I am trying to create a sketch of the company logo for use in engraving parts. The sketch turns out huge and getting all the constraints fixed without problems is a nightmare. What is a good way to go about this?
Thanks, Brent.
Either: Don't try & do it all in one sketch, build it up in easy to manage chunks and group them once you're done, or if you have the logo in another vector format, import and use edge on it to create geometry.
Sketcher is not really appropriate for vector work - create your logo in a dedicated vector package such as Illustrator/Corel and import it. These also have functionality to find edges in bitmaps - scanned images etc.
Open as a dxf or in sketcher:
Sketch > data from file > .ai [adobe illustrator]
Sean
That's how we do it too. Have fun positioning your coordinate system for your import feature ;-)
Thanks for your reply, Sean. The logo was originally created in adobe, cleaned up in AutoCAD, and imported. The resulting quantity of individual lines makes the sketcher freak. I was hoping there was a way to turn off the necessity for constraints, or something similar. I should also add that I am using Pro/Mfg to engrave, and that this is a recurring task, at different scales on different parts. I guess I may end up making a separate program in a different package and tacking it to the programs that Pro/Mfg puts out. Not a real clean way, it seems. Thanks, Brent.
I import it into an empty part as a curve (not into sketcher), bring that part into an assembly with the part I want to modify, scale the part (scale model) and position and size it as needed. I then activate the part that needs a logo and copy the stuff in. You can reference it in extrusions, project it for surface trims or whatever works.
I've found that curves from AI sometimes get their handles reversed, causing little loops you can hardly see, but the intersections muck up subsequent features.
Another way to create curves with no constraints is in ISDX Style. You can import a jpg or sketch or whatever, scale it and move it around, then click and drag splines over it in Style.
FYI, ISDX Style is a great way to create curves for future conventional surfacing operations. Curve though points with "Tweaks" is fairly weak in comparison.
New for WF 3.0 is the ability to use curves for "Engraving". Used to be just grooves or cosmetic features or something. Curves is way more useful IMO.
Maybe part of the problem is how you imported it from ACAD. IGES, if an option, would be worlds better than DXF. Why DXF? Some of this depends on where you're getting your geometry, because if it's not from a model, but from a drawing, it's going to translate, most easily, to another drawing; if from a 3D model, then likely, more easily to another solid model, and this applies, whether surfaces or solids in the original. So, it's like I'm trying to deal with a story where I came in about half way through and missed the good part. Sorry, I guess I just don't get it.
BTW, re: logos, people photochemically etch logos, laser etch full color photos, put holograms on parts, print UID stickers and there must be a dozen other commonly used ways to mark parts, none of which involve the most incrediby awkward tool in the world for graphics, i.e. Pro/ENGINEER, beyond identifying the place on the part where it should be marked. It's just sometimes more trouble than it's worth to make a single application do everything. But, if you absolutely needed, say, an outline of the logo for your mill to follow, P MAN's suggestion, to use ISDX and points/edges on the imported graphic as snapping reference for a Style feature, is the best. As we understand the question. So far. Yadah yadah blah blah blah wadah wadah ciss boom bah umm diddly dumm diddly dumm haaah haaah haaah
David Janes
I cleaned it up in AutoCAD because I am a little faster in 2d vector stuff and still find ACAD good for that type of thing. Don't remember how I imported it- could have been dxf or iges or dwg.
I'm still pretty green on Pro/E, so you will have to bear with me. What is ISDX? and Style? I don't remember running across that stuff in the docs I have read, but will the next time I have the chance. We do laser etching and pad-printing, but I guess the powers-that-be like the permanence and appearance of quality that engraving brings. (These are hand tools for the end-consumer, and they need a "Snap-on" quality to them, so sometimes engraving is requested) I was just surprised that Pro/e was so anal about having everything constrained, but I agree with the philosophy. It just doesn't work too good for this one case. I bring in a sketch of the logo with a hundred entities, and it constrains everything- now how do I make a simple change, if I decide the "S" in the logo is a little crooked? Depending on how it decides to constrain, a simple mod ends up being skewed every which way. I just couldn't figure out a good way to get around this issue. I have in the past broken it up into pieces, just as someone suggested, but wondered if I was missing something. Given that I have to engrave, and I want to use Pro/Mfg, I wanted to make a palette sketch and just bring it in as a groove feature and engrave it. Pro/e is so huge, I just figure there are some nooks and crannies I need to find. Thanks, Brent. p.s. some of the parts :
messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthl>
option, would be worlds better than DXF. Why DXF? Some of this depends on where you're getting your geometry, because if it's not from a model, but from a drawing, it's going to translate, most easily, to another drawing; if from a 3D model, then likely, more easily to another solid model, and this applies, whether surfaces or solids in the original. So, it's like I'm trying to deal with a story where I came in about half way through and missed the good part. Sorry, I guess I just don't get it.
photos, put holograms on parts, print UID stickers and there must be a dozen other commonly used ways to mark parts, none of which involve the most incrediby awkward tool in the world for graphics, i.e. Pro/ENGINEER, beyond identifying the place on the part where it should be marked. It's just sometimes more trouble than it's worth to make a single application do everything. But, if you absolutely needed, say, an outline of the logo for your mill to follow, P MAN's suggestion, to use ISDX and points/edges on the imported graphic as snapping reference for a Style feature, is the best. As we understand the question. So far. Yadah yadah blah blah blah wadah wadah ciss boom bah umm diddly dumm diddly dumm haaah haaah haaah
Why DXF? Because if the translation is going to following way; Adobe to Autocad to Exported Data then Autocad won't export to Iges unless you have release 14 or earlier. If you have R14 and you export to Iges the problem Polymer Man mentioned about the curves making tiny loops on themselves goes away. We've had that problem too.
Why DXF? Because if the translation is going to following way; Adobe to Autocad to Exported Data then Autocad won't export to Iges unless you have release 14 or earlier. If you have R14 and you export to Iges the problem Polymer Man mentioned about the curves making tiny loops on themselves goes away. We've had that problem too.
I guess, where I'm stuck is that I don't know AI or even why the more capable program has to be filtered through the less capable one. "Clean up" the AI file? Can't imagine why a logo would have to be cleaned up. But won't AI export a Pro/e friendly vector graphic format? IGES is useful in sketcher. Can AI export an IGES? I'd do anything I could to skip DXF and ACAD, including getting a PTC or third party translator.
David Janes
messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@q69g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthl> >
option, would be worlds better than DXF. Why DXF? Some of this depends on where you're getting your geometry, because if it's not from a model, but from a drawing, it's going to translate, most easily, to another drawing; if from a 3D model, then likely, more easily to another solid model, and this applies, whether surfaces or solids in the original. So, it's like I'm trying to deal with a story where I came in about half way through and missed the good part. Sorry, I guess I just don't get it.
photos, put holograms on parts, print UID stickers and there must be a dozen other commonly used ways to mark parts, none of which involve the most incrediby awkward tool in the world for graphics, i.e. Pro/ENGINEER, beyond identifying the place on the part where it should be marked. It's just sometimes more trouble than it's worth to make a single application do everything. But, if you absolutely needed, say, an outline of the logo for your mill to follow, P MAN's suggestion, to use ISDX and points/edges on the imported graphic as snapping reference for a Style feature, is the best. As we understand the question. So far. Yadah yadah blah blah blah wadah wadah ciss boom bah umm diddly dumm diddly dumm haaah haaah haaah
program has to be filtered through the less capable one. "Clean up" the AI file? Can't imagine why a logo would have to be cleaned up. But won't AI export a Pro/e friendly vector graphic format? IGES is useful in sketcher. Can AI export an IGES? I'd do anything I could to skip DXF and ACAD, including getting a PTC or third party translator.
I just know that doing it via iges usually eliminates the problem of splines looping back on themselves, which makes it impossible to use them as edges. AI won't export to Iges, only to formats like jpg, tiff, dwg, eps etc.
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