I am trying to get started with using Inkscape for CNC cutting (plasma/laser/router/etc). I work at a CNC shop and have some experience with using Inkscape for drawing, but have not used it much to edit or create `dxf` files. I searched through the forum for `dxf` threads but I was overwhelmed with number of plugins and tips and tricks that are being mentioned. I am not sure what still applies to 0.48 and what plugins I should use. My goal is to be able to preinstall and configure Inkscape on our CNC machines before they are shipped to the client. Before I get there I need to know what the current state is, and what modifications I need to make.

Are there any up to date guides that would help me with this? If not, can you assist me with some of the following questions?

* What plugins do I need to use for 0.48 to improve working with `dxf` files?
* What configurations do I need to make so drawings can have an accurate size? I looked at a number of tutorials about this, but not sure if I found the best answer yet.

The dxf file I create in Inkscape will be exported to sheetcam which is a profiling software that takes care of kerf. So I dont need to deal with kerf in Inkscape itself (unless that function becomes really easy and awesome). But as long as the drawing is accurate and creates a usable `dxf`, then it should be enough.

Sorry if I am throwing too many questions in one post. I am just starting this Journey, so I did not want to miss any important advice. Any help is appreciated!

ps: This is my first post here, so hi everyone! and thanks for creating this awesome community

I'd try this workflow:

Create drawing using no fill and no stroke. Use Menu: View>Display Mode>Outline.
Convert all objects to paths.
Save as SVG.
Save a copy as DXF.
Import DXF to sheetcam.

Chime back and let us know how you get along.

Thanks for the quick reply. I tried that and the first issue I am running into is that after saving the dxf and opening it again in Inkscape, it becomes very very small. You can see the difference in scale in this image side by side:



Any idea why this is happening?

I like to be able to continue editing the DXF file in Inkscape since it was created there. Next I am going to try to import that into sheetcam and will report back. But if you have any suggestions how to fix this scaling issue let me know!

I suggest only using SVG for the working copy and output DXF just for use in Sheetcam.

I'd use mm or inches as the default units in Inkscape, since Sheetcam can work with those.