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simple? Clip surface no way :(


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Ok I have a file for plotting in vinyl and I wanted to get all the "Holes" clipped into the out line surface??. All I get is the spinning beach ball of doom.

The surface is colored but you can see the bits that are supposed to be holes?

How can I get this to work?

Cheers Will

oops 12mb file here is the DB link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xlwbo3mtljeh7cb/Untitled%201%20leaves.vwx

any tips would be welcome!!

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Several comments:

The perimeter object is actually two polys. One is a perimeter with no fill (not closed), the other is a similar shape with solid fill and no line (closed). Are both necessary? If delete the solid fill object, the perimeter and "holes" remain. Will these produce the required vinyl plot?

This is a vertex rich environment. Clip Surface does not like lots of vertices. The perimeter object has more than 12000 vertices. Even the smallest of the holes has many tens of vertices. Larger holes have several hundred. Can you reduce? Either by tracing or by scripts (eg the simplify tool in Vector Bits Optimize Drawing

http://www.vectorbits.org/VectorBits_2013/home.html).

Not sure which version of Vectorworks you are using. My experience with older versions was same as yours. There is a limit to how many clips can be made in a single surface. Newer versions may not even be able to handle all these. Splitting the overall into several smaller units might help (although the Split tool is kind of choking on my test file v 2014.

Many, if not most of the holes are open polys, including the perimeter shape. The unclosed interior polys are not holes, but just lines on the surface. Clip will have no effect with these. Select all and checkmark the Close button in the OIP. Then try the clip.

These objects may be corrupt or somehow incompatible. Trace with Poly tool to create new similar objects for further clipping or other edits.

OK, Good luck!

-B

-B

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Thanks Benson I imported this form illustrator I think this is where all the problems come from! Excuse my ignorance but what is OIP?

Also a big thanks you for the heads up on the optimise drawing download I am often dealing with tricky big files like this and it will be a godsend for me I'm sure!

BTW I am using VW 2012? should be ok???

Will

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ahh, Illustrator. Are your vectors from ungrouping an illustrator pdf? Or an import of the epsf? or export to dwg? Anyway, in addition to loads of vertices, some of them may be stacked. That is difficult for Vectorworks to interpret, hence the beachball. Again, tracing may be best option. Maybe even start by importing an image or pdf of the AI drawing and trace that with your polyline tool

Optimize Drawing was 1st published many versions ago, but the script works on newer versions, seemingly without mods. The VectorBits lists show appropriate script versions when affected by version change in Vectorworks.

I havent installed it in 2014 yet, so didn't test. I might try it and get back to you.

-B

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Hi Benson That the problem its just illustrator as a great automatic trace tool but it leads to a world of pain!!

The optimize tool is a great find and works well in 2012 additional it looks like it can replace curves with arcs which can be crucial in the laser work flow and is something (ark fitting that is) I used to do in Rhino which was yet another step to go through. If this arc fitting is any good I'm a happy bunny!

Also cool I can remove small items which I was doing manually.

BTW is there a decent trace command in VW? last time I used it many VW versions ago it was pretty poor but might be super now??

Thanks for the heads up.

Cheers

Will

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

It has one, "Trace Bitmap" which should be located in the Modify menu and will be active if you have an image selected, however sometimes you have to run it through at different settings to get a good trace. Its much better at tracing in line drawings than real photographs, for instance.

After you get the polys in, you can use Edit > Select Connected Objects in order to select multiple segments that make up a while shape, them Compose to combine them into one. Sometimes after that Simplify Polys can clean up messy tracing for you, but its file specific as to what is needed/what can be done automatically.

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