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    DXF problem

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    • O Offline
      outland86
      last edited by

      the reason i need exact scaleing is i want to use the 2d dxf profiles to cut parts on a cnc machine and accuracy has to be perfect or the parts wont fit together
      DXF is a CAD format . i would have thought the sketchup people would know accuracy was paramount.

      the whole point of using sketchup is that it is free and i am trying to make a system for people with little or no money to make designs that can be cut on CNC machines and then sell them to others to help make a home based income for them.

      the thing about sketchup is you can model your design in 3d as well to visualize it
      but then take the 2d DXF profiles and cut them out to construct your design in the real world. this cannot happen if the DXF export does not work properly
      does google know that this is a problem?

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      • TIGT Offline
        TIG Moderator
        last edited by

        You haven't really explained the nature of this 'inaccuracy' or how you are going about making these DXFs - units, sizes etc. Perhaps a small example skp and dxf would help us...
        This issue has not been raised before [I think], please give more detail and we'll try to help...
        OpenGL the basis of SUp doesn't like very small or large dims but I would have thought that a CNC system is mid-range and wouldn't cause a problem... πŸ˜•

        TIG

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        • O Offline
          outland86
          last edited by

          the dxf files were creted in another cad program vectric aspire and autocad
          they have slots in them that are 1/4 inch wide .25
          they import as inch into sketchup and show .25 fine after import
          if i do nothing to them at all and then export them back to the external cad program they now show 0.2889 on the slot width

          so i tried creating a similar file using native sketchup tools and i get the same issue if i create a 1/4 inch slot and export the DXF i get the same or simliar result

          where/how would i upload a file for you to check this yourself ?

          regards

          Paul

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          • TIGT Offline
            TIG Moderator
            last edited by

            @outland86 said:

            the dxf files were creted in another cad program vectric aspire and autocad
            they have slots in them that are 1/4 inch wide .25
            they import as inch into sketchup and show .25 fine after import
            if i do nothing to them at all and then export them back to the external cad program they now show 0.2889 on the slot width
            so i tried creating a similar file using native sketchup tools and i get the same issue if i create a 1/4 inch slot and export the DXF i get the same or simliar result
            where/how would i upload a file for you to check this yourself ?
            regards
            Paul

            Make a zip file.
            Start to type a reply, like you just did.
            Below the typing-pane there's a tab titled 'Upload Attachment'.
            Click on it and pick the 'Browse...' button.
            Navigate in the resultant file-browser to your zip file and then select it + Open [I know you are not 'opening' it but a standard file-browser says that, even if you are just 'selecting' it for later use!].
            It's added to the Filename field.
            Now pick the 'Add the File' button to add the file to your message.
            Finish your message and Submit it...
            There are file-size limits but a <4Mb shouldn't hurt !
            πŸ€“

            TIG

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            • TIGT Offline
              TIG Moderator
              last edited by

              I have just tried to repeat what you reported.
              At first I thought it might be due to the number of dps 0.0000 set in Model Info > Units, but it's not.
              It exported , imported a series of circles as 3D DXFs without any affect on the circles' sizes or accuracy, BUT exporting it as a 2D DXF it does mess up the radii.
              The exported/imported 2D circle is not a circle but a series of segments - however, it should still have its vertices on the circumference BUT they are not - even the segments mid-points are not - there appears to be 'no rhyme nor reason'!
              Typically a 1" radius ends up exporting in 2D as 1.158239" an error of ~16% which is, as you say, pretty useless !

              Solution export as 3D DXF to give perfect Circles and Arcs.
              Avoid 2D DXF like the plague...
              When you import these from a CAD program they should come in as good Circles/Arcs - you can change their segmentation from the fixed 24 to much more in Entity Info if required...

              TIG

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              • AnssiA Offline
                Anssi
                last edited by

                Did you have Camera set to Parallel Projection?

                Did you try DWG instead?

                Anssi

                securi adversus homines, securi adversus deos rem difficillimam adsecuti sunt, ut illis ne voto quidem opus esset

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                • O Offline
                  outland86
                  last edited by

                  Hi DWG is not useable for the CNC tool path software only DXF
                  i do not want to create another step for the end user where they have to do yet another conversion with outside software

                  not to sure why changing the camera that views the polylines should effect the actual drawings export dimensions
                  can you tell me why this may have an effect ?

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                  • thomthomT Offline
                    thomthom
                    last edited by

                    @outland86 said:

                    not to sure why changing the camera that views the polylines should effect the actual drawings export dimensions
                    can you tell me why this may have an effect ?

                    Because when viewing in perspective things gets distorted.
                    When you export to 2d you are exporting what you see.

                    To export exactly what's there, export in 3D - as the content exported is then 1:1 and not bound to the viewpoint.

                    Thomas Thomassen β€” SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
                    List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

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                    • honoluludesktopH Offline
                      honoluludesktop
                      last edited by

                      outland86, The fellows here who are trying to help you are probably too nice to complain about your attitude:

                      "i cant believe that people could deal with these problems and still find this a useful program "

                      "does google know that this is a problem?"

                      Just because SU doesn't work the way you "think it should" doesn't justify your attitude. Floating point calculations is not exact, only precise. I don't know of a computer system that can does integer math. If it did, you would complain about speed!-{

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                      • TIGT Offline
                        TIG Moderator
                        last edited by

                        @thomthom said:

                        @outland86 said:

                        not to sure why changing the camera that views the polylines should effect the actual drawings export dimensions
                        can you tell me why this may have an effect ?

                        Because when viewing in perspective things gets distorted.
                        When you export to 2d you are exporting what you see.

                        To export exactly what's there, export in 3D - as the content exported is then 1:1 and not bound to the viewpoint.

                        I've made tests and even with a pure plan view the dxf circle is NOT the right radius.
                        With plan view and parallel projection a 1" circle 2d DXFs as 1.000014" [pretty good] BUT in pure plan view but with perspective 'on' - with the circle at z=0 it's ~16% out !

                        Motto = always do a 3D DXF... that way a 1" circle is DXFed as a 1" circle always...

                        TIG

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                        • O Offline
                          outland86
                          last edited by

                          @honoluludesktop said:

                          outland86, The fellows here who are trying to help you are probably too nice to complain about your attitude:

                          "i cant believe that people could deal with these problems and still find this a useful program "

                          "does google know that this is a problem?"

                          Just because SU doesn't work the way you "think it should" doesn't justify your attitude. Floating point calculations is not exact, only precise. I don't know of a computer system that can does integer math. If it did, you would complain about speed!-{

                          i did not know attitude even came into this equation
                          but i am sorry if you were offended by anythiung i have said
                          i appreciate all and everyones help more than you could know
                          but did that justify your own ending remark
                          pot calling kettle black me thinks πŸ˜„

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                          • GaieusG Offline
                            Gaieus
                            last edited by

                            Offences aside...

                            @outland86 said:

                            pot calling kettle black

                            Thanks for this proverb or saying or expression... - I am not a native speaker so when I realise there is something I exactly understand and we have one with the exact same meaning but totally different expression, I am always glad! πŸ˜‰

                            Gai...

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                            • TIGT Offline
                              TIG Moderator
                              last edited by

                              @gaieus said:

                              Offences aside...

                              @outland86 said:

                              pot calling kettle black

                              Thanks for this proverb or saying or expression... - I am not a native speaker so when I realise there is something I exactly understand and we have one with the exact same meaning but totally different expression, I am always glad! πŸ˜‰

                              In England there's my favorite -"it's six of one and a half a dozen of the other..."- used when there's no real or meaningful choice in something - in the North it's simplified to -"it's six and two threes..."- πŸ˜„
                              I'm sure most cultures have something similar...

                              TIG

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                              • O Offline
                                outland86
                                last edited by

                                ah ok i see

                                its just that the CAD software i am used to working with adds dimensioned constraints to the 2d polylines in a given drawing and no matter how they are viewed they are always exported with those contraints in place
                                but i see now that this software does not function that way. no problem though its just a matter of knowing this information. and finding the workflow solution to achieve the same end result

                                thank you much for your input and work on this Tig and others and i am sorryif something i said pissed anyone off

                                regards

                                Paul

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                                • GaieusG Offline
                                  Gaieus
                                  last edited by

                                  @outland86 said:

                                  i am sorry if something i said pissed anyone off

                                  I don't think you'd pissed anyone off - in fact, although I am a bit ashamed to push your topic a bit "off..." (so I am sorry for that), 😳 I am enjoying it, especially that you seem to be closer to a satisfying solution to your problem

                                  TIG:
                                  "pot calling kettle black" = "owl calling sparrow big headed" (here big headed meant literally)
                                  "it's six of one and a half a dozen of the other..." = "it's nineteen of one and twenty but one the other..."
                                  πŸ˜‰

                                  Gai...

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                                  • O Offline
                                    outland86
                                    last edited by

                                    thank you

                                    pot calling kettle black = pot is black from fire burning just like kettle so why is pot calling kettle black when he is also black πŸ˜„

                                    not too sure where it came from but is somthing i grew up with in New Zealand and have bought too the USA i guess πŸ˜„ lol
                                    perhaps in 50 years it will be part of the language here πŸ˜„

                                    us kiwis have many of these little jibes and colloquialisms in our street speak my MInnesotan wife is forvewr looking at me sideways when i talk not knowing if i just insulted her of paid her a compliment πŸ˜„ usually its a compliment

                                    fair sucka the sav aye mate = please give me a fair share of the credit from this deal or idea we are talking about

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                                    • GaieusG Offline
                                      Gaieus
                                      last edited by

                                      @outland86 said:

                                      pot calling kettle black = pot is black from fire burning just like kettle so why is pot calling kettle black when he is also black πŸ˜„

                                      Yeah, I understood that (although never heard before). We have that sparrow one for the same meaning here. πŸ˜„

                                      Gai...

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                                      • O Offline
                                        outland86
                                        last edited by

                                        here is what the wiki says about it

                                        The phrase "The pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom used to accuse a person or thing of being marked with or guilty of the very thing they are pointing out

                                        πŸ˜„

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                                        • GaieusG Offline
                                          Gaieus
                                          last edited by

                                          Yes, exactly. Now if you think about it, if an owl (which is a bird with big head) says to the sparrow that it has a big head, it means the same (just of course, in Hungarian). πŸ˜‰

                                          Gai...

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                                          • O Offline
                                            outland86
                                            last edited by

                                            here is a common one

                                            Bob's your Uncle: roughly translates to 'there ya go - that's all there is to it!' Just press this big red button that says 'Launch Missile', and "Bob's your uncle".

                                            i better go to bed before i make an even bigger dork of myself lol

                                            thanks again for all your help

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