Newbie illustrator to Autocad to .DXF question

[OMalley]

I have asked in other forums and couldn't get an answer.

This forum doesn't have a newbie section and I tried different search terms and couldn't find an answer (probably because I don't know exactly what to ask for)

Here is my problem. I can design plate steel parts in autoCAD LT2004 pretty quickly. But when it comes to true design work, it needs to be done in something other than AutoCAD hence Illustrator. I have tried doing inserting text to my plate parts in AutoCAD but when I save it as a .dxf and open it in my plasma software, it is converted to .txt and is never in the right spot. I try to design text in Illustrator, export as a .dxf and insert into the Autocad file and the file is WAY to big (physically and still not the right format). If I can scale it down to the right size to work with my autocad drawing, save it as a .DXF and open it in my Plasma software, it looks garbled. I am missing something somewhere and I don't know where to start. I contacted Komatsu and their software guy didn't have any suggestions other than coming to this forum for help.

My plasma table is a Komatsu Twister 30KW, 150amp plasma
AutoCAD LT2004
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Rasornest (came with plasma table)
Pathmaster (Came with Plasma table)

Any suggestions as I am tired of wasting the few hours I have to design stuff and I know that there is a better way to do this.

[srp]

OMalley-I don't know if I can help you any for I use neither ACAD nor Illustrator. I did have a LT Acad in the past but I only used it to translate other drawings into a readable file for my cnc controller(Edge). If my memory serves me well I remember that ACAD fonts would not translate well. If there is a command that will explode the text into components and then try saving or exporting as a dxf. Be sure to check all the setting when you save the file. There may be something there that you can check off that will expot text as curves. This also goes for AI- expot as curves. Most of these guys use Corel.- John

[OMalley]

SRP,

When I tried exploding the text, it changes the arial bold font to a .txt font. I know it has something to do with how I have the file in Illustrator but I am not sure what I need to do with the file in Illustrator before I bring it into autocad. Perhaps I need to do the parts in ACAD and then bring them into Illustrator?

[srp]

omalley- I found a couple of sites that might be of help
http://en.allexperts.com/q/AutoCAD-1029 ... d-help.htm
http://www.tcfonts.com/ They have trial downloads.
One asks a question and the other describes their software. When they speak about a tool in the Express tool box - With the LT version some of these thing may be missing and not available in thart version. If you do your work in AI - Including your text editing you should be able to bring into ACAD via dxf and do what you need to do. With those two programs you should be good to go. Hopefully someone on the forum works with AI to give more advice. - John

[OMalley]

I have the explode option on mine, but it changes the text from the font selected (say arial) back to .txt or straight line type of text.

I am positive that I am doing something wrong in Illustrator but not sure exactly what. Wish someone who has experience with Illustrator would post up!

Thanks,

OMalley

[srp]

OMalley - I have download a trial version of a conversion program. Send me an email with attached a SHX file and I will see what this will do. You may have an explode function but I doubt if you have text explode. Seems when I was using LT this was also a problem. John
John@sweeneyridge.com

[OMalley]

I can't export in an shx file. The only way I can save is either .dwg, .dxf or export as .wmf. I know that this should be simple but I am having a hell of a time figuring this out

[srp]

OMalley- Would you send me your dxf or dwg file with a regular acad drawing and text in the drawing of what you are trying to accomplish. I will see what I can do with it.- John
john@sweeneyridge.com

[OMalley]

Finally found the answer on another board. I can draw the text but need to change the text's width factor to something other than 1 (1.001 or .999) to fool autocad. ( I have LT2004 so I couldn't use express tools) Once I have the text drawn and inserted like I want it, I then export the text as a .wmf file, re-import the .wmf file and then can explode the text so that instead of text I now have lines and arcs that once exported as a .dxf, I still look like what I designed. Pretty cool

[srp]

OMalley - Glad to see you are up and flying! - John