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Wish list - additional useable file imports


Gail B

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Guess I'm not too advanced with VW but as I see it I cannot import too well into VW.

I would love to be able to import files such as SVG, EPS and PDF as useable graphics.

Arrgh I hear you cry, why would she want to do this? Simple really - I'm a pattern designer and some commands and software, e.g., Artlandia Symmetryworks, works with Adobe Illustrator and are very beneficial for me. The problem starts when I want to take my files into VW for other design work and 3D. They are pretty image files or become graphics with FAR TOO MANY points to cope with. I can DXF with "reasonable" results but the problem comes when a client gives me a file format which is not DXF and they cannot provide one for me.

I'm missing the point somewhere along the line maybe...... if someone has a solution please feel free to put me straight.

Semi rant over.

Gail B

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

^ This. If the PDFs are exported with vector geometry intact (This is usually the default, make sure nothing has any "rasterize" actions enabled which will remove vectors and just replace them with pixels) then normally ungrouping the PDF will let you access them directly.

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Hi Mark,

Yes, I agree, PDF can be used to a certain extent sometimes. However, many files I come across is now saved as SVG as it can be read in quite a number of different softwares that people use. I have played for many an hour and get quite frustrated with simplify polys. Sometime I wish I had not bought VW and just used cheaper alternatives and foregone the 3D. I guess I'm alone in wanting such imports and even additional export options.

Gail B

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Hi Kevin,

I think you must have been very lucky if that happened. I have tried quite a few times to do this and the shapes are not the same. Simple rectangles, circles can be copied/pasted but any formed shape which has arcs do not come in correctly. They are not properly rounded and have multi-points.

How do I actually "wishlist" something like this!

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You can wish list it right here.

Can you post an example file you would like to bring successfully into VW?

I tried with some more complex shapes and began to have problems with objects that should convert into polylines. It seems like circles, ovals, rectangles and anything that is a "polygon" (ie. square corners) is ok. When I move into shapes with mixed points (corner points and bezier points) things start to fail. I am wondering if there's a bug here. VW should be able to correctly parse these shapes.

When pasting between the most recent version of Illustrator and VW 2016 things actually paste as a pdf which is different than I've experienced in the past. The pdf breaks down into a rectangle, a bitmap and various other objects in a group. The complex path that should convert to a polyline becomes two tiny line fragments. All of the objects come in in duplicate which isn't ideal either.

Jim, would you be able to do some tests? This likely affects anything that comes into VW as a PDF.....

I wish that this type of import or paste was seamless like it is when importing into C4D.

Kevin

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Edited by Kevin McAllister
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Hi Kevin,

Thank you for doing this. I am away from my iMac and the relevant files this weekend but I will upload something later tonight or early tomorrow when I return home.

When I did a copy/paste test on the laptop from AI to VW mine came in as SVG and not PDF - it must default somehow from the last file format you were using.

Gail B

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Hi Kevin,

I gave up a long time ago in trying to import SVG or PDF into VW. Illustrator was very useful in that it has bezier "handles" to modify more curved shaped graphics. Trying to use the Reshape tool for curves in VW is definitely not easy!

Below is an example of one the last times I wanted to bring in something - a screenshot of the file and screenshots of copy/paste AI to VW and PDF import result.

Never inserted graphics in the forum before so hope they come through for you to see.

Gail B

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Gail,

Thanks for posting some examples. Yes, often VW converts the points to a different type and the behaviour is quite different. This is not the first wish list discussion about wanting curve editing to feel more user friendly like in Illustrator.

I've done event work where I've had to import similar letter forms to yours. VW definitely should be able to handle importing these shapes - though clearly it can't. It sort of feels like a bug but otherwise is definitely a good wish list item.

Hopefully Jim will chime in and let us know where he would place it. (I suspect he's a little distracted this week with their symposium in Chicago.)

Kevin

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+1 original wish for more direct import or copy/paste.

Nice analysis, Kevin & Gail!

Comments on AI to VWX:

I did a project, several versions back, with hundreds of AI bezier to dxf to VWX files for rescale and edit. Then convert the bez to arcs in vwx then export to dxf for waterjet (sorry, big base of volunteers had AI, only one copy of vwx for the project). Biggest problem was that the occasional vwx arc with large radius (almost straight) exported to dxf as infinite radius and the cutting path shot off the screen. Needed review of every vwx conversion in native dxf software. Things seem better in more recent versions, so maybe request the AI files as dwg or dxf instead of SVG?

Recent comment by same water jet shop is that AI can make a super conversion of these caligraphic paths from beziers to arcs and retain the corner points. That might produce better pdf for dropping into vwx?

-B

Edited by Benson Shaw
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Kevin and Benson,

Once again thank you for replying to my problem.

As Kevin said, curve editing for me has been much easier in AI. So much more control and plugins available for point control make it a breeze. If only VW did this I would be SO HAPPY! My excessive need for accurate constructions brought me to VW. I used Microstation for an employer in a previous life and this must have spoilt me to hanker for this level of accuracy and manipulation again. The 3D is very much a bonus, which, I must admit I haven't had chance to explore properly. It is reserved for playtime for me and I haven't found enough of it lately to get to grips with it. Luckily someone bought VW for me as a few birthday and Christmas presents....

I can receive files only in SVG as the electric cutting software will only allow the export of SVG and image files. As I create patterns for craftspeople this is the best format they can use too to put into their "cutting" software, a mere snip at $60.

Benson, your project runaround sounds as if it was a real adventure in patience! I had never heard of Waterjet so my curiosity made me look for it. I see it is Windows based. I haven't ventured down that dark side since moving to Macs about 4 years ago!

So, Kevin, let's see if Jim can "chime in" when he can, hopefully next week when he returns. We should, however, be getting some snippets this week from the symposium of the VW2017 upgrade. Hope he lifts the spirits of some of the previous wishlist requests from this forum!

Gail B

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if the AI file is saved with PDF compatibility then renaming it to PDF might work to import it into VW. Some other software simply imports the PDF part of such files instead of the actual AI file.

You could try this if someone sends you an AI file instead of a PDF file.

That being said, bezier curve control like in Illustrator, CorelDRAW and the likes would be welcome in Vectorworks as well as it would make editing curves quite a bit easier for finetuning purposes.

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

*Chiming noises*

1) Adding this thread to an existing request for SVG import!

2) Found a request from Kevin Lee Allen for Adobe Illustrator support, adding this thread to that request as well.

3) We do have EPSF import, which to my understanding was how users imported EPS files. I do not personally every use this in my normal work and have little experience using it, what are its limitations currently in your views? Does it have a similar issue to PDFs where sometimes you just get a rasterized image or incomplete geometry?

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3) We do have EPSF import, which to my understanding was how users imported EPS files. I do not personally every use this in my normal work and have little experience using it, what are its limitations currently in your views? Does it have a similar issue to PDFs where sometimes you just get a rasterized image or incomplete geometry?

Unfortunately VW converts an EPS file to something it calls an EPS Image which is un-editable and cannot be ungrouped like other high level objects. Essentially its a scalable raster image (ie. VW knows internally its vectors so it scales without getting bitmap style jaggies). Great for a placeholder but not much else.

Years ago I used to use PICT files for transferring geometry (Mac only) but its not supported by anything but Vectorworks now..... it went away with Mac Paint.

Kevin

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Please be aware that Adobe is "cheating" a bit with EPS files generated by Illustrator. The default is to have editability of EPS files on. This will save all Illustrator information in the EPS file in addition to the actual EPS part so that you can edit it again later in Illustrator. (Other software may not recognize the AI part in EPS files and will then ignore it)

EPS files created by other programs do not do this and as such generate a "proper" EPS file as it is meant to be by the EPS file format definition.

It could be possible that Rhino recognizes the Illustrator part included in the EPS file and may generate the same result as with a plain Illustrator file.

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3) We do have EPSF import, which to my understanding was how users imported EPS files. I do not personally every use this in my normal work and have little experience using it, what are its limitations currently in your views? Does it have a similar issue to PDFs where sometimes you just get a rasterized image or incomplete geometry?

Unfortunately VW converts an EPS file to something it calls an EPS Image which is un-editable and cannot be ungrouped like other high level objects. Essentially its a scalable raster image (ie. VW knows internally its vectors so it scales without getting bitmap style jaggies). Great for a placeholder but not much else.

Years ago I used to use PICT files for transferring geometry (Mac only) but its not supported by anything but Vectorworks now..... it went away with Mac Paint.

Kevin

This is another couple of formats I tried myself and found. An EPS creates an image and if I remember rightly the PICT file had too many nodes to be useful for me. I think I must have tried any format in the hope it would be acceptable.

Also, as Kevin says above, handles to modify graphics would be my cherry on the cherry on the cake!

Gail B

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