Hello,
I have converted a DWG file into DXF format in Autocad.
The DXF file can be opend in QCad en converted into SVG format.

When I open the SVG file in Inkscape, I get my drawing but I have a big problem :
All the elemnt of the drawing are cut in many and many little traight lines to simulate curves. All elements have only 2 nodes at each end of the element.

I will create, with a lot (200 or 250) these element, a bigger element. I select the elements I will work with and I select the tool "Path/simplify".
Now, Y have something like a long element but when I select the tool "edit nodes", I have 300 or 400 nodes. It is impossible to simplify the path.

I tried with 2 little elements where the last node is in the same place of the first node of the second element. I select the 2 elements, combine them and I "simplify" them. I get something whitch looks like 1 straight line. Whit the "editnodes" tool, I see 3 nodes. The node in the middel is a "combination" of the last node of the first element and the first node of the second element.
Now, if I trie to delete the node in the middel and click and drag it, I always have 2 elements !

I will create 1 element with 2 little elements selected.
Or in another way : how can I select 2 terminal nodes (one on each element) and combine them to ged only 1 node that I can delete later to simplify the element group ?

I hope you understand my so bad english.
A+

"Path simplify" doesn't join subpaths. You can join them manually using the node tool: drag a box around the two overlapping nodes to select them, then click the third button on the toolbar ("Join selected endnodes").

If you have hundreds to join, you might like to look at the extension that someone has posted to bug 400592.

Ok, thank you.
I'll have a look at it.

A+

I'm not positive that I understand your problem, and I am not at all familiar with DWG, DXF, or CAD or QCad. But my 1st thought is that the tiny segments making up longer paths might be a result of how you drew them in the other programs. I wonder if it might be possible to look for a better way to draw them, and not end up with all the tiny straight segments?

But if not, I might have a simpler solution. Do you have several shapes, which when opened in Inkscape are made up of a whole bunch of tiny segments? If that's the case, you can draw a selection box around each shape and do Path menu > Combine. This will not connect each end node to the next, but it will make all the segments into subpaths of one big path.

That might solve your problem, I'm still not sure exactly what you're doing. But after that, if you still need each end node connected to the next, you'll have to go through them one by one with the Node tool . Select 2 overlapping, or consecutive nodes (again by drawing selection box around both nodes -- the nodes will be highlighted, that's how you'll know that they are selected). Then click "Join selected endnodes" on the tool control bar (3rd from left). That will join those 2, then you would move on to the next two, and on and on, until you finish.

However, after doing that, you'll still have, for example, curves made up of bunches of tiny straight segments, so that if you look closely, you could see that they are tiny straight segments and not a smooth curve. It will be all one path with no more subpaths, but still all straight segments. But now if you use Path menu > Simplify, I think, you might get a smoother curve.

Also note here, that I'm thinking of fairly simple shapes. For all I know, you're shapes are quite complex, and I'm not sure this would be these would be the best steps to take. But I thought I'd chime in with another idea

Papy Octet wrote:When I open the SVG file in Inkscape, I get my drawing but I have a big problem :
All the elemnt of the drawing are cut in many and many little traight lines to simulate curves. All elements have only 2 nodes at each end of the element.

Known issue when importing DXF files (aren't these originally plines in AutoCAD? - or whatever current acad versions call that type of curve now ;-).

Besides the script sas already linked to (it really works!) - if you have the chance to get a nightly build of Inkscape0.47+devel or even build one yourself: the new node tool - while still under development - has this feature implemented. Combine all path fragments into one path, then in the new node tool select all nodes and apply 'join selected nodes'.

At the moment the extension 'combine-subpaths' allows better fine-tuning regarding the max distance between the end nodes of separate sub-paths, but sometimes it fails or produces unexpected results :-) When this happens - 'undo' and try with changed settings or ask the author of the script - it still can save you a lot of tedious manual work.