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Thread: Solidworks Spline tool not a smooth line when exported as 2D drawing

  1. #1

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    Solidworks Spline tool not a smooth line when exported as 2D drawing

    Hello everyone

    Have another question

    but this one has been around for awhile, I looked on the Solidworks forums and this issue has been posted there a few times but with no resolution

    You make a shape in a sketch with the spline tool
    Then you export that to a drawing, the nice smooth line you had in the sketch is now a bunch of poly lines...lots of lines connected that resemble a smooth line but your smooth line is gone

    I exported the drawing to a PDF. but it seems no matter how high you put your settings in image settings or the pdf save options...you cant get your smooth line back like it was in your sketch

    If you extrude the drawing or sheet metal it...then you seem to keep your smooth lines of the spline tool...but if you just sketch then jump into a drawing with it...smooth lines are gone

    Was wondering if anyone has a work around for this

    I have a file attached as an example...if you zoom in a little on the curves youll see the lines...

    The 2020 Solidworks is much better then the 2018 version I have tried, with 2018 you could see the lines plainly and did not have to zoom in...so things are getting better.


    Thanks

    Michael
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by North_roll; 06-21-2020 at 06:18 PM.

  2. #2
    cwilliamrose's Avatar
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    If the spline was exported it may have been converted to polylines. There's a setting to control which type of entities are exported in a drawing, I think the option is to use Solidworks entities (instead of AutoCAD??). If not;

    I played with a spline in SWx 2018. When you 'save as' a PDF there are few options for output quality and maxing those out (600dpi) still results in a segmented curve. I printed it to a PDF file (using PDF-XChange 3.0) at 2400dpi and it looks much smoother. So it looks to be a resolution limitation of the Save As PDF function in SWx. I notice arcs and circles do not have this same issue as they appear smooth even at 600dpi.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by cwilliamrose; 06-22-2020 at 09:05 AM.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by cwilliamrose View Post
    If the spline was exported it may have been converted to polylines. There's a setting to control which type of entities are exported in a drawing, I think the option is to use Solidworks entities (instead of AutoCAD??). If not;

    I played with a spline in SWx 2018. When you 'save as' a PDF there are few options for output quality and maxing those out (600dpi) still results in a segmented curve. I printed it to a PDF file (using PDF-XChange 3.0) at 2400dpi and it looks much smoother. So it looks to be a resolution limitation of the Save As PDF function in SWx. I notice arcs and circles do not have this same issue as they appear smooth even at 600dpi.
    Thanks for taking the time to look at this for me

    The spline you did looks great.

    Did you put your sketch in a drawing then export to the PDF-Xchange or did you print to PDF while still in the sketch and open it in the PDF-XChange program..

    Thanks
    Michael

  4. #4
    cwilliamrose's Avatar
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    I drew the spline directly in a drawing (not a sketch) and printed it to PDF-EXchange.

  5. #5
    vondeliusc's Avatar
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    I investigated this yesterday and with nothing to add, I got a segmenty line in an extruded solid which carried through to the drawing. But with Bill's trick, putting the spline in the drawing, it comes out smooth for some reason, and I have my 'Options' smoothness cranked all the way up. Not sure what is happening. Saving as a pdf and printing to Acrobat as a pdf both wind up with segments when zoomed in. Saving it as a DXF and opening it in Adobe Illustrator it comes out smooth. Importing into
    PlasmaCAM it has segments. It is below any tolerances in real life for me so the segments are negligible. FYI
    -Christian

  6. #6
    Representing real numbers or transcendentals as "floating point" by TYPING in the language or mixed numbers as integers and rationals of very large word length is something that tries to make up for the computer fixed word length and thus no actual continuity in equations. I have Solidworks 2013 but so far have avoided getting the EAA version because earlier I once had Microsoft Visual Studio and as long as I had Basic and it's macros I could distribute my .exe's. As soon as I added a educational version of C++ all of my .exe's were blocked from distribution and after I finished the tutorials, the support files necessary to do the procedures practiced were deleted. I assume that NURBS are a type that uses large rationals in a data base form that is not a uniform grid for saving. For now I avoid splines as they fall apart when rotated as in a propeller--??? They aren't analytical but rather are a practical concept I saw used for making full size DC-10 wings using heavy hand weights with a right angle and tip and pointed "mouse tail" to load the acrylic physical splines to define the airfoil curve. (about 1969) Just before the Ozalid machines to reproduce huge rolls of blue print paper were closed down.

  7. #7

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    spline tool issue resolved
    Last edited by North_roll; 06-26-2020 at 08:37 AM.

  8. #8
    cwilliamrose's Avatar
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    I'm not sure they would consider this a problem. Drawings are typically not meant to be templates. There are a lot of potential inaccuracies introduced when you print something which is why drawings are meant to be read for their dimensional info and not scaled (measured) to obtain dimensions.

    You can use printed drawings as templates for non-critical stuff like wing rib profiles to make wooden ribs and some plans do that rather than provide dimensions. Even pounding out aluminum ribs over hand made forms could be done this way. Anything considered critical should be done using better methods IMHO.

  9. #9

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    Spline tool issue resolved..
    Last edited by North_roll; 06-26-2020 at 08:36 AM.

  10. #10
    cwilliamrose's Avatar
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    I wish I knew. There are splines then there are splines. I don't know the math but some types are considered better than others for reasons I'm unlikely to ever understand. Maybe your current CAD tool uses a different type, maybe they optimized for printed output and SWx didn't bother because it's not mission critical. I do believe SWx was aimed at mechanical design and that means formal 2D drawings as part of the output, not templates. Can you make decent enough templates for making wood parts and tooling in SWx? Of course you can but getting bogged down in levels of printed accuracy that means nothing to the process you're using will only cause frustration. I have made templates for these types of parts and tools -- there are no drawbacks from my experience. Got a few bumps? That's what I use sandpaper for,,, really.

    I have a question and I don't mean to sound like an ***hole, I'm just trying to understand the motivations. If you're happy with Fusion 360 why are you bothering with SWx? I'm happy enough with SWx after 20+ years that I feel no need to look elsewhere.
    Last edited by cwilliamrose; 06-25-2020 at 03:36 PM.

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