can't respond to anyone until Monday.

[boothdrafting]

Thanks for the help but everything I try doesn't work, even re-extracting. My dxf is a 25.4:1 scale which makes me think I have a metric converter turned on somewhere. I just installed my 2019 design package last week and haven't set up everything yet. Also, does the source file need to be a dxf already? Seem the only way to get that  "Custom source" to be available. Any more help would be greatly appreciated, but I am leaving for the weekend shortly and can't respond to anyone until Monday.

[phillip.doup]

What units did you choose? If your part is 25.4 too large, then you likely have "inches" selected for the units and it needs to be "millimeters". If you have a DXF file that is actually in millimeters but you specify that the units are inches, then it will appear 25.4 times larger when extracted because the units are incorrect.

As of the version that is available today, you can use either DXF, Inventor Sheet Metal part files, or Inventor Assemblies containing Sheet Metal part files as input. We have support for non-Sheet Metal Inventor parts coming in Update 1 later this month.

[phillip.doup]

What units did you choose? If your part is 25.4 too large, then you likely have "inches" selected for the units and it needs to be "millimeters". If you have a DXF file that is actually in millimeters but you specify that the units are inches, then it will appear 25.4 times larger when extracted because the units are incorrect.

As of the version that is available today, you can use either DXF, Inventor Sheet Metal part files, or Inventor Assemblies containing Sheet Metal part files as input. We have support for non-Sheet Metal Inventor parts coming in Update 1 later this month.

[Marco.Takx]

Hi @boothdrafting,

The DXF file you imported is that creatief within AutoCAD?

If so, open the DXF file within AutoCAD and check the Drawings Units settings.

“Click the Application button and then choose Units from the Drawing Utilities group”

If my post answers your question Please use  .Accept as Solution & Kudos This helps everyone find answers more quickly!

[Marco.Takx]

Hi @boothdrafting,

The DXF file you imported is that creatief within AutoCAD?

If so, open the DXF file within AutoCAD and check the Drawings Units settings.

“Click the Application button and then choose Units from the Drawing Utilities group”

If my post answers your question Please use  .Accept as Solution & Kudos This helps everyone find answers more quickly!

[boothdrafting]

Thank you for the help but anything I try doesn't work. First I opened a sheet metal part .ipt, right clicked on the name and chose create nest. Create nest box opened and I chose default template. When the sources window opened it had already picked my piece, which I would expect. But from here you can't change the unit rule. It already is from source document, inches. So I open the part for nesting and set my process material library, nesting properties, and hit create. It creates the nest for me to export. I click export and the window opens, but there is no options on the bottom like when you export a dxf from an idw. I open the dxf and the pieces are 24.5 times bigger. I check the units and it comes up unit-less automatically. My autocad templates are set to inches. The same thing happens when I use a dxf as my source, except there you can change the unit rule. I tried both inches and mm but neither one worked. It still comes up 25.4 x too large. Do either of you do team viewer?

Gary

[boothdrafting]

Thank you for the help but anything I try doesn't work. First I opened a sheet metal part .ipt, right clicked on the name and chose create nest. Create nest box opened and I chose default template. When the sources window opened it had already picked my piece, which I would expect. But from here you can't change the unit rule. It already is from source document, inches. So I open the part for nesting and set my process material library, nesting properties, and hit create. It creates the nest for me to export. I click export and the window opens, but there is no options on the bottom like when you export a dxf from an idw. I open the dxf and the pieces are 24.5 times bigger. I check the units and it comes up unit-less automatically. My autocad templates are set to inches. The same thing happens when I use a dxf as my source, except there you can change the unit rule. I tried both inches and mm but neither one worked. It still comes up 25.4 x too large. Do either of you do team viewer?

Gary

[phillip.doup · Accepted solution]

Hello @boothdrafting,

Thanks for the update, I now fully understand where you're seeing the problem. The problem is not that the input geometry has the incorrect units, it's the output DXF that has the incorrect units. This is an issue with the Nesting Utility 2019 release, and what is happening is that the DXF being exported is always in millimeters. There is no workaround other than scaling the units in AutoCad or something like that.

However, we have fixed this issue in the latest release, which will be available soon as Nesting Utility 2019.1 (Update 1). With this fix, the units of the inest document are used when exporting the DXF, so you have complete control over what units are exported. This way the units of what you see in Inventor will be exactly the same as the unitless display that you see in AutoCad.

[phillip.doup · Accepted solution]

Hello @boothdrafting,

Thanks for the update, I now fully understand where you're seeing the problem. The problem is not that the input geometry has the incorrect units, it's the output DXF that has the incorrect units. This is an issue with the Nesting Utility 2019 release, and what is happening is that the DXF being exported is always in millimeters. There is no workaround other than scaling the units in AutoCad or something like that.

However, we have fixed this issue in the latest release, which will be available soon as Nesting Utility 2019.1 (Update 1). With this fix, the units of the inest document are used when exporting the DXF, so you have complete control over what units are exported. This way the units of what you see in Inventor will be exactly the same as the unitless display that you see in AutoCad.

[boothdrafting]

Thanks for getting back to me, I was able to scale it down to proper size. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. Glad it was the software and not me, I was feeling pretty inept. Do you know when a fix will be available? Hope Autodesk will let the community know. 

Gary

[boothdrafting]

Thanks for getting back to me, I was able to scale it down to proper size. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. Glad it was the software and not me, I was feeling pretty inept. Do you know when a fix will be available? Hope Autodesk will let the community know. 

Gary

[phillip.doup]

Hello @boothdrafting,

It will be available later this month.

[phillip.doup]

Hello @boothdrafting,

It will be available later this month.

[boothdrafting]

Thanks

[boothdrafting]

Thanks

[Mark_Geurds]

Hello,

I was just expiriencing the same problem (every nesting is scaled 254 times). I am working with latest inventor update.

Is there a setting for this? (last time i used it (3 months ago), nothing was wrong..)

[Mark_Geurds]

Hello,

I was just expiriencing the same problem (every nesting is scaled 254 times). I am working with latest inventor update.

Is there a setting for this? (last time i used it (3 months ago), nothing was wrong..)