can't read Qcad DXF with other applications

[warydragon]

I have been creating and printing files with the "open source" version included with Fedora Core 9 and I just purchased Qcad for Linux and got it running fine.

It loads the DXF files I created with the "open source" version fine.

My problem is that I cannot load the DXF files createdd with either version of Qcam into other applications for CAD/CAM work.

The files saved with Qcad will not load into any of the applications I am using Autocad LT or Autoshetch or the applications my friend with the laser cutting machine is using.

I'm getting several different errors with different files. Several varible errors seem to be ignored but these seem to be the problems in three different files:

Unknown group 281 for table on line 204
Invalid or incomplete DXF input --- drawing discarded.

error 5 in drawing header on line 82

error 5 in drawing header on line 114

I tried saving the file in both the DXF and DXF R12 formats with the same error and a different line number result.

Help.

Thank you,

Fred

[ccpetersen]

Sorry, meant to reply not post an additional message.

[ttrw]

Hi Fred!

I covered some basic functions that you could do in ACAD while importing QCad files here;

http://www.ribbonsoft.com/rsforum/viewt ... light=#723

Try leaving out all text too. Text seems, oddly, to 'rotate' every 4 months or so, or every time a M$ security patch is released!

Autodesk are notorious in making it almost impossible for you to use their file system with any other applications (this is a well known fact), that is why I highly recommend that one should bin or wipe all copies of AutoCAD, replacing them with the far more friendlier (and superior of course) Ribbonsoft-based system.

I hope this helps

[darwin_finch]

I'm having a problem too with sending QCAD's DXF files to vendors. Most of them report back that they cannot open them, even after all text has been removed.

I don't have AutoCAD, so I can't open the files and convert them... the best I can do is hope/ask the vendor to find ways to make QCAD files work in their system. This seems a bit much to ask of a vendor; it would be nice to be able to send them a DXF file (or other?) that works with most systems.

If a DXF file has nothing but lines and arcs, shouldn't it be mostly portable? What in a simple DXF file could cause errors?

Is anyone developing a better and more reliable standard for drawings, if the DXF format is experiencing a kind of digital cancer?

QCAD's interface is so easy and quick and clever... I love it. But the fact that it cannot output compatible DXF files is..... fatal.

--

[andrew]

Note that many applications only support DXF R12 while QCad outputs DXF 2000 by default. You can save a file explicitly as DXF R12 by choosing that format in the file exporter. What can also cause problems for other applications are special characters in layer names, very long layer names, too many layers, etc.

QCad will probably offer DXF/DWG import and export based on the DWGDirect libraries from the OpenDesign alliance at one point. Until then, you might want to use their free tools to convert between different DXF versions: http://www.opendesign.com/guestfiles

[darwin_finch]

Note that many applications only support DXF R12 while QCad outputs DXF 2000 by default. You can save a file explicitly as DXF R12 by choosing that format in the file exporter. What can also cause problems for other applications are special characters in layer names, very long layer names, too many layers, etc.

QCad will probably offer DXF/DWG import and export based on the DWGDirect libraries from the OpenDesign alliance at one point. Until then, you might want to use their free tools to convert between different DXF versions: http://www.opendesign.com/guestfiles

Thanks for the info andrew. I'm sure you've addressed this question before so thanks for taking the time to repost. I have to admit that I simply didn't notice previously that there were options for what kind of DXF to save. I went back and quickly found the R12 option in the Save dialog. thx

[txsbaker]

I cannot get AutoCAD 2007 to work properly with QCad DXF files. I have saved in both the standard and R12 formats. I can see the R12 version in EDrawings, but not in ACAD.

I like QCad as a stand-alone, simple tool, but it is not feasible to use it in production right now with this and other issues (slow performance once the drawing gets even moderately complex).

I hope that there is an update coming soon that will address the DXF issues at the least. Switching to the Open Design libraries may be the best possible course of action for future development. I can't imagine that building your own libraries would be more cost effective or less time consuming.

[andrew]

I hope that there is an update coming soon that will address the DXF issues at the least. Switching to the Open Design libraries may be the best possible course of action for future development. I can't imagine that building your own libraries would be more cost effective or less time consuming.

Yes, that's the long-term plan (within about a year).