I am trying to figure out the best way to get vector based drawings from VectorWorks into Inkscape with as little mangling as possible. VectorWorks is a CAD program much like AutoCAD, used more in the Architecture and Entertainment Production industries. It is made by Nemetschek. http://www.nemetschek.net/

So far I have only had success with exporting to PDF from VectorWorks and importing that in Inkscape. This is problematic as it doesn't transfer curves correctly and does a poor job of approximation, thus defeating the purpose of me using VectorWorks, which is to get "pixel" perfect (verticie perfect?) lengths and dimensions for a complex object that is much easier to create in VectorWorks with it's tools than in Inkscape (where's a simple clip / trim tool?). VectorWorks can export EPS, EMF, and DXF, but I can't get any of those to show up in Inkscape. EMF files exported from VectorWorks import into Inkscape, but it just shows a blank page with a bunch of invisible objects that can only be selected using "select all", which then still don't show up no matter what properties I change or how I scale them or anything.

Is anyone else here using VectorWorks and/or having of suggestions on how to get EMF import to work? I can send an example EMF file if necessary. The EMFs that come out of VectorWorks open fine everywhere else, just not Inkscape.

-Pete

Inkscape is great at opening PDF's so my recommendation is to try an get your drawing into this format. Having said that, I know you've tried saving as PDF, but it's possible PDF component of VectorWorks isn't up to scratch. You might like to try saving as EPS and then converting that to PDF, or possibly EMF then to PDF (I'm not sure if there are any utilities that can do this).

Note that Inkscape has a variety of tools that may do your "clip / trim" work, but their not called that. Describe how you expect such a tool would work and I'll do my best give you a similar method in Inkscape.

PeteThornbury wrote: VectorWorks can export EPS, EMF, and DXF, but I can't get any of those to show up in Inkscape.
-Pete

Yes you can!
I am working with SolidWorks also a CAD tool.
Just a few month ago a dxf2svg converter was published, which can be directly embedded into inkscape as an extension. Once you have this extension embedded, inkscape can open dxf-files.
However it only works with Inkscape 0.45 so far. I haven´t tried out the latest dxf-importfilter version so far. Hopefully it also works with
inkscape 0.46 by now. Let me know.

Here is the link to the converter:
http://kabeja.sourceforge.net/docs/proj ... scape.html

I´ve just downloaded the latest kabeja version.
And it works well with inkscape 0.46.

Pete: Thanks for reminding me to update my system

I use Inkscape along side my CAD program (Autodesk Inventor) as well. microUgly is right about PDF. I have a PDF printer installed (there are many free ones) and I just print from my CAD program to PDF and then bring that into Inkscape. It works really well in 0.46. I have a copy of Adobe Illustrator that for the longest time I used as a bridge from CAD to Inkscape by means of DXF. Fortunately, I don't have to use that method anymore.

Have you tried PDF? Check out CutePDF Writer (http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp).

microUgly and heathenx: you are right. It does work fine with SolidWorks too.

It seems to be a much faster workflow.

Why haven´t you told me before...

Why haven´t you told me before...

It's microUgly's fault, not mine.

microUgly wrote:Inkscape is great at opening PDF's so my recommendation is to try an get your drawing into this format. Having said that, I know you've tried saving as PDF, but it's possible PDF component of VectorWorks isn't up to scratch. You might like to try saving as EPS and then converting that to PDF, or possibly EMF then to PDF (I'm not sure if there are any utilities that can do this).

You were right, Vectorworks has a built in PDF export that I was using which apparently kinda blows. I thought it was sucking just because it was a PDF. It was splitting fills arbitrarily to avoid creating islands and rendering arcs by plotting hundreds of tiny short lines. I printed it to PDFCreator instead and surprisingly it did exactly what I wanted it to do. Problem Solved.

microUgly wrote:Note that Inkscape has a variety of tools that may do your "clip / trim" work, but their not called that. Describe how you expect such a tool would work and I'll do my best give you a similar method in Inkscape.

There are a couple of reasons I try to create in Vectorworks first and then finish in Inkscape. I can do polar coordinates in VectorWorks, I can snap objects to points on eachother (endpoint, midpoint, tangent, etc...) and it's a lot easier to enter exact discrete values for coordinates, line length, angle, circle diameter/radius, etc... You can also choose which corner, midpoint or centerpoint of an object that said object's global location coordinates are referring to. The trim thing is basically if you were to draw 2 lines intersecting, and then use the trim tool on one end of one of the lines, it would "trim" the line you clicked on so that it's new endpoint was on the line it was intersecting. If you had three lines, 2 parallel and one intersecting both parallel lines and you clicked between the two intersections on the non-parallel line, then it would split the line into 2 lines both with new endpoints at said intersections. Also works on arcs / circles, etc...

Thanks for your help!

-Pete

I forgot how easily trim worked in CAD programs. I also forgot that it trimmed without destroying the object used as a boundry, so there isn't really anything like that with Inkscape. I was going to suggest drawing your paths and using difference, but then you have to redraw the path used as a trim.

microUgly wrote:I forgot how easily trim worked in CAD programs. I also forgot that it trimmed without destroying the object used as a boundry, so there isn't really anything like that with Inkscape. I was going to suggest drawing your paths and using difference, but then you have to redraw the path used as a trim.

Ctrl+D is your friend...
Duplicate the trim path first.

*Revenge sound from TF2*

High five Sim, I was thinking the same thing.