Duplicate lines when printing to PDF
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First off, I have SketchUp Version 8.0.11751 (Mac)
I use SketchUp to design parts that I ultimately build using a CNC router table. This works well for me because I can design in 3D, and then take the profile of the parts and lay them out in 2D on a piece of stock and know it'll all fit together in 3D when I build it.
Unfortunately, SketchUp (at least the free version, which is what my hobbiest budget allows) doesn't really export 2D files the CAM software can understand.
So what I do is to go to Parallel Projection, create a paper size that's the size of the stock (usually 48" x 96") and "print" a top down view at 1:1 scale on that paper, saving to PDF instead of actually printing. This gives me a big vector file that I can import to a CAM package.
There's a hitch though: The PDF file generated through this process inevitably contains about 2-4 copies of every line you see in the drawing. If you don't then go through and manually remove all the duplicates in the CAM package, the cutter head cuts out each part 2-4 times, wasting a huge amount of machine time. The manual de-duplication works, but it's intensely annoying. Is there a trick to this such that I can get a clean "print" with a single copy of each line?
Thanks!
-Ben -
Ah! Great suggestion. That oughta work wonders. Thanks!
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I'm just curious. What happens if you choose Wireframe from the face style? Also, what happens if your parts are drawn as 2D only?
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I find the pdf contains both shaded or colored faces (as polygons) and edges (as line segments). So if your CNC can't tell them apart you have that problem. If I put the pdf in my CAD app the two are easily separated by a magic wand sort of selection. Perhaps you can use a go between app. OR
If I export a pdf of a wireframe or hidden line view I only have lines. (single lines, not doubled)
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