Hi,
Our client says they need DXFs for laser cutting in the form of closed polylines. Can you save it like this from Solidworks? Or do you have to open the DXF in AutoCAD (or DraftSight etc.) and transform the outlines there? (If so, would someone mind telling me which tool to use? AutoCAD help is not doing it for me.)
Hi Rachayl,
In Auto cad to change lines to polylines do the following.
In command line type in PEDIT, then select one of the lines.
This will prompt you to change line to polyline choose YES.
Then select Join and select all lines, Press enter (twice I think). Lines should now all be continuous.
Thanks
Mark (SolidWorks 2011 SP2)
Doesn't SW's "Save as" dialog's "Options"-button give you that when saving dxf? There's "save all as polyline"-option, but I don't know if that means they a closed.
br
Markku
www.sloworks.fi
Hi Markku,
No I don't think saving as a polyline will create a closed profile.
This has to be edited in AutoCad. (Unless I have missed a setting when exporting).
Thanks
Mark
Thanks for the lesson, Mark! Big help!!
Markkuu, what you're thinking of is the option to "Save splines as splines" vs. "Save splines as polylines", but this only determines what is done with actual splines; straight lines and simple radii are exported as segments.
We do the same thing a lot when we send profiles to the shop floor.
My understanding is when the profiles aren't polylined, they can be out of sequence.
A polyline puts them in sequence, not necessarily where the operator would start and end but at least in order.
Having said that, I have found there must be some sort of precision round-off in translating to dxf.
In AutoCAD, if two entities' endpoints don't meet exactly, then it won't polyline.
This seems to happen a lot, mostly where a radius is in the profile.
Sometimes, using Fillet set to 0 you can reconnect endpoints but sometimes that won't work, either.
I usually will then just delete the fillet and run the fillet command again with the same size radius. Then it will polyline.
I ended up writing a little macro to select the fillet to obtain its size, delete it and re-fillet the corner.
Belated thank you for the explanation Michael. I have also had some parts that don't polyline completely, usually being discontinued at a corner with complicated bends. I thought maybe those corners contained splines or some un-polylinable geometry.
Hi Rachayl,
In Auto cad to change lines to polylines do the following.
In command line type in PEDIT, then select one of the lines.
This will prompt you to change line to polyline choose YES.
Then select Join and select all lines, Press enter (twice I think). Lines should now all be continuous.
Thanks
Mark (SolidWorks 2011 SP2)