AnsweredAssumed Answered

Saving Image Capture to File

Question asked by Alan Thomason on Apr 14, 2016
Latest reply on Feb 28, 2019 by Derek Eldridge

Like • Show 1 Like1
Comment • 6

Does anyone have any advice to save the image capture to a file?

The following link was very helpful in guiding me to a solution to actually capture the image, but I am working in VBA and cannot seem to find a way to save the clipboard image to a filename.

https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/113240?q=Saving Image Capture To File

I modified the syntax from what I presume is VB.NET to VBA to get:

swApp.RunCommand swCommands_ScreenCapture, Empty

And this does seem to get the image on the clipboard, but I can't seem to get any further.

Thanks in advance.

Deepak Gupta Apr 15, 2016 12:13 AM

Correct Answer

Check if the macros posted here helps: Macro to save jpg of iso view

See the reply in context

No one else had this question

Outcomes

6 Replies

Deepak Gupta Apr 15, 2016 12:13 AM
Unmark Correct
Correct Answer
Check if the macros posted here helps: Macro to save jpg of iso view
Like • Show 2 Likes2
Actions
- Alan Thomason @ Deepak Gupta on Apr 15, 2016 8:19 AM
  Mark Correct
  Correct Answer
  Hi Deepak...
  Thanks very much but unfortunately, what I need is a simple screen grab. The reason that I need this is one of those nested loop situations...
  - Customer needs a simulation of a cable actuated door.
  - This assembly can be modeled in motion, including the speed up/down of the motor, but the cable can't be shown visually.
            If this was an animation, I can draw the cable in context and it rebuilds nicely every frame like in the following...
            Rotary Flexure PMI 2014 06 18 - YouTube
           But the situation (motor sizing, etc) really needs the physics calculations.
  - I wrote a macro that interrupts the motion simulation every step and rebuilds. Unfortunately when you replay the
         animation it reverts to not rebuilding so the cable stays the same length.
  - Next tried the print screen (SaveAs3) but it stops the Motion study.
     - Next thought, a simple Image Grab after each frame rebuild. It does grab the image during the motion study but with no
            way to save the images off, I only see the last one.
  
  Bummer. So my need is to be able to save what is in the clipboard to a file. This is one of those situations where one feels quite surprised that something that seems so fundamental is so difficult. I have found some examples, but they are quite old (<2009) and when you try to use them the first step is that the compiler rejects the " Declare Function" lines and suggests you investigate that these functions are applicable to 64 bit systems and then change this to "Declare PtrSafe Function". This works sometimes, but once in a while corrupts the base memory (yikes). This seems possible in VB.NET but so far no luck in VBA.
  
  Anyway, this would be a good opportunity to thank you for all the selfless work you do. I find your name at the top of so many useful posts that I have mentioned to people your name to look for when they have SolidWorks problems and need to look through the forum posts.
  Like • Show 2 Likes2
  Actions
  - Alan Thomason @ Alan Thomason on Apr 15, 2016 1:26 PM
    Mark Correct
    Correct Answer
    I think I missed what you were guiding me to. You were answering a question in that forum from someone who already had the capability to do what I needed, you were giving them a way of furthering that to a *.jpg. So the first posting in that forum had the key piece of code that I needed...
    
    If ModelDoc2.SaveBMP(filenameIn, widthIn, heightIn) Then
    
    Thanks again Deepak Gupta!
    Like • Show 2 Likes2
    Actions
    - Deepak Gupta @ Alan Thomason on Apr 18, 2016 11:54 PM
      Mark Correct
      Correct Answer
      Hi Alan, yes I mean that only but then reading your reply I thought it might be something different than what has been posted. Glad it worked for you.
      Like • Show 2 Likes2
      Actions
Derek Eldridge Feb 22, 2019 3:19 PM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Alen,
I'm trying to do something very similar. I got as far as getting the screen capture,
swApp.RunCommand swCommands_ScreenCapture, Empty
but I couldn't follow how you guys were talking about saving it to a file.
I want to save that clipboard image to a .png.

My reason not to do saveas is that I want to save images while in Isolated View. Saveas temporarily brings you out of isolated view.

I found this, but it gives me an error that oDataObj is User-defined type not defined.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/818410/how-to-save-a-graphic-from-the-clipboard-to-a-file-by-using-visual-bas
and modified for VBA like this:
Dim oDataObj As IDataObject
            oDataObj = System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard.GetDataObject()

           If oDataObj.GetDataPresent(System.Windows.Forms.DataFormats.Bitmap) Then
                Dim oImgObj As System.Drawing.Image
                oImgObj = oDataObj.GetData(DataFormats.Bitmap, True)

                'To Save as Bitmap
                oImgObj = Save("c:\Test.bmp", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Bmp)
                'To Save as Jpeg
                oImgObj = Save("c:\Test.jpeg", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg)
                'To Save as Gif
                oImgObj = Save("c:\Test.gif", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Gif)
            End If
Like • Show 2 Likes2
Actions
- Derek Eldridge @ Derek Eldridge on Feb 28, 2019 11:44 AM
  Mark Correct
  Correct Answer
  Nevermind I found it.
  2018 SOLIDWORKS API Help - SaveBMP Method (IModelDoc2)
  2018 SOLIDWORKS API Help - Save Model as Bitmap Example (VBA)
  Like • Show 0 Likes0
  Actions

Saving Image Capture to File

Outcomes

Related Content

Recommended Content