Artcam won't render curved toolpaths from imported dwg

[mbarinholtz@chdc.org]

I've been using Illustrator up to this point to create working drawings that include text objects and illustrative details, which are then brought into Artcam Pro to generate our .sbp files.

I have been learning VectorWorks, and have created a simple file that includes ovals and closed curved objects. I have had an unusual thing happen - once I import the .dwg into Artcam, the curves are rendered as line segments, and have lost their curve; if the curve does import, it has an incredible amount of points to contend with, and even then the toolpath Artcam generates is a bunch of angular lines, connected but no smooth curves. Even using the "smoothing" option does not help - just makes my angular object blobby. Where have my bezier curves gone? Anyone have similar problems? Could this be a problem in dxf/dwg exporting? I would be happy to share the working file with someone who can give me a hand.

Thanks!

Matt

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Matt,
I could be wrong, but I think that you want to import splined vectors and not bezier curves into ArtCAM/Part Wizard.

If your design started out as a sketch and you are tracing it to convert to a vector, and you have the option to use a spline or a bezier, go with the spline.

Hope that helps,
Brady

[kerrazy]

Hey Matt,

Fire me a copy of the original and I will see if I can offer some help with it.

Dale Kerr
LiveWorkPlay Inc.
Ps. I am now makin' Dust

[elcruisr]

I've been having the same problem with files I cut for one of my customers. He is generating objects in Autocad (the latest version) and e-mailing me the .dxf files. We are using Artcam Insignia. All his curves show up as you describe and I go in and convert the points to smooth points by right clicking each point and often deleting many extraneous points while cleaning up his files. I also have a problem with corner points on connected lines not always being connected by autocad. I'd love a good solution but have not found it yet. My customer is not exactly a whiz with autocad himself and I'm not either so we've been stumbling along this way untill something better can be found. I'd love a solution myself!

Eric Lamoray
Balsys Wood Arts
Orlando, FL

[kerrazy]

I have come across some similar hiccups with autocad, and find if you do not save the original file as at least a version 9 autocad you will encounter problems with conversion

[mbarinholtz@chdc.org]

Thanks for all of the great advice. To add some detail in response to your postings:

- If your design started out as a sketch and you are tracing it to convert to a vector, and you have the option to use a spline or a bezier, go with the spline. -

Brady, I'm not tracing, but making original drawings, and the problems seem to only happen around circles, ovals and arcs. No problems that I can tell with radiused corners/ fillets on polygons with straight lines between points. VectorWorks dwg/dxf export option doesn't seem to ofer an option to preserve splines or bezirers, or conver them. I have even imported the image back into VectorWorks as a dxf and dwg, and no changes to those circles, ovals or curved lines. Is there something in the importing process happening?


- I have come across some similar hiccups with autocad, and find if you do not save the original file as at least a version 9 autocad you will encounter problems with conversion -

Well, Dale, I've tried both paths - making sure I'm exporing in DWG/DXF 2000 format, and back. No difference, but I will keep this in mind. Good to hear you're making dust, and glad to know that you're running ArtCam! I am emailing you the file today.

- We are using Artcam Insignia. All his curves show up as you describe and I go in and convert the points to smooth points by right clicking each point and often deleting many extraneous points while cleaning up his files. I also have a problem with corner points on connected lines not always being connected by autocad. -

Eric, I tried to do what you suggested, but it's just too difficult to make the changes to every object - there's just too many in the original, let alone the copies that I am eventually going to nest into the sheet. The way Artcam lays out points on these curves is so lopsided, I can't convert the spans to beziers, arcs, or smooth the points to make it look decent. I haven't found the disconnected corner points you mentioned, but I will keep an eye out for them. Maybe we can solve all of our problems if we could make a contact with a Delcam person? Especially if this is not a CAD application specific (Autocad vs Vectorworks/Minicad) conversion problem.

Glad to know that there's folks who care!

Matt Barinholtz

[mbarinholtz@chdc.org]

Thank you, Dale, for your insight. Dale suggested that I export the drawing as a dxf varsion 12. This did correct a major hurdle of getting the ovals and curves to display and allow toolpaths to be created correctly. It did not, however, create ovals that have a limited number of bezier points, and smoothing the objects still left them outside the tolerances of the original drawing. I cut the file, and don't see a major change in the product, but I am wondering what challenges Eric and I are going to face with future projects.

Dale learned the dxf v.12 lesson after many attempts using five different products (autocad, turbocad, corel, adobe, and another cad app.) to try to create a file that would consistently import into part wizard. He explained that while he was waiting for his 'bot. to ship, he used that time to create part files, and kept running into problems. Dale, you might want to tell that story - you did better than I can - it may reveal a glitch for other ArtCam users.

Matt Barinholtz, Covenant House Washington

[kerrazy]

Hey Matt,
Thanks for the plug. Not much more to mention other than I initially thought I was causing confusion with my computer as I had many different versions of Autocad and TurboCad running and this may have been causing a conflict. So mucking about I discovered I could import files that were of AutoCad 12 or older easier and with less clean up work to be done. Still podding along though. I have so far created a few signs for kids and a couple residential signs.

Dale Kerr
Against-The-Grain
LiveWorkPlay inc.

[jkforney]

In ArtCam insignia and Pro you can go to Vectors-smooth vectors and play with the tolerance (try a much lower setting; maybe even .2) you can drop the number of points and soften some very blocky lines into gentle curves.

John Forney