Acad lt 2012 text

I am trying to take any arial style text that is filled (or block style) and make it outline form.

I use GERBER in the end and my conversion software does not support many types of the fonts that my customers send me.

I can convert outlines no problem though.

Any suggestions?

The issue is that Truetype fonts don't have edges. They are stacks of pixels, more or less. Nothing to vectorize.

Here is a link to an Arial-ish font you can download. It's an outline font.

I appreciate that ... but that will not quite solve my problem as it is a bit more complex than that. Is there no way to outline text as I was speaking of in AutoCAD 2012 LT ?

Yeah, I didn't think it was a good solution anyway. There have been a few threads on the forum in the last year or so on the subject of converting TT fonts to outline characters, but I have not found one with a viable solution yet. One even suggested tracing over the alphabet with polylines. That may be fine for ONE sign, but not for a large block of text, and I speak from experience

I recently had to do a 60" diameter clock face with roman numerals for a local amusement park. It took me almost 8 hours to trace out the 12 numerals with closed polylines. I am not looking forward to the next time I have to do something like that. They had to look like old world cast iron in the end, but my drawing was converted to water jet g-code, the numerals were cut from 1/4" steel plate and then some gorilla took a BFH to them to give them "The Look". I never thought I would post this picture even once, let alone twice in one evening.

There are plenty of graphic arts programs out there that will make any kind of lettering needed, but they ain't cheap.

In older versions of Autocad you could explode the text and work from there, but for some reason, in post 2007 versions, text will no longer explode. Anyway, that is still only viable for maybe an exit sign or something.

Like I said, you will find most of the truetype fonts uncooperative in turning to vector drawings. In Autoocad lines have to be vectors. Truetype fonts are like Lego sculptures.

Hopefully, there is someone on the forum that has an idea. I'd like to be able to do signage and graphics too.

It's a tough spot I'm in.

I should and can elaborate a bit... because using HPGL out of AutoCAD has worked in the past on my computer for kicking out a .plt file.

But the same exact software in another computer will not give me the same result.... same parameter set up... etc... possibly the HPGL drivers colliding with other drivers on different systems? ... huge question mark ... that nobody for several years has been able to figure out.... by the way.. .me personally have been doing this for many many years. If anyone out there can confirm that this is in fact an HPGL driver issue that I would greatly appreciate it.

SHX fonts are built with lines, not dots, and may be more suitable for the task once you find the one font you like then explode it with WMFOUT/WMFIN procedure.

Thank you ... I did in fact try the WMF procedure and it does not hold true to scale (even doing the 2X on the read back in). The text is customer driven and I have no control over what it is coming in... nor can I change it in any way from their requirements. Thanks though

Unforunately, the HPGL just does not work like it used to ... with a nice outline around the text... it fills it with thousands of lines now.

Unforunately, the HPGL just does not work like it used to ... with a nice outline around the text... it fills it with thousands of lines now.

What is the end use of the text, cutting machine of some sort? You want to end up with this type of outline, I think. The top 2 samples are the same font, the top has not been cleaned for minimal machine moves, the second has. Third has been cleaned, 4th hasn't.

Any tolerance issues?

SAMPLE FONT.DXF

I apologize as I did not get an email that you had responded to me and I just came back onto the forum here since the weekend.

I just looked at the DXF file you sent and yes the top 2 lines is in fact how it would normally look out of my HPGL command from ACAD as a .plt file.

I can send you what it looks like now as a DXF to show you how it fills the inside of the outline of the text with many many lines.

The text is for screen printing for electronics with very very tight tolerances for specific text they are printing.

Do you want me to send you a DXF of the one I cannot use?

The reason I only need the outline is because I then can make the 1 mil line into a zero width line in my GERBER editor and fill it.

When there are multiple lines on the incorrect output I cannot successfully fill it.

Thanks for your help

Send me a PM with the specific font and some of the wording and we'll see what happens. Give me a 2nd choice font as well for test purposes.

Hi... on the first one I am after just the 8S L1 that is spelled backwards.

On the second one there is text all over... so take your pick on that one.

All I would like is for the text to be an outline in both cases here.

Thank you

TEXT--2.dxf

TEXT-1.dxf

Since you didn't specify a font, I used simple Arial, top is semi-bold, bottom is bold.

If you turn on your PM ability, I'll give you more information on how I did this, if its what you're after.

FORUM TEST.DXF

That would be great if you could explain how you took my text and made them in outline form.

Top or bottom would work.

I do not know what PM is ?.... to be able to turn it on. Could you also tell me how to do that?

Thank you so much.

in the upper right corner, under settings, then on the left side 2/3 the way down, under general settings you'll find an option to enable private messaging (PM's).

To PM someone, simply click on the user name and an option to PM them will show up.

Okay... got it ... it's enabled.

Still says you've chosen not to receive them. Might have to double check that members and not just administrators is checked.

Says it is anyway ... but I do not see PM when I click on your username

Now it should be working...