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dwg conversions

spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
edited March 2015 in Community Support
I have gotten my design recreated in OnShape (http://www.spiked3.com/?p=3651)  and I still have not found a vendor even in the ball park on price of my current vendor who can not open dxf files beyond 2004. And that is not even considering his convenience of having all materials in stock, and usually 2 day turn around .  To give you an idea, the last laser cut set of acrylic from him was $40 shipped for materials, labor, laser cutting.  I had an estimate where I bring the materials myself, do the labor, and the laser time would only be $132 at the local make space.  Yeah, not going to happen. Everything else I have seen online is more expensive.

So I am looking for a converter for my dwg files from Onshape to older versions.  I tried the Autocad thing that supposedly does it. It first popped up a warning it was a file not created by Autocad software, then displayed a blank.  Is this because they are only converting their own files, or does it truly not understand the file?  I have not seen anything else, that was not ridiculously priced.  I have not tried any of the online services yet either, as I really have to be desperate (which I almost am now) to trade the resulting spam headache for what is a simple version conversion.
Mike Partain aka Spiked3
http://www.spiked3.com
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Best Answer

Answers

  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    Thanks. First quick look it seemed to work. I will try it for a real a little later and send the file off. I will mark as answered if it goes through.
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • kirk_2kirk_2 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    Another prop for Draftsight.  I've been using it for several years for 2D CAD.
  • billy2billy2 Member, OS Professional, Mentor, Developers, User Group Leader Posts: 2,068 PRO
    I'm not sure what the issue is here. If it's an it a DXF revision issue, put the conversion at
    an acad 9 format. It's lines, circles (can you believe it-crazy), arcs how hard is that?


     

  • brucebartlettbrucebartlett Member, OS Professional, Mentor, User Group Leader Posts: 2,141 PRO
    According to @JonMcIntyreOnshape .dxfs come out at DWG/DXF version is 2013. It would nice to select versions back to acad12 like SW. Also no line weights.
    Engineer ı Product Designer ı Onshape Consulting Partner
    Twitter: @onshapetricks  & @babart1977   
  • jon_mcintyrejon_mcintyre Onshape Employees Posts: 56
    We have definite plans to allow version 2000 to be selectable during DWG/DXF export in the near future.  More options are being considered as well.  Keep the feedback coming on which DXF export options you most want to see. 
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    Great news @JonMcIntyre, but with all due respect, I was asking about how to accomplish something now.  I think what is coming and when was a topic in another discussion, where most agreed 'near future' was one of the most vile phrases that can be used in software development. 
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • jon_mcintyrejon_mcintyre Onshape Employees Posts: 56
    Hi @Spiked3, I understand.  I was just responding to BruceBartlett's comment, as it looked like others had already answered you.  Right now there's no solution for the version issue within Onshape itself, but we will fix that.
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    @JonMcIntyre When I hear 'near future' I immediately remember Microsoft's promise to fix TCP in microframeworks in the near future. Going on 3 years and 2 complete reorganizations now :)  But they will be coming out with Windows 10 for the new Raspberry Pi in the near future (ROFL).
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • john_mceleneyjohn_mceleney Onshape Employees Posts: 57
    @Spiked3 remember that we just entered beta, having said this judge us by our performance
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    @John_McEleney absolutely. Onshape has already far exceeded in a positive way, any prior experiences with software I have had. That is why I hope using 'real soon' now does not become common phrase, because that turns it negative fairly quickly.  I think its great to ask people what they want to see, I think it is great to say "that is targeted for next wednesday's update", but 'real soon' or 'near future' means something entirely different to a developer than its meaning to an end user. Please, don't go down that path.
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • frédéricfrédéric Member Posts: 19 ✭✭
    to work with DWG/DXF (and convert them to several versions), you should use Nanocad. quite similar to Autocad for 2D editing, but free. and - for me - better than Draftsight (the last time I tried it)...
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    edited March 2015
    Just a followup;  While DraftSight appears to have worked, dealing with it has not.  I registered as required and still get the 'you must register' dialog every time I run it it. I have less then 20 days left!  I asked support for help, and received just a link that requires creating yet another logon to view, as fixing the problem seems to be a secret.

    I guess I am glad a never dealt with these guys (dassault) before.

    On to look at Nanocad now.
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • frédéricfrédéric Member Posts: 19 ✭✭
    I can say that in case of license/registering problem the Nanocad guys are really efficient on their forum.
    their free license is one year renewable and the last time I had to register it wasn't working. by giving them all the infos, they solved the problem immediately..
    Fred
  • jon_mcintyrejon_mcintyre Onshape Employees Posts: 56
    DXF/DWG export of surfaces & sketches is now in R11 format, as of last night's update.   https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/635/improvements-to-onshape-april-22-2015#latest

    Please let us know if this meets your needs, and what else we can do to improve it. 
  • andrew_troupandrew_troup Member, Mentor Posts: 1,584 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2015
    @Spiked3 ... Hmmm?  

    @Jon McIntyre : Yay !

    In general, it seems to me the ideal solution to a problem is the one that makes it go away, rather than the ones which fix it after the fact.

    Subtract, rather than add.

    DWG export is (to my way of thinking) an entirely separate question, and there I think a range of choices will be necessary.

     I guess it should be eminently feasible for a single engine to import any dwg version (certainly any dxf version), in which case there is no problem in that direction.

    For Solidworks, as with dwg, would be great to have one of the export version options which is as early as possible, because any later version will read it. (Speaking selfishly, at least earlier than 2009 !)
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    Spiked3 said:
    Just a followup;  While DraftSight appears to have worked, dealing with it has not.  I registered as required and still get the 'you must register' dialog every time I run it it. I have less then 20 days left!  I asked support for help, and received just a link that requires creating yet another logon to view, as fixing the problem seems to be a secret.

    I guess I am glad a never dealt with these guys (dassault) before.

    On to look at Nanocad now.
    Working fine for me, free version is including some trial period for payed version in the beginning and after that it reverts to actual free version.
    //rami
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    edited April 2015
    Glad you had a different experience than me.

    BTW, indeed NanoCAD was a very nice program, no hassles. If I had a use for something AutoCAD llke, it looks like it would do a nice job. When I recently upgraded my desktop I didn't even bother installing anything else (Alibre or DraftSight). And since the OS DXF files are now an earlier version format I should no longer have the need for anything 2D anyhow.
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    @Spiked3  Just activate, it's free.
    //rami
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    :|
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • moengineeringmoengineering Member Posts: 23 ✭
    Hello @Spiked3 ,

    I use DraftSight for my daily job, its really great. If you activate it, you will just get some newsletters, thats all. And every year you have to reactivate it. If you don't like to get newsletters on your primary eMail adress, just use another one. After activation you will get an eMail with a link and then its done.


    best regards
    martin
  • spiked3spiked3 Member Posts: 34 ✭
    edited April 2015
    OK, let me try to explain this again.  I did activate it. It still says it needs to be activated (thus the picture posted showing both at the same time, and the previous post "I registered as required and still get the 'you must register' dialog every time I run it it.").  I no longer have it installed since I am on a new machine.  I have no plans to re-install it, since OnShape now includes the older version of DWG files for export I need.  So again, thanks for the attempts at help, it is no longer needed.

    frédéric, NanoCAD was immensely better in the small amount of time I used it. I did re-install it on the new machine, even though I have no immediate need to use it.
    Mike Partain aka Spiked3
    http://www.spiked3.com
  • pete_yodispete_yodis OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 666 ✭✭✭
    @Spiked3 When Onshape drawings become available, neither NanoCAD nor DraftSight will be needed!!
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