Exporting illustrations for text-docs

[MortenDK]

The sales department often wishes to have a draft in the proposals. We normally did this using Windows Meta File (*.wmf), as this gives a vectorized output which can be scaled in a Word og StarOffice text document and still keep a nice sharp line quality. If I export using TIFF, the lines are often too fat or an angeled line or an arc comes out in stairs. Colour pictures are not wanted due to the problems in xeroxing or sending via fax.

From my SW2000 (still used) or the new SW2005 SP0 (under evaluation) I can't export directly to wmf, but has to transfer through dxf and then in AutoCad make a wmf.
How does a direct drw to wmf export apply to you guys (and girls)? Could I ask SWcorp to make the feature or is there a better way for getting a vectorized line drawing in another document.

Regards
Morten

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Have you investigated the use of PDF files?

from (the City of) Barrie, Ontario.

I tried sniffing Coke once, but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose

 

[TheTick]

One format I find works is the *.png format, which I discovered through raw trial-and-error. I use it when converting PDF's (nice vector output) into Word-compatible vector images. A shareware program called "Ghostscript" <

http://www.ghostgum.com.au/>

does the converting. It also reads dxf. Also recommended: PDF995 <

http://www.pdf995.com>

if you don't have means to create PDF's.

One possibility may be to print to a .ps or .eps file and open that in Ghostscript for conversion to the desired format.

"When everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking very much." --Eckhard Schwarz (1930--2004)

http://www.EsoxRepublic.com

 

[MortenDK]

I haven't tried inserting a pdf in a text document, actually, i'm not sure it does without problems. I have used pdf for mailing drawings of new parts to our suppliers.
If you insert a pdf in a doc, would it be like inserting a bmp or TIFF as a graphics-area?

Again if I convert to dxf, the nice appearence of the dimensions arrows is lost, as is the font of the dim-txt.
I wanted to be able to go directly from the SLDDRW to wmf, or as above (which I shall try) png without the need for an AutoCad or other external programme. Btw. I downloaded the Ghostscript two weeks ago, but haven't tried it yet;

Morten

Morten K. Thillemann

 

[SBaugh]

Well if you don't get *.wmf in the SW Drawing save files of type list. Then SW can't do it, and you will have to put in an Enhancement Request for this feature.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[TheTick]

I make *.png from a PDF. For instance, when I need a SW drawing excerpt in a Word document, first I print the SW to PDF, open PDF in Ghostscript, and convert to *.png.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

If you can save to PDF, Acrobat 6 can save to MS Word doc format

from (the City of) Barrie, Ontario.

I tried sniffing Coke once, but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose

 

[Mandrake22]

I have asked for WMF capability but couldn't find any record of it! I do just as MortenDK does except I use Cadkey as the translator. Looks like somebody else should ask for this. I know of other options as have been suggested here, but none work better than WMF files.

 

[MortenDK]

Ok, i'll request it from SW-Corp.
The reason why I would like to keep wmf is that the documents are not written by me, that is the people there are used to the wmf format and every change does take time to ajust to something you like or can accept.

(I'm just upgrading from SW2000 to SW2005, and the screen layout has changed, the ikons has changed, menus wants confirmation after selection, H..., it's a time-killer to learn new tricks.

Thanks for your opinions on the wmf matter ;-) Morten

Morten K. Thillemann