KStatefan Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I am looking looking for a drawing file of letter and number stencils. I have stencils in a ttf file but I need to convert that into single line drawing to import to the laser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuccaro Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Write the text as normally and explode it with the TXTEXP command. Maybe in the latest versions that completes the job, in AutoCAD 2006 after exploding I must cleaning a bit using OVERKILL and BOUNDARY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencaz Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 You could explode your txt using Express Tools... You'll have to clean it up a bit but you have a lot more freedom then with a template KC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencaz Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Opps Fuccaro... Bread & butta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuccaro Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 HA HA! Kencaz! All the time people send their answer before me. This time I was the faster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coosbaylumber Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Many lasers for cutting purposes do not understand any type of a TT or Raster font. Like my friend's laser they only understand .SHX type of fonts as used in the original HP-GL language for plotters. They do not understand anything having to do with HP-GL-2 or anything else. Years ago, I got a True-type to DXF converter offa the internet. It loads in two seconds, but has poor instructions as to actual conversion. It will absorb most any modern TTF or those of a raster format, then convert to a DXF file which you can import in to your drawing. Instead of going back time after time, I did the old ABC,,,, to 123,,, to abc,,, routine and had everything converted at one time. Saves a twenty minute conversion step. Wm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 I found Desk Engrave but autocad would not open the files it created. I would like something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 From the webpage it can save to DXF - that is supported by AutoCAD - it looks like it does what TEXTEXP does though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 What is TEXTEXP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coosbaylumber Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I found Desk Engrave but autocad would not open the files it created. I would like something like that. Engraving and cutting are two different things here, and require two different types of file formats and two different operations on cutting (or engraving) machines. I really doubt that Acad could. For one thing you have to assume that the files created in Autocad are exactly how you would like things to appear when finished. Certainly not after machining and cutting has been done. You have to continue on with the process, and consider as to if that same exact file were to go on to a KCAM controlled machine. You then expect Acad to P-U and recogise all the different file formats? You are creating a file format in which your only machine will understand and heve to proceed on that basis. Alter the part (or engraving) in Acad one more time, and then process again in your desk engrave system software, and see what changes have occured. Wm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 What is TEXTEXP? From your AutoCAD Help file. TEXTEXP "Explodes Text or MText into geometry that can be assigned a thickness or an elevation." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 Thanks for your help. I found a TXTtoDXF trial program that does what I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 From the webpage it can save to DXF - that is supported by AutoCAD - it looks like it does what TEXTEXP does though. I get this error when trying to open a file created with DeskEngrave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I get this error when trying to open a file created with DeskEngrave oh that error :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 From your AutoCAD Help file. TEXTEXP "Explodes Text or MText into geometry that can be assigned a thickness or an elevation." I get this when try this command. Unknown command "TEXTEXP". Press F1 for help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I get this when try this command. Unknown command "TEXTEXP". Press F1 for help. You most likely don't have the Express Tools installed. Find your installation-disks and pop them in and find something about installing Express Tools. Your Profile is correct and you are using ACad Mech 2010? So that it's not LT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 You most likely don't have the Express Tools installed. Find your installation-disks and pop them in and find something about installing Express Tools. Your Profile is correct and you are using ACad Mech 2010? So that it's not LT? I do not have the disk it had to go back to corporate IT after I installed it. Can the express tools be downloaded? Yes I have Mechanical 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuccaro Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Try with TXTEXP, not TEXTEXP. I can't check right now, but it worth to give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.