Inkscape is a great open program, that allows you to create & edit many types of vector files. What I found was that Inkscape had an issue with saving dxf files that will open in many, If not all cad programs. Being the type of person that can't leave well enough alone, & knowing that dxf files are really just simple text files that can be edited in any text editor, I set out to search the net with my trusty sidekick Google.
Now my goal is to get Inkscape to save a dxf file as a version 12 format. After looking thru the modified Inkscape files over at bobcookdev.com , I had a good idea what needed to be done to get Inkscape exporting in R12 dxf format.
With the help of cnczone members, two sample files were tested to see If either dxf file had any issues, as of this blog post, no problems.
I have only tested this with Inkscape 0.46 on Windows XP.
Installation:
Now my goal is to get Inkscape to save a dxf file as a version 12 format. After looking thru the modified Inkscape files over at bobcookdev.com , I had a good idea what needed to be done to get Inkscape exporting in R12 dxf format.
With the help of cnczone members, two sample files were tested to see If either dxf file had any issues, as of this blog post, no problems.
I have only tested this with Inkscape 0.46 on Windows XP.
Installation:
Download the zip file Inkscape_R12_Dxf.zip (4.51kb). It contains:
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simpletransform.py (this replaces an existing file)
mydxf_templates.py
mydxf_outlines.inx
mydxf_outlines.py
*******************************************************************
Extract the four files and install them into ( C:\Program Files\Inkscape\share\extensions ) this should be the default path that Inkscape saves to when first installing Inkscape, then restart Inkscape to activate.
When you are ready to save a file in Inkscape, the new extension is DXF R12 (*.DXF) , listed in the "Save As..." window.
When you are ready to save a file in Inkscape, the new extension is DXF R12 (*.DXF) , listed in the "Save As..." window.
(Download Zip file)
November 10, 2008 11:45 PM
Works perfect. Output files open in Cut2D and Autocad 2004 no problem.
November 13, 2008 11:47 PM
Glad everything is working for you. :)
And thanks for posting what programs you tested your files with.
December 27, 2008 1:03 PM
Hi Switcher
Items traced in Inkscape open perfectly in CorelDraw X3 and cut perfectly when imported into AlphaCam. Thanks
Keelhauled
December 27, 2008 4:47 PM
Keelhauled,
Thanks for the info. on CorelDraw X3 & AlphaCam. :)
January 23, 2009 12:08 PM
Hi,
Would anyone have any idea how to do this with Inkscape 0.46 for os x? I'm not much of a programmer unfortunately... but as an architect this function would come in super handy. Thanks!
January 28, 2009 1:34 PM
Nick,
I don't run OS X,
I'll look into what's needed for OS X, I can't promise anything. as I only run Win XP.
January 30, 2009 6:53 AM
Hi Switcher,
Much appreciated, thank you.
January 31, 2009 1:49 PM
Hello,
Switcher, Thank you for the plugin, it works wonderfully on my Windows system. I understand that you run Windows, do you know of anyone who is using it on Linux?
I'm running into some trouble getting it working on Inkscape v0.46 under Ubuntu v8.04 LTS. I first tried installing in my user Inkscape extensions dir and received the following errors:
--------------------------------------------------------
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/home/{UserName}/.inkscape/extensions mydxf_outlines.py", line 24, in (module)
import inkex, simplepath, simpletransform, cubicsuperpath, cspsubdiv, mydxf_templates, re
ImportError: No module named inkex
--------------------------------------------------------
*** NOTE that "(module)" was surrounded by "<" ">" chars but needed to be changed in order to post on the forum.
I worked around the error by moving the plugin files from "/home/{UserName}/.inkscape/extensions" into the main Inkscpae extensions dir "/usr/share/inkscape/extensions" Now I do not get any errors but the DXF file that gets saved is 0 byte.
Anyone using the plugin know of a fix for this?
Thanks in advance for any help!
February 2, 2009 6:43 PM
iam looking for a converter i scan in drawing and images that i make on my drawing board or i take a picture and trace it then i want to put in cad software and work on it ,can u help me
thanks mike c
February 2, 2009 7:10 PM
mike c,
Have a look at this video on my other blog, Inkscape + my dxfR12 plugin makes it really easy (after you convert a few images to dxf).
http://inkscapedxf.blogspot.com/2008/11/inkscape-convert-bitmap-to-dxf.html
.
April 1, 2009 11:17 PM
Great work, Switcher. Thanks for sharing. I've tried in on Acad2000 and it seems to be working fine.
Mike
April 1, 2009 11:20 PM
Mike,
Glad it's working for you.
Thanks for the info on Acad2000.
Switcher
May 13, 2009 12:17 PM
Hey Switcher,
Thanks for the convertor file for Inkscape. I guess I should try and learn the program now. You make it look so easy.
ericandmollie (cnczone)
May 13, 2009 12:43 PM
ericandmollie,
Actually, once you learn a few basic things in Inkscape it's really easy to work with.
Inkscape has a few quirks, but hey it's free. :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Switcher
July 17, 2009 6:15 AM
Hello,
is it possible to activate your extension from the command line?
Thanks.
Mattia.
July 17, 2009 6:48 AM
I received the following error while trying to convert an SVG to DXF usinf R12 DXF:
File "C:\...\share\extensions\mydxf_outlines.py", line 81, in effect
h = inkex.unittouu(self.document.getroot().xpath('@height',inkex.NSS)[0])
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'getroot'
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