Dxf in part editor

[Tim Massa]

Evening all,

I was wondering if there is anyway to create a closed contour shape in another program (say Turbo Cad) and import that drawing into part editor for creating geometric shapes.
Had one of those afternoons where your back to "I coulda cut this thing out faster!...."
I'm trying to draw a simple ogee style profile in a display panel 5/4 thick, to be used as a simple bracket for an island countertop overhang. Been struggling with the rudimentary drawing tools in the shape and contour editor. After countless "doesn't appear to be a closed geometric shape" I've all but given up on it.
Now if I could get the drawing done in Turbo and port it into shape manager, untill this part of the program gets improved, it seems like we would really have something. Is this even possible?
Any feedback would be appreciated.

Regards,
Tim

[FredHirsch]

Tim,
I'm using TurboCAD 11.2 and have not had too much problem doing this.
-If you draw your shape in TC put the bottom left of your shape at 0,0 in TC.
-Export as DXF.
-Go to eCabs.
-Start a new new cabinet and put in a display panel that is larger than the shape you created in TC
-Highlight new display panel and click on Part Editor
-In Part Editor click on Contour
-In Contour click on the open file and point at your DXF created in TC
-Click Exit Contour
-in Part editor, right click menu and select Create part using closed contour
-Click on your contour and click next at bottom
-You should now see your part
-click return.

I just stepped through this with TC so it should work.
Fred

[Tim Massa]

Woooah boy!
I'm going to try it now... Going from frustrated to excited! Thanks fred.

Tim

[Tim Massa]

Fred,
I finished creating a shape in turbo and saved it in athe clients documents folder.
Went thru the steps you outlined in e-cabs and brought a panel into the contour editor. Used the File pull down menu and selected "open". Went to the Client file folder and opened it up. The only files displayed are those created in E-cabs.
Went back into Turbo and checked to see if there was a DXF file in the same client file. There is.
Can't access it thru E-cabs. Can't get there from here. I must be doing something wrong. Any idea what?

Tim

[Gary Puckett]

First in eCab create the display panel, or a display cube to the size you need then take that to the part editor then go to contour mode drop down the file menue and open the dxf file.

When you create the close contour shape in another program try saving it to the desk top as a DXF file

Gary

[Kerry Fullington]

Tim,

What kind of curve are you wanting to cut. You may need to turn the grid snap on and off (F9 key) in Contour and make sure Object Snap is on to connect lines. If you don't get a closed contour you can always extend and trim to close it.

bracket.jpg (24.06 KiB) Viewed 8623 times

Kerry

[Joe Dusel]

That would be the Load Geometry icon with the hand in the file. This will allow you to select the dxf file.

By the way, if the dxf drawing is made using inches you need to make sure you are using the same dimension specifications. You get a tiny little dxf drawing if you have a dxf in inches and are using millimeters for your Display Dimensions.

Joe

[Gary Puckett]

Tim,

See if this will work for you.

Gary

[Rick Palechuk]

Tim, make sure you do not use splines in your line creation. They are not supported.

[DanEpps]

...Used the File pull down menu and selected "open"...

That menu option is for opening jobs only. You have to use Load Geometry (looks like a folder on the lower menu bar) from within Contour Mode of the Part Editor.

[Tim Massa]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the feedback. It has helped. I was able to load the dxf into the contour editor successfully. Bammo! Got the dxf shape, drawn in turbo, loaded right onto the panel. Went back into the part editor and tried to create the part using the loaded closed contour. AWWwwww poop! Same message "Contour selected doesn't seem to be a closed contour. Please make sure the contour is closed".
Nuts! E-cab luvin.
The dxf was loaded into e-cabs by using the load file icon in the lower tool bar, next to the save file icon (first on left). I think that is the load geometry icon? Interestingly, I went back into the contour editor to remove the dxf from the panel. I could not select the shape in the part editor. Erasing the dxf shape in countour editor, using the 'inside window' erase option, was very slow. Lines disappeared slowly from their end inward. Sorta like a fuse thats lit.
I will try loading a dxf of a circle next and see if I get the same error message in trying to make a shape out of it.
Thanks for the advice, everyone.
I'll keep posting the progress.
Tim

[DanEpps]

As Rick said earlier, make sure that you DO NOT use splines to create curves in a CAD program as eCabinets does not support them. You have to use only lines and arcs.

Try extending then trimming the lines at intersections to see if that closes the geometry.

Post the DXF and I'll have a go of it.

[Tim Massa]

Just loaded the dxf circle into the contour editor and went back to the part editor. The circle was created as a part fine.
Went back and loaded the dxf ogee bracket. dropped it onto the panel, in the contour editor, and used the 'extend line' tool at every line intersection so that there was an overlap. Trimmed the lines back using the trim tool. (is it just me or is are the lines alot harder to select and work with in e-cabs than it is in Turbo?). Went back out of contour editor and selected the line for creating a shape using the closed contour. It worked! Did a lot of thinking but it finally created it. I can see this having big benefits. I find it much easier to draw shapes in Turbo or Sketchup than it is in e-cabs so it looks like two great taste in one candy bar! Keeping my fingers crossed that I can do this some more. Thanks for all the great guidance.
Just a side note, is anyone's computer slowing down some on the newly styled Thermwood web site? I had to switch to my wifes MacBook Pro in order to navigate the site better. It was vapor locking my slower Dell but even the Mac is slow and gassy running on the site. Maybe it's my high speed service provider, though. If I get off the site and on to another (say WoodWeb) the Dell will run at it's normal cruising speed. I don't recall the Dell having these issues before the site got a facial but maybe there's a setting that I could flip on or off to run faster on it? Wife's not gunna let me keep stealing her laptop forever : )

Thanks heaps, it's very appreciated,
Tim

[Tim Massa]

Whoops!
Thanks Dan. I forgot to mention it in the earlier post. I couldn't post the DXF since I'm operating the program from one machine and posting from another. I appreciate your offer to check out the DXF file, though. Much appreciated.

Regards,
Tim

[Kerry Fullington]

Tim,

For selecting lines in the part editor first,
Turn off grid snap using the F9 key so that your pick box will snap to the line instead of the grid (Object Snap must be left on)
Also use the CTRL key and left click the mouse and drag a box over your joint to zoom in where you can really see what is going on when you select a line etc. Use the Home key to go back. This makes selecting things much easier.
You can also play with the pick box size to help you select.

If you use arcs and lines to produce something like your Ogee you can then use the filet tool in contour to smooth out any intersections of these lines and arcs.


Kerry