So, unusual post, here is a step-by-step guide to import your Illustrator or Affinity Designer (or any other vector image softwares) designs to sketches into Shapr3D, while keeping the intended scale.
I had myself a big recurring user case on that, and did not see myself recreating them from a JPG picture everytime while I’ve already done a precise design in my vector imaging software. Biiiig time saver, I tell you that.
Simply said, you will export your design into PDF, then make that PDF into a DXF, and then importing it into Shapr3D.
- Make your design under your vector image software, we don’t care which one as long as it can export to vectorized PDFs.
- PREPARATION : Make the intended boolean operations to get the vectors as close as you would like to find them as a sketch in Shapr3D (to merge shapes…). The lines on your vector design will be the lines in the Shapr3D sketch.
- IMPORTANT : have all your design in stroke color only (no fill).
- EXPORT as PDF.
- Download and open QCAD (https://qcad.org). It might work with other CAD softwares, and I have not tested any other.
- Go to FILE > IMPORT and find your PDF file. There, magic will happen, your design will have kept its dimensions. Click somewhere to place the design and save it as a DXF (default file format of QCAD, easy peasy).
- Open Shapr3D, open your design, and import the DXF File. If the design doesn’t show, it probably means you have skipped step 2.
That’s all!
P.S. for the mods of the forum: I didn’t know where to put that guide on the forum, so if you wanna move it, feel free. I mean, you’re the mods 