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DXF output curves as polylines with facets

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Timify

Mechanical
Jan 28, 2003
6
I need some help here...

I am working with a group who is exporting their solidWorks 2003 drawing files to DXF for input into Espri for Wire EDM. The problem is that SolidWorks DXF output converts the model curves to polylines with large facets (even with the accuracy at maximum). The wire EDM parts that are made from the DXF files have facets!!!

What do I do? Is there a utility that will convert the polylines to splines or arcs in the DXF file? Do I print to PDF and convert the PDF to DXF? What process will give me curves with smooth curve output?

Thanks for your help.

Tim
 
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Hello Tim,

Are you sure that the polylines are curves? A curve should come out as a curve. Mind you in a drawing if you are not looking at a curve normally it will be considered a polyline.

My advice, email the files to your reseller or SolidWorks for their comments.

cheers,

Joseph
 
I think Josheph is right. The orientation of the views are critical. Make sure your views are directly looking into the "plane" of the curve. Another words if you create a plane that encompasses the curve your views should be normal to that plane.
 
It's hard to describe what I am trying to acheive. The process which makes this part is complicated and could easily be summed up to say that it's a trapizoidal part with circular cuts. To people in the tooling biz, it's a form tool at a rake angle. When projected to the viewing plane the circular cuts are more like spline curves. When exported the curves are rough facets, even at the highest accuracy setting in the document property settings dialog.

The issue with the DXF/DWG export is an open SPR#63734. If you have a model as mine, you can zoom up to the SolidWorks drawing and inspect the curve. It a rough faceted representation of the curve!!! Yes, even in the SolidWorks drawing!!!

So, when exporting to DXF/DWG it doesn't export the "real" SolidWorks model curve but the rough SolidWorks drawings representation of the curve.

So, I'm going to tell you how I improved my SolidWorks drawings to show smooth curves so you all can learn something from my hours of testing.

My original part was modeled with arcs. I noticed that if I used a spline, the results were most accurate...nearly 6 times more accurate. In order to keep the profile of the original curve while using a spline I am using the "Fit Spline" command.

In conclusion, the new "fit spline" works much better and I now can make Wire EDM geometry.
 
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