[Plugin] DXF_export v0.0.4 (2011-10-28)

joergber

Hi,

@Dubman1013
There is no filetype to choose from!
The Plugin takes the current skp-filename and exchanges '.skp' with '.dxf' thats all!
(For unsaved models the default filename is 'Untitled.dxf')

Just click 'Export to DXF' then choose the folder to save to and save the dxf.
Before saving you may change the filename to your needs!
(But don't forget '.dxf' at the end of the filename)

Have a nice day!
Jörg

Gumleguf

Thanks for a great plugin! I just sent a .dxf file to a friend and he could open it perfectly in SolidWorks. Next step is to CNC the part.

Edit: One thing. My friend just mentioned that when he opened the .dxf in SolidWorks it was in Inches even though I made it in mm. He could just change to mm, but still...

joergber

Hi!

Gumleguf:
I can not reproduce here ...
The only thing I could imagine is that you disabled the
'Display units format' setting (Window->Model Info->Units) but then there should have been a messagebox saying "Unable to detect the actual unit setting ...\nGenerate Output in inch?" and the whole DXF would have been 'inverted' because the units calculation factor is -1 in this case ...
(will be fixed in next release! )

Pls. let me know if the problem persists!
And maybe you do have a screenshot that could help or the .skp file of your model ... ... ...

Anyway, thank you very much for the feedback

More than 120 downloads and just this few problems/bugs/featurerequests/...

Enjoy,
Jörg

Gumleguf

You are welcome, and thank you (!) for the plugin!

Here is an example of a sketchup that he says opens in Inches:

GMaxx_bagplade1_1.skp

joergber

Wohooo, that was fast

I exported without any problems ...

dxf opened in HEEKSCNC

Here is my output ...
unitsFactorProblem.dxf
Could you pls. send this file to your friend to doublecheck?
Could you pls. check the setting and try again?

If you select the measure tool in SU ...
is the length displayed like '371,25mm'?

Thank you!

Cheers
Jörg

utiler

Hi joergber,
Can you explain how this plugin differs to a standard SU export?

joergber

Hi,

utiler:
It might not have come out clearly ...
I'm using SU 8 free (just updated my profile )
And the standard dxf-exporter is for pros only ( as far as I know )

So ...
I don't know how it differs to standard SU export

Is there a specific reason why you are asking?

Respects
Jörg

utiler

Only that I'm using PRO and wanted to know the difference; that's all....

thanks for the explain!

marcomartim

@unknownuser said:

I also need DXF for CNC milling.

@joergber said:

I did this because I use the DXF with heekscnc to generate milling operations (G-Code).
Milling a circle or an arc is much faster than several lines ...

Thanks for the plugin!
I also use SketchUp to create files for CNC cutting.
There is an excellent plugin to do the right Gcode in Sketchup, Phlatscript (SketchUcam)
For more information, visit the site:

http://www.phlatforum.com/

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=38150&p=337062&hilit=phlatscript#p337062

Hugs

derei

I just found a bug in the program. As seen in image below, the unit format is disabled (to not show it in dimension lines). But, the exporter doesn't recognize the units that I used and wants to export by default in inch. My suggestion: if there is a program limitation for this situation, to replace the YES/NO message box with a list box with all units available. So, if the exporter doesn't recognize the units, to let the user choose.

Another thing... I selected only the contour lines from a 3d object (the lines that formed one face), the exporter reported "one shape",but in DXF I had all lines exported of the solid. Is it possible to export ONLY what is selected? I mention that I was inside a component when I selected the outer shape of the face.
One more thing: it would be useful to have the possibility to export in XY plane for all 2D shapes, regardless they are oriented on a different plane.

This is the most useful DXF exporter I ever used. Actually, is the only one that is helping me
Thank you.

joergber

dereeei:
I recognized too that my unit detection was not fool proof and added a listbox ...

It seems that we are working on similar tasks ...
since I came across the same problems than you.
Currently the exporter exports all connected entities of the current selection.
So selecting a contour of a object will export the whole thing

I am in the process of developing some kind of peprocessing tools ...
The first one will be a drop tool where you can select any face of a model and it will be copied to z=0 and rotated to ground plane.

But I'm neither familiar with Ruby nor Sketchup toolbars ...
So this will take some time

Thanks again for your feedback!

We read!
Jörg

derei

@joergber
Why don't you simply use selected entities to build the dxf? Is more simpler for start... You can iterate trough all selected and check what are they. If there are edges only, use them to build a dxf. If there are also faces, add to dxf the edges that build that face.
Because selecting a face is simple by double clicking. Usually a tool that selects a face, will select only a planar face, not a curved one (like a cylinder). To select that, I think you have to take into consideration the edge smoothing angle. So, I'm guessing that double click on a smooth face is pretty fast to not require a select tool (for now, at least).

Thanks for still working on it

Gumleguf

Sorry for the late reply.

No, I haven't disabled "Display units format" and it still opens in inches:

Gumleguf

Hi Jörg,

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but here's one problem I have.

1. I create a 100mm x 100mm rectangle with some random circles, see attached file "Untitled.skp".

2. Using your fine tool I export it as "Untitled.dxf".

3. To print out my drawing I open the .dxf file in eDrawings (from Solidworks, version 12.2.0.110) and press the print button. I then see a windows where the drawing is scaled to 1:18.3926?

4. If I change the "Active sheet" setting "To scale (1 to 1)" the result is that the drawing get's massive big - you can only just see a small corner of a circle on an A4 sized paper.

Isn't that strange? And by the way, if I print out from step 3 the actual rectangle on paper is something like 137mm x 137mm and not 100mm x 100mm.

/Greg

Untitled.skp

Untitled.dxf

cgprosjekt

Hello Jörg!
Just wanted to thank you for a wonderful plugin. We have struggeled alot with exporting .dxf files with true circle to our CNC machine software. And yours works perfect so far.
You really made my day! Thanks

br
Lars

pumplerod

Sorry, I must be missing something. Does this .rb file install into:
"/Applications/Google\ SketchUp\ 8/SketchUp.app/Contents/Plugins/"

Doing this doesn't seem to work for me. Is there another plugins directory that SketchUp 8 uses?

TIG

@pumplerod said:

Sorry, I must be missing something. Does this .rb file install into:
"/Applications/Google\ SketchUp\ 8/SketchUp.app/Contents/Plugins/"
Doing this doesn't seem to work for me. Is there another plugins directory that SketchUp 8 uses?
You have it all wrong
There are many helpful posts on the forum - including how to install 'plugins'...
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 8/SketchUp/plugins
On a MAC this folder is the one and only location for such scripts.
They'll auto-load from there, and the tool's activation/menu/usage/etc is then as indicated in each tool's notes...

sli21

hi all
i'm a newbie so hi to all!
im trying to export the side view of a 400mm*700mm egg shape component as a dxf. when i load it up in VCarvePro instead of getting the full view i just get the 400mm wide top view. what am i doing wrong - cheers
Scott

Gumleguf

Hi Scott,

Perhaps your shape is too advanced for the DXF_export tool to handle or there are errors in your drawing.

Try to upload your Sketchup model here and perhaps someone with a Sketchup Pro version could try to export it to dxf. If it also fails your drawing is bad, if it works the DXF_export tool doesn't support your model.

/Greg

sli21

thanks greg
i couldnt even work out how to attach a file earlier - lol. (still cant work it out!)
i drew a circle in a new document and exported - no worries.
somehow i changed the axis on my model so it was actually exporting the top view. does it export any particular view by default??

i rotated my model and off it went.

thanks for the quick reply - great
i also had troublesmoothing the edges toany acceptable level. i hope to create a toolpath for my cnc so would like to get it a lot smoother. maybe not possible with SU8 Free Vers.

regard scott