I find it completely fundamental in product design for CAD software to be able to import graphics such as logos from the industry’s marketing standard - Adobe. Having failed to do this with Shapr3D I would be grateful for any help. I’m keen not to lower my head with both Adobe Inc. and Shapr3D Zrt.
Question:
How do I import a vector graphics file in order to extrude and further model in Shapr3D - considering the follow points:
Considerations:
The only common file types that export from Adobe Illustrator and import to Shapr3D are .dxf and .dwg (zip attached of sample files in each format and image of Adobe Illustrator options and very simple artwork)
Using no other software other than Adobe Illustrator and Shapr3D.
Not tracing and sketching new lines from an imported artwork image.
Not simply import using the aforementioned formats, they simply don’t work!
i’d be also interested in this because i generate my .svg files programmatically but i’m afraid there is no way to import vector graphics perfectly to Shapr3D at the moment. the only - very limited - solution is to convert your files to .dxf but that also converts all the curves to small straight lines so the quality is not the same.
i checked your .dxf file and importing it results in an error but after running it through a randomly selected online tool (google: fix dxf file) i could import it (in this ugly way :D):
Thanks for sharing, gex. Your input is certainly interesting. I really hope Shapr3D keeps this thread active, as it highlights the often-overlooked connection between design and marketing. The need for Adobe compatibility can’t be overstated, and I’d love to see the community rally behind the push for this feature. If Shapr3D can fill this significant gap, I’d gladly showcase their platform in the consumer products I design. Also the other topics on this subject tend to focus on ‘what’ and not the ‘why’!
I appreciate your workaround, but as your image demonstrates, there are limitations that can’t be ignored, especially when preserving the integrity of the original detail. A slight arc inaccuracy in a logo can lead to all sorts of copyright issues (don’t let me go there!). Our example was fairly straightforward; just think of the challenges we’d face with intricate logos or detailed user instructions that need to be embossed onto products!
To get the job done I found the best solution was to save artwork from Adobe illustrator in a high resolution image in .png format, then use a good .png to .dxf converter. The converter I used for a simple graphic which provided excellent vector quality is https://convertio.co/
So while new to Shapr 3D, importing graphics has always been interesting but I have a solution that solves the problem. Keep in mind that Adobe is constantly changing the export function so at times the options have changed but what always seems to work is using DWG as the export from Illustrator.
Here is the file in AI. Text converted to paths. I always make the lines .25pt and no fills. Hit export/export as and select DWG. Change file name if needed and hit, Export. new dialogue box shows with options. Select inches = 1 unit if drawing in inches or whatever units are appropriate for your settings. Autocad version 2018 Maximum edibility and hit OK.
I’m not sure why the term “marketing standard” was used, but Illustrator is now and has always been used for much more. It’s been the global illustration and design standard for production in countless industries and formats for over 25 years.
When the sketching abilities of Shapr3D are themselves some 20 years behind industry standards, it’s a tough pill to swallow not being able to import vectors easily from somewhere else in the most widely used formats. ai, svg, eps, vector-PDF.
I mean you can’t even do boolean operations or alignment on sketch elements in Shapr, so what’s the point? You have to move immediately to 3 dimensions to get anything done. But it would save so much time to lay out a complex shape as a sketch first.
