exporting a DXF from imported part uses inches even though my account and workspace are set to mm

Kevin_4

I have a part that I've imported from Solidworks and I want to export a DXF of it for a router (I can't export the DXF from sldwks without disjoint "vectors") - so in order to join up all the vectors I'm creating a drawing from the imported part in onshape and then exporting a DXF from that drawing.

I've set my account units to mm, and I've set the workspace units to mm - but whenever I export DXF from the drawing - the DXF unit values are inches...

This is the part https://cad.onshape.com/documents/58a5bf9d5aa7880fcd52a000/w/5613047ea4724064f4626046/e/9ec9c1db5ca345f70cd25d86 and the problem drawing (the one I'm trying to export a DXF from) is Part1Drawing1 on that part.

Interestingly - if I select a face on the part and export DXF on that - it correctly uses mm in that exported DXF. That doesn't do what I need though, since again the vectors are disjoint...

NeilCooke

Hi Kevin, I have not looked at your drawing but did you use a MM template? Also not sure what you mean by disjoint vectors? The output from a face and a drawing should be the same. 

Kevin_4

thanks for fast response - yes I used an MM template, I tried ansi and custom MM templates, but both output as inches. 
I'm not surprised it wasn't clear what I meant by "disjoint vectors" - I've no idea what the correct terminology is - so here's some pictures.
This is what I get when I export a DXF from a face and open it in VCarve Pro: 



the long teardrops are made up of multiple vectors.
Which is basically a showstopper - However - the dimensions are correctly in mm.

But when I create a drawing from the part, and then export a DXF from that and open it in VCarve Pro
I get this : 



the long teardrops are a single vector - which is great - however the dimensions are in inches.

also - just to make sure we're on same page - I assume this is what you meant when asking if I used an MM template : 

NeilCooke

Looks like you are right - can it be scaled in VCarve Pro?

owen_sparks

Hi @Kevin_4

I too have the "joy" of using v-Carve pro and had the same disjoint problem termed "open vectors". 

V-C gives a very unhelpful error message.  After much help from google looking for free apps that could join vectors I found a hit that said use the "Join Open Vectors" button, in of all things, V-Carve Pro. FFS (It looks like a rectangle with some node points on it and it can be found in the "Edit Objects" part of the screen.

This does exactly what it says on the tin.  So exporting a dxf from a face (without bothering with a drawing at all) is perfectly fine for V-C, and is funnily enough what I've been doing whilst listening to Cody's webinar

Hope that helps,

Owen S.

hasan_ali

thanks for fast response.

I'll have some problem!

+1

Kevin_4

Thanks Owen, yes I found the join vectors function, or rather was shown it, since the router and software belongs to a neighbouring business. Unfortunately however in this example I would have to make over 100 such joins, and I imagine other parts might also have high numbers of broken vectors.

So what I'm really looking for is correct units being applied when exporting the dxf from the onshape drawing - since those vectors come out whole...

owen_sparks

Hi @Kevin_4  You don't have join them one at a time.  Box select all vectors, hit join, done.  5 seconds max for 100 vectors!  Takes longer centre it on the work-piece.

Owen S

Kevin_4

@owen_sparks I'd guess you're using a more up to date version of VCarve - my neighbour is still on version 6 - and in that version vectors have to be selected individually, and only two at a time can be joined.

Still looking for someone to chime in and explain how to get Onshape to apply correct units when exporting DXF from onshape drawing. 

Not by right clicking a face - but like this :