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Exporting DXF and losing curvatures (#1878)
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TMan  
#1 Posted : Monday, December 1, 2008 9:53:01 PM(UTC)
TMan

Rank: Junior Member

Joined: 11/22/2008(UTC)
Posts: 4
Hi!

I have ViaCad V6. I loose curvature when exporting in DXF 2D, the curvature turns to lines when importing into Mach3 LazyCam Turn. My interest here is to lathe on a homemade CNC.

My needs is for something 2D that will hold the curvature profile during import to LazyCam Turn, or, other cam programs aimed at CNC.

I conacted ViaCad support and was told SharkFX would do the trick. Problem is, that's a $1795 product and the need is for a hobby of mine.

So, my question is, what other resources do I have to avoid putting piles of money into to get a simple curve to stick on import from Viacad? Is there another product out there I can use in conjunction with?

I really hate to loose the work I've done so far.

Thanks!
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NickB  
#2 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 1:19:56 AM(UTC)
NickB

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 2/19/2007(UTC)
Posts: 501

Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 1 post(s)
If all you are doing is 2D have you tried Illustrator ? or some other vector drawing program with the ability to save to DXF.
Shark FX 9 build 1143
OS X 9.5
3.6 GHz Core i7, 8GB, GTX 760 2GB

matter.cc
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nick  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 2:29:41 AM(UTC)
nick

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 2/2/2007(UTC)
Posts: 245
Depending on what level of modelling you require Shark LT supports precise curves and is significantly less expensive that Shark FX.

All the best
Nick
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blowlamp  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 3:18:11 AM(UTC)
blowlamp

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 6/28/2008(UTC)
Posts: 648
Hi TMan.
Can you post an example of the problem you're having, as I can see no reason why ViaCad v6 can't do what you're after? I use it all the time for my CNC milling and turning. Are you sure Lazycam isn't the problem?

Cheers.
Martin.
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TMan  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 6:19:18 AM(UTC)
TMan

Rank: Junior Member

Joined: 11/22/2008(UTC)
Posts: 4
Thanks for the replys.

No, I haven't tried Illustrator. I look into it.

1st attatchment is in jpeg to show the curvature before being lost in lazycam. Really to much info there for maching, I just wanted to show somewhat what it is I'm after. Points 1/2/3 is where curvature is lost.
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TMan  
#6 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 6:26:36 AM(UTC)
TMan

Rank: Junior Member

Joined: 11/22/2008(UTC)
Posts: 4
This is how it appears in lazycam, lost curvatures.

This is as complicated as I'm after. I have no need or wants to machine anything more complicated.
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blowlamp  
#7 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 7:42:11 AM(UTC)
blowlamp

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 6/28/2008(UTC)
Posts: 648
TMan.
None of that is any problem at all for ViaCad. Make sure you try out the DXF file save options within ViaCad, as I think the earlier versions (R12 etc) might dumb down the file. I use CamBam for my CAM program but it won't do lathe as yet, but might be worth downloading for you to check how it handles DXFs - very well, I might add. See attachment.

Cheers.
Martin.
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jdi000  
#8 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 7:59:36 AM(UTC)
jdi000

Rank: Administration

Joined: 7/29/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,862
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Hi, TMan

Did you try converting the spline to a polyline in ViaCAD before exporting to cam program? Edit--> Change Object Type --> Polyline, and see how the cam program pulls that in?

The resolution of the spline before converting to polyline will determine how many individual lines are used to simulate the spline. You can try different resolutions selectthe spline and go to edit --> Change resolutions --> Coarse thru super fine and check the even distribution box as well.


Regards

Jason
Windows 11, 10
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TMan  
#9 Posted : Tuesday, December 2, 2008 8:34:07 AM(UTC)
TMan

Rank: Junior Member

Joined: 11/22/2008(UTC)
Posts: 4
Gentlemen, I want to THANK all of you for your replies!!!!

jdi100, you nailed it straight on the head!! Thank you so much for the extra effort in explaining what to do/look for! Problem has been solved!

Blowlamp, I want to Thank you also! Your post got me thinking and looking further. Thanks!

Once again Gentlemen, Thank You all! A lot has been taken off me this mourning! Yeah, I lost sleep on this...

Now, to spend more time with ViaCad!

Thanks Guys!
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blowlamp  
#10 Posted : Wednesday, December 3, 2008 5:39:45 AM(UTC)
blowlamp

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 6/28/2008(UTC)
Posts: 648
TMan.
Save it as a DXF R12 and ViaCad will convert splines to polylines automatically in the saved file.

Cheers.
Martin.
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