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V25 DXF export has segmented non-linear edges

Rudy

Member
Not sure if I'm overlooking some settings somewhere, but when exporting a DXF for having some parts laser cut, the circular edges are segmented more than I would like them to be. Does anyone know if there is a way to reduce this?
I've made sure that the display settings under File Properties show the finest detail in Curve Smoothness for both drawings. There seems to be a way to adjust the detail for STL files under System Options, but nothing for DXF. I've tried different DXF outputs as well as DWG; all show the same segmentation.
This is the way the original looks. It is slightly segmented but not that noticeable:
1656452894309.png

This is the way the DXF file looks when imported. Strangely the hole feature is perfectly round:
1656452961484.png

Using another viewer (edrawings) to check if the segments are "real" or the way Alibre imports them, it almost seems like the segments are reduced, but it's a bit hard to tell because of the background:
1656453854058.png
 

Rudy

Member
Harold:
I've got it set that way for 2D drawings as well as the 3D model that the 2D drawings are generated from.
 

idslk

Alibre Super User
made an 200mm circle, extruded it, saved the part, created an drawing and exported it as dxf R2018.
Reimported it in incscape:
Here at 673% Zoom
1656456253014.png
Regards
Stefan
 

Rudy

Member
Stefan:
Thanks for that. I'm starting to suspect that the segmentation is software/system related; I'm running Win 7 on a Lenovo W520, BTW. Problem now is, does Alibre show the actual DXF data, and/or does other software smooth the circular features when the DXF is imported? I suppose I could look at the DXF in a text editor to see what is in it but I'll need to simplify the 2D drawing a bit first to avoid having to sift through too much data.
 

Rudy

Member
I think the actual DXF file may be fine and the segmentation results from the way Alibre does the DXF import. If I import it into the PCB design software I use, it is fine as it treats circles as circles. This is zoomed into the inside circular edge along with a hole:
1656458719863.png
The PCB design software also recognizes the 2D shapes as separate circular elements as opposed to linear segments, so there is probably not an issue with the DXF file itself. It seems to be a display/import issue with Alibre. Can't always trust what you're seeing these days...
 

Rudy

Member
So just to make sure, I imported the DXF and changed the curve smoothness settings from Coarse to Fine but it didn't change the way the circles were displayed. I thought this issue had been addressed quite some time ago, or? The software still does treat each displayed object as an element, rather than a number of segments.
1656460539208.png
 
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