Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing

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Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing

rherr
Greetings,
Lcad 2.0.7, Slackware Linux 14.1
I have several mechanical drawings created in another drawing tool and "exported" into Postscript files.  I would like to convert them to DXF files for Librecad editing. Does anyone have a procedure and/or recommendations  to convert the Postscript files into DXF files to be edited in Librecad?
Thanks.
Girvin Herr

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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

rherr
Solved!
I discovered pstoedit  http://www.pstoedit.net/ , which converts Postscript files to other vector graphics formats, including DXF.  I ran a test case through it and it was successful.  I was able to edit the test figure in Lcad as if I had created it in Lcad.
This will save me a ton of work redrawing the drawings, as well as greatly reducing probable errors.
Girvin Herr
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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

dxli
nice to know.

It would be wonderful, if we can import SVG as well as dxf/dwg

rherr wrote
Solved!
I discovered pstoedit  http://www.pstoedit.net/ , which converts Postscript files to other vector graphics formats, including DXF.  I ran a test case through it and it was successful.  I was able to edit the test figure in Lcad as if I had created it in Lcad.
This will save me a ton of work redrawing the drawings, as well as greatly reducing probable errors.
Girvin Herr
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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

rherr
dxli,
Yes, that would be nice.  I heard Inkscape was capable of converting to DXF.  However, my test cases always crashed Lcad when I tried to open them.  I noticed that Inkscape's DXF output is not exactly correct.  I am not a DXF expert, but I think it has something to do with Inkscape's DXF output being for a DXF printer file, probably not exactly the same as a DXF editor file.  That difference may be why Lcad crashed.

Back in May, I posted a question about scaling imported images.  Mainly not being able to "select" the imported image to scale it down to fit my sheet sizes.  Back then, the thread result was that Lcad could not do that, so I left the thread get dormant.  Before I posted this question about file conversion, I revisited that thread and discovered some additional postings regarding my problem.  There were a couple of responses that disclaimed the lack of capability and gave a process to try, so I will need to revisit that problem and see if the solutions work.  What I was trying to do is to import an "assembly" drawing bit-map file (jpeg, etc.) generated by the gEDA PCB printed circuit board editor.  If it would work, I could import the assembly drawing into Lcad and use Lcad to add the arrows and parts list item number cartouches to the assembly drawing.  I had been using gEDA's gschem schematic capture program to do this, but it is not really the right tool.  I was hoping I could switch to Lcad to do this.  Now my hope is resurrected, but I must test it first. 

Take care.
Girvin


On 09/20/2015 04:50 PM, dxli [via LibreCAD] wrote:
nice to know.

It would be wonderful, if we can import SVG as well as dxf/dwg

rherr wrote
Solved!
I discovered pstoedit  http://www.pstoedit.net/ , which converts Postscript files to other vector graphics formats, including DXF.  I ran a test case through it and it was successful.  I was able to edit the test figure in Lcad as if I had created it in Lcad.
This will save me a ton of work redrawing the drawings, as well as greatly reducing probable errors.
Girvin Herr



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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

ravas
In reply to this post by dxli
This is another reason why the Graphics View Framework would be useful for CAD.
http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicssvgitem.html#details
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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

ravas
In reply to this post by dxli
I think it's smart to make SVG a priority for LC3.
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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

R. van Twisk
Administrator

> On Sep 21, 2015, at 10:03 PM, ravas [via LibreCAD] <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I think it's smart to make SVG a priority for LC3.

For LC3 top priority is a 'engine' not a output or input format.
handling SVG for CAD is relative easy.

Specially for CAD I believe it's important to beable to exchange files,
it's important to beable to read/write DXF/DWG/SVG rather then to
have to depend on some specific format like SVG.

Plain 2D CAD only use very little types of entities, but what we do we must handle correct,
that's the hard part.





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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

R. van Twisk
Administrator
In reply to this post by ravas



On Sep 21, 2015, at 10:01 PM, ravas [via LibreCAD] <[hidden email]> wrote:

This is another reason why the Graphics View Framework would be useful for CAD.
http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicssvgitem.html#details

One other thing I like to mention is this.
If LibreCAD chooses Qt as a dependency for it's core engine, then you rule
out a lot of project potentially using LibreCAD. For example all mobile development
isn't possible anymore because that requires and buying a license.

Also if you depend on graphics view you rule out all projects that want to include and use LibreCAD
that don't use Qt in it's core. Therefor I like to make thing's pluggable and only depend on
MIT/BSD third party libraries to ensure that what we make can be used in a variety of software,
commercial or non commercial.


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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

ravas
This post was updated on .
In reply to this post by R. van Twisk
I recommend choosing a different name such as "LibreCAD Engine".
It is confusing for "LibreCAD 3" to be an engine when "LibreCAD 2" is a program.

It seems cleaner for the engine to have its own repository that doesn't have any GUI or extras.
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Re: Converting Postscript files to DXF files for LCAD editing -SOLVED

ravas
In reply to this post by R. van Twisk
I agree with your choice to make an engine that can be used with various frameworks.
I'm just pointing out that Qt is making progress toward being a standalone CAD toolkit,
even if it is a bloated one... ;-]