[Plugin] importDXFtext

TIG · 29 Oct 2009, 10:06

Here's v1.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=194488#p194488

It should stop some of those errors - please try and feed back...
Empty strings are now show with a Cpoint, the grouped text does not cast or receive shadows and the VCB now shows progress as well as the Console if preferred...

redsteel · 20 Feb 2011, 22:36

Thank you very much for this, for once i was getting really pissed with SU but your work it's a life saver, thanks again.

...btw, is there a menu version?

TIG · 23 Mar 2011, 22:57

Alex
You didn't specify the DXF's units...
I downloaded your file anyway
I got a Bugsplat importing it using 'mm'!
Importing it using 'm' I did get some rapid output in the Ruby Console... then an error after some importing...
This is everything imported This is an extract of a part of it
The Ruby Console output failed on a layer name 'T' not being defined.
That layer name is used for Lines, but as far as I can see not for 'Text' ?
BUT then there are almost 150,000 lines of code in the DXF file [it's 'NOT BIG' ] !
The DXF won't load into AutoCAD at all !!! ... so I suspect it is corrupt in some way ??
The error is "Unknown value "AC1024" encountered in drawing version" - I only have ACAD2008 so perhaps it's made in an NEWER version? DWG convert might work if it were a DWG file... BUT it's a DXF file
I also made a layer named 'T' before trying 'meters' for the import units and got this result - after a looooong wait - with no errors... detail I can't believe you want ALL of this text importing - try to reduce the content of the DWG>>DXF and save in an older version like r2004, as it will import cleaner and quicker...

Could you edit the CAD file so it only contains 'text' and retry...

alexdobras · 24 Mar 2011, 00:23

i tried to import a dxf and SU is crashing. It is not a big file.
you can check it out: http://dl.transfer.ro/transfer_ro-23mar-7b7d941ec2f2cc8f.zip (it expires in 10 days)

alexdobras · 24 Mar 2011, 11:49

yeah, for some reason the file cannot import into Acad. I had a dwg, which i saved into dxf in order to work with the file in SU andBlender. Now, Blender 2.49 imports the file perfectly, i mean flawlessly with text and everything like i see it on CAD software i use: DraftSight. When i open the file in SU, the same file as in Blender, the model comes with a lot of deformations and with the text missing- I mean through SU 8 PRO native dwg/dxf importerthat comes with the pro version. No matter is dwg or dxf the file will import bad.
So i am using this plugin in http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=31186&start=75, which actually doesn't deform the model, but takes more time to import the file. The only problem is it doesn't import the text, and the model need to have everything exploded, so no blocks.
I hope you did understand about what i am talking about

TIG · 24 Mar 2011, 14:08

Sketchup doesn't import dwf/dxf text that's why I wrote the script...
It is a good idea to reduce the dxf down to just the text items- it speeds the import and aaoids errors. It's easy to make a copy of the file in your CAD app and then filter to leave just the dtext/mtext etc, then purge and audit the dwg, then finally save as a ~r2004 DXF...

alexdobras · 24 Mar 2011, 19:00

@tig said:

Sketchup doesn't import dwf/dxf text that's why I wrote the script...
It is a good idea to reduce the dxf down to just the text items- it speeds the import and aaoids errors. It's easy to make a copy of the file in your CAD app and then filter to leave just the dtext/mtext etc, then purge and audit the dwg, then finally save as a ~r2004 DXF...

i have done what you said, and still SU crashes right before imports the text

here is the 2004 ASCII drawing.DXF , only with text (just text)

btw, i have intel i5 750, 2gb ddram3, video Geforce GTS250, win7 64 bit, and SU8

TIG · 24 Mar 2011, 23:18

You have NOT trimmed down the file to include just 'Text' !!
You have simply switched other layers 'off' - these are still there and so Sketchup WILL try to import them !!!
Here's a properly reduced version of the DXF...TESTTEXT2004.dxf And the resultant SKP.TESTTEXT2004.skp

alexdobras · 24 Mar 2011, 23:34

@tig said:

You have NOT trimmed down the file to include just 'Text' !!
You have simply switched other layers 'off' - these are still there and so Sketchup WILL try to import them !!!
Here's a properly reduced version of the DXF...

i tryed what you have sent me
still, it crashes
now see for yourself:click on Télécharger ce fichier
http://dl.free.fr/getfile.pl?file=/r36AYYVu

TIG · 24 Mar 2011, 23:37

BUT you tried to import it in 'mm'... I did it in 'm' - as I explained before.......
I worked fine for me...
WHAT are the units you are working in ...

alexdobras · 24 Mar 2011, 23:45

@tig said:

BUT you tried to import it in 'mm'... I did it in 'm' - as I explained before.......
I worked fine for me...
WHAT are the units you are working in ...

sorry TIG, i knew i forgot to change something.
when putting to m , it works,
but i don't understand why is crashing at mm, though.
and a second one, why the file needs to be saved as 2004 ascii dxf, could;nt you make it up-to-date to ascii 2010 drawing?

thanks anyways for this wonderful plugin!

TIG · 25 Mar 2011, 00:03

@alexdobras said:

@tig said:

BUT you tried to import it in 'mm'... I did it in 'm' - as I explained before.......
I worked fine for me...
WHAT are the units you are working in ...

sorry TIG, i knew i forgot to change something.
when putting to m , it works,
but i don't understand why is crashing at mm, though.
and a second one, why the file needs to be saved as 2004 ascii dxf, could;nt you make it up-to-date to ascii 2010 drawing?
Thanks anyways for this wonderful plugin!

Presumably at 'mm' the size of some objects is just too small of Sketchup/OpenGL <~0.5mm - You OUGHT to import all of your DXFs etc in at their correct unit settings - I assumed 'm' as it simply 'worked' and you [still] gave me no clue - CAD files have no real UNITS - the recipient must be told that vital info so the units can be 'set' on import !??
Please remember that this is a ***ing 'free tool' I wrote it to read DXF format files as they were made at that time - so your saving it in a more recent DXF format gives YOU absolutely NO benefits and me only a headache...
Reading the code in a DXF file is complex enough to 'parse' - even in its 'text' format - I suggest you open a DXF file in Notepad to see what I mean... A binary format like DWG is a zillion times more involved [open one in Notepad to see the gobbledygook]... So... IF YOU want to write your own DXF importer and share it freely with the rest of us, then please feel free
Gift horse...mouth... etc

alexdobras · 25 Mar 2011, 00:22

"you [still] gave me no clue" - i don't exactly understand what are you saying.
Perhaps my English is not as good as should be.

alexdobras · 25 Mar 2011, 01:16

good news, mate:
i created another dxf with text and saved as Ascii 2010 drawing dxf
and guess what ? it has imported almost perfectly, if the cyan letters weren't reshaped:

here's the file:text2010.dxf
here's the preview in CAD:
here's the peview in SU:

seems when importing into SU, it is not recognized the shape of the cyan text

the same exact thing happens with a 2004 dxf ,with the cyan text

TIG · 25 Mar 2011, 10:20

Alex...
When you give a DXF [or DWG] to someone you need to tell them what units it was made with.
Sketchup always uses inches as its base units - the displayed units are simply to help users who work in say 'cm'...
CAD programs typically just work in an arbitrary 'unit'.
When you are working in the file you assume that say 1 unit = 1 cm.
When you give that CAD file to someone else unless you tell them the assumed units that were used they have no way of knowing what 1 unit of the CAD file is in the SKP... SO if a line is i unit long how do I know you meant it to be 1m or 1mm, or whatever...

On the issue of the 'incorrect font'.
The DXF importer uses a list of typical fonts found on most PCs and MACs.
A text-font that is not available as a 'tt' font on your system reverts to 'Arial' as here with the 'cyan' text.
Your DXF only includes ONE STYLE

0
STYLE
5
11
330
3
100
AcDbSymbolTableRecord
100
AcDbTextStyleTableRecord
2
Standard
70
0
40
0.0
41
1.0
50
0.0
71
0
42
2.5
3
txt
4

0
ENDTAB
which is named 'Standard' [#2] and uses a font-file called 'txt' [#3] - and there is no 'named' tt-font [no #1000]. It's set at 0.0 high [#40] so the user can specify the text height. It's width-factor is 1.0 [#41]. It's obliqueness is 0.0 [#50]. It is not flipped [#71]. It has no set color [no #62]...
The cyan colored TEXT that says 'traa aaskjaksdfasdfa' is set in the DXF as follows...
No STYLE set [no #7] - reverts to the default style of 'Standard'...
Layer = '0' [#8]
Thickness = 50 [#39] WHY ???
Oblique = 30 [#51] WHY ???
Color = '4' [#62]
Flipped = 6 [#71] WHY ???
Rotated = 10 [#50] WHY ???
If any TEXT has it's values set weirdly like this it will revert to some defaults to at least import something !
Please use this tool as it is intended... Sketchup importers will only bring in raw geometry and ignore text etc. I made this tool to bring in text from a DXF... BUT there are limits - it did bring in all of the text even if some of it had been cruelly 'mangled' by you before hand

alexdobras · 25 Mar 2011, 14:44

thanks TIG for the complete description.
i just wanted to dream about how cool it would have been if the text was completely imported with all the characteristics. but never the less,at least everything is imported and even has color.
so, thanks a tonne for making this possible, TIG, you rock!

Wakanai77 · 21 Sept 2013, 11:30

This worked for me and saved alot of time!

thank you very much

Miner_Jeff · 11 Nov 2015, 19:53

Hello,

I realize this is a an old thread. Anyone else having issues trying to use this with Sketchup make 2015?
I get a crash shortly after invoking the script in the console, goes straight to bugsplat reporting.

Thanks Tig for all your selflessness in sharing of your ruby programming skills.

Cheers,

Miner_jeff

TIG · 11 Nov 2015, 20:07

Can you shared the text's DXF with me ?
You can PM it to me if needed.

TIG · 11 Nov 2015, 20:51

Having looked at the DXF you PM'd to me...
I confirm that it contains NO TEXT/MTEXT entities, unlike a normal CAD-originated DXF might.
There seems to very little I might call 'text' ["...FILM..."], and there are many empty objects that look like they might have been intended to be text...

I suspect that everything is in CAD 'lines' or 'polylines', and that no CAD 'text' is included in it - perhaps because of the preprocessing app you've used ?