save as in DXF format fails in 0.47

[Jack Armstrong]

Save as in DXF format generates a pop-up about an RM file - and fails to generate usable DXF file. Previous versions created valid DXF files for general DXF file uses - now is unusable.

Release 0.47 on XP SP2.

Jack

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

- if you do not have RoboMaster software then leave that option unchecked
- could you attach the .svg file you are using, and also the .dxf file if it was generated?

[Jack (jackcarmstrong-gmail)]

Here's the problem as reported in a craft cutter newsgroup:

I read that I should be able to open svg files in Inkscape, save the file as
a dxf and then export it to Funtime. I downloaded Inkscape and opened the
svg file. When I try to save it as a dxf I get a message box titled "Desktop
Cutting Plotter" with "Enable Robo-Master Output" and a check mark. Whether
I do or do not check the box, my file saves as a Microsoft Picture It file
instead of a dxf file. I have the Craft Robo and Funtime software on my
computer, but only use the CR software for converting gsd files. Can anyone
help me?

I can't duplicate this exact problem, but when I loaded an SVG and did a
save as DXF, the DXF file was not acceptable to the 'Funtime' software
mentioned here. That particular application is.. er... fragile at best, so
it may not be recognizing an otherwise perfect DXF file. I've attached an
SVG file that I Ioaded into 0.47 and saved as DXF - which I then could not
import into the funtime cutting application. I'm at a second location where
I do some of this stuff, but I'm lacking a nmber of tools and applications
to do a better job of running this down. I'll be at my normal location in a
couple of days and can do a better job of reporting on this.

Jack

On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Alvin Penner <email address hidden> wrote:

> - if you do not have RoboMaster software then leave that option unchecked
> - could you attach the .svg file you are using, and also the .dxf file if
> it was generated?
>
> --
> save as in DXF format fails in 0.47
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/512447
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Inkscape: A Vector Drawing Tool: New
>
> Bug description:
> Save as in DXF format generates a pop-up about an RM file - and fails to
> generate usable DXF file. Previous versions created valid DXF files for
> general DXF file uses - now is unusable.
>
> Release 0.47 on XP SP2.
>
> Jack
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/512447/+subscribe
>

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

thanks for the feedback. The dxf file 'flourish.dxf' loads normally into Autodesk Voloview Express and also QCad. It was generated without using the RoboMaster option, which is the best way of generating the dxf output unless one specifically wants to use RoboMaster. Just two quick comments:

- the user made the comment 'but only use the CR software for converting gsd files'. If they have the RoboMaster software it may be worthwhile to try to use the RoboMaster dxf output option and then try to import the .dxf file into RoboMaster. Some versions of RM will support this, but perhaps not all versions do, I'm not sure.

- with respect to Funtime, probably the best thing to do is submit a sample .dxf file here which is known to be compatible with Funtime so we can see what the difference is.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

A comment to the attached SVG file 'flourish 1d.svg': to me this looks as if a bitmap image of a flourish was traced in color/grayscale modus with 8 stacked scans instead to use other options (e.g. color quantization with 2 colors if the bitmap is b&w or grayscale) to get a single path (or two) outlining the flourish design. The resulting grouped stack of 8 paths (with minimal offsets) from 'Trace Bitmap…' then seems to have been exported to DXF without any further editing, resulting in a (correct and readable DXF) file I really doubt to be useful for a Desktop Cutting plotter.

I don't see a bug in Inkscape here but maybe the need for improved tutorials how to convert scanned images into vector graphics suitable to use for cutting?

Note: I could be completely wrong though - I have no personal experience with cutting software/hardware myself - and modern cutters still would produce a good result once the DXF file or Inkscape's RoboMaster output format can be opened - maybe the Windows file associations need to be corrected as well (with regard to "my file saves as a Microsoft Picture It file instead of a dxf file").

[Jack (jackcarmstrong-gmail)]

Comment from a user - The cutter software referred to that was created by SignMax has been problematic for me for some time, so I'm not surprised that they do not accept all valid DXF files, but the note about it working in 0.46 but not 0.47 is troubling...

    "Thanks for checking on this, Jack. When I select the option to output RM files or not, I still cannot get
     a good import of a DXF file into Funtime 2010 from Inkscape 0.47. Works fine in 0.46 though. I have never
     had a problem importing DXF files into any of the SignMax software versions (I have all produced since 2005),
     except that they import very large. I think the size difference has to do with the difference between mm and inches.

     PLT files from Inkscape 0.47 also will not import into Funtime 2010. "

I'll ask for some example files if they would help.

Jack

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

    It is quite likely that the problem with the Funtime program is caused by a change made in Dec 2008. This was a switch from the use of a LINE entity to a LWPOLYLINE entity when drawing lines. This was done in SVN rev 20394, in response to a user request at Bug 192923 comments 56 - 66. What was requested was multiply-connected polylines which will not break apart when edited. It would not be correct to revert this change: however, if this was the cause of the problem with Funtime, then I can put in a switch to allow either style of output.
    Attached is a dxf file using only LINE elements and not LWPOLYLINE. If someone can confirm that this is readable by Funtime, then I will start working on a fix to accommodate both styles.
    (off topic, I have deleted some of the redundant images in this file to try to make a single trace.)

[Jack (jackcarmstrong-gmail)]

Alvin,

I'm now at another location where I can do more tests - I have three applications that were developed by a company called SignMAX...
1). WinPCSIGN 2005 (an old and very buggy package),
2). FunTime (a paper hobbyists' design application with drivers for several cutters), and
3). Pazzles Studio (a version of FunTime modified for a single specific cutter).

Whereas the DXF files generated by 0.47 will not load in any of the three, the flourish_LINE.dxf file you attached opens fine in all but the old (pretty much obsolete) WinPCSIGN app, so I think you've isolated the problem.

I hate to see a mod to Inkscape specifically for this proprietary software, but it does have a fair number of users who are using Inkscape for design work, then using the FunTume & Pazzles apps to drive their cutters, and or convert a design to SignMAX's proprietary WPC format. (No unlike the RoboMaster users who use their software to convert designs into the GSD format).

Ideally, I'd like to see an Inkscape addon that allows driving the cutters directly. I personally make very little use of these other cutter packages, preferring to drive several cutters I have using a (proprietary... sigh...) package that accepts svg and drives the cutters directly.

That said, I occasionally use other apps to convert a design into any of several (proprietary again!!!) formats, such as WPC, GSD, etc. that are used by other cutter software apps. I'm campaigning as vigorously as I can to get people to move to an all-svg world, but it's an uphill battle against the entrenched software/hardware vendors in this field.

Jack

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

    Attached are modified versions of dxf_outlines.py and .inx. A new output option checkbox has been added, called "use LWPOLYLINE type of line output". The current default is to use this output.
    For users of FunTime, this option should be left unchecked, in which case the original LINE element will be used, as it was in Inkscape 0.46.

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

in Windows, both of these files need to be put in the directory C:\Program Files\Inkscape\share\extensions\ to replace the two existing files.

As always, any feedback would be greatly appreciated, particularly from users of FunTime.

[Jack (jackcarmstrong-gmail)]

Alvin,

I replaced the files with your attachments in a fresh copy of 0.47 and it
worked -- I was able to import a DXF file created with the patched Inkscape
into both FunTime products. Many thanks - I still have reservations about
patches to work around other people's bugs, but your service is infinitely
better than the outfit that sells FunTime.

Will this be included in a release any time soon or should I advise FunTime
users how to make this change?

Thanks again,
Jack Armstrong

On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 4:37 PM, Alvin Penner <email address hidden> wrote:

> in Windows, both of these files need to be put in the directory
> C:\Program Files\Inkscape\share\extensions\ to replace the two existing
> files.
>
> As always, any feedback would be greatly appreciated, particularly from
> users of FunTime.
>
>
> ** Attachment added: "dxf_outlines.inx"
> http://launchpadlibrarian.net/38542699/dxf_outlines.inx
>
> --
> save as in DXF format fails in 0.47
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/512447
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Inkscape: A Vector Drawing Tool: New
>
> Bug description:
> Save as in DXF format generates a pop-up about an RM file - and fails to
> generate usable DXF file. Previous versions created valid DXF files for
> general DXF file uses - now is unusable.
>
> Release 0.47 on XP SP2.
>
> Jack
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/512447/+subscribe
>

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

good to hear, I will be uploading these two files into the Inkscape trunk sometime next week if there are no negative reports. However, for most users the simplest way of implementing the change would be to just copy these two files into the appropriate directory. These files are not compiled into executable code, they just exist by themselves in this directory and can be changed by anybody, any time.

[Jack (jackcarmstrong-gmail)]

From uploading to the trunk, how long would it take for these changes to by
available by default to those downloading the "current stable release"?
Meantime, I'll see if I can help a few users to implement these files
directly as I did. Thanks again...

Jack

On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 9:22 PM, Alvin Penner <email address hidden> wrote:

> good to hear, I will be uploading these two files into the Inkscape
> trunk sometime next week if there are no negative reports. However, for
> most users the simplest way of implementing the change would be to just
> copy these two files into the appropriate directory. These files are not
> compiled into executable code, they just exist by themselves in this
> directory and can be changed by anybody, any time.
>
> --
> save as in DXF format fails in 0.47
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/512447
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Inkscape: A Vector Drawing Tool: New
>
> Bug description:
> Save as in DXF format generates a pop-up about an RM file - and fails to
> generate usable DXF file. Previous versions created valid DXF files for
> general DXF file uses - now is unusable.
>
> Release 0.47 on XP SP2.
>
> Jack
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/512447/+subscribe
>

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

I believe the expected release date for Inkscape 0.48 is May, see:

http://old.nabble.com/Inkscape-0.48-status-and-proposed-release-plan-ts27053528.html#a27053528