Text translation issue on exported dxf/dwg...

[rocksvold]

Text translation issue on exported dxf/dwg...

Can someone give me an idea of what might be wrong here:
I export an Alibre drawing as a .dxf or .dwg file and my CNC guy tries to open it in his programs...everything except the text is fine. Text is jibberish with an occasional recognizable word. He uses CADKEY and GIBBSCAM. I've changed my font settings but to no avail. He messed with his options, but has all but decided to blame that "darn" Alibre software not translating the text correctly. :roll:
Could this be?
It opened fine for an Alibre Assistant in Autocad.

Any ideas?

 

[krisz]

Cadkey won't open the dxf or dwg files properly i have the same issue with Cadkey. It is too old i think. In KeyCreator they fixed that problem it opens those drawing files fine. It has nothing to do with Alibre. I exported files from ProE SolidWorks and SolidEdge and got the same result in Cadkey. About GibbsCAM i am not sure i am not familiar with GibbsCAM

 

[rocksvold]

Ok...is there another option I might have to get the text and dimensions to show in CADKEY? Or is the "KeyCreator" a possible upgrade to CADKEY We might want to get???
Any suggestions appreciated. :mrgreen:

EDIT: I found a translator for dxf/dwg files --> http://www.anydwg.com
I translated the Alibre.dxf (Autocad 2000) into a Autocad R12 .dxf file. The old CADKEY reads the R12 version fine. The GibbsCAM, on the otherhand, is not reading anything :? . But we're good to go now.

 

[krisz]

Cool i was going to recommend that but you found it faster.

 

[jemmej]

I might take this opportunity to mention that maybe Alibre wants to keep the R12 .dxf as it seems to be a common troubleshooting file format for a variety of older CAD programs. Just a thought.

Jim

 

[moyesboy]

You can download a free intellicad clone like progecad lt and save your dxf to many old versions from up to 2006.

 

[indesign]

Make sure any font is a true type font (TTF). TTF are more likely to be usable by different apps.

 

[rocksvold]

I second the "suggestion" that Alibre look into having an export .dxf format for some of the older stuff. R12 seems to be common.

 

[rocksvold]

On a similar subject...Turns out the "GibbsCAM" can see the drawings, but will not import text unless it's converted into geometry (vectors?). Anyone know if there's a way to convet the text (notes and dimensions)into geometry too? I thought about the .emf extension, but Gibbs will not import that. It imports .dxf/.dwg :?

 

[MilesH]

Perhaps I'm missing the point but, text is stored as vector information in DXF - billions of lines, to be precise.

 

[rocksvold]

Hmm. That's what I thought too. Wonder what he means by "the text needs to be geometry." After all, it's a CAM package, not CAD.