How can I imprt a solidworks file to creo without loosing the Features?

[mcielok]

Hi Everyone. Does anybody knows what kind of file can be open from solid works to creo without loosing the features from the model tree?

Thanks

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[GerardLeclercq]

Not possible (for the moment, I hope). SeeSearchable Viewables - PDF

[mcielok]

Thank you Gerald, laconic, but time saving. Here's why I couldn't find a way. How it is possible that a sophisticated CAD misses this feature?

The content linked seems no longer available.

Bye

[GerardLeclercq]

"The content linked seems no longer available." Try again, I had a lot of difficulties to insert that link. This is idea 3102.

[FriedhelmK]

>"The content linked seems no longer available."

The link is working fine but the old problem,

the ideas are visible only for people with an active maintenance contract.

Drafting and Annotation are printing like a plotter.

The content of the drawing and also the font is converted into vectors and arcs.

[dschenken]

Check out AI MAXTools from Aspiration Innovation, Inc.

I found a message from them on the CoCreateUsers.org website. They apparently provide general CoCreate conversion tools, but specifically mentioned .mi to PDF conversion. They claim PTC PartnerAdvantage status.

[awall-2]

Hi,

I have another question. Whether a PDF printing SDK is necessary or not for the work? I am testing about the related programs these days. I want to look for a fine professional 3rd party PDF toolkit whose way of processing is simple and fast to help me with the related work. It will be better if it is totally manual and can be customized by users according to our own favors. Do you have any ideas about it? Or any good suggestion? Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

Arron

[MaxKublin]

I think the answer was given by Friedhelm already.

Drafting and Annotation are printing like a *plotter*, which means they are actually *plotting* vectors and arcs

for *everything* (geometry and text).

Therefore, *no* Software Package will help you to create your PDF with searchable text,

unless you find a package whichncan directly convert a MI-File into PDF without using Drafting and/or Annotation.

Regards,

Max

[lfortner]

Ok Max.

We did understand how Drafting/Annotation are producing PDF right now.

Probably we do expect PTC will enhance this process to produce searchable PDF by its own.

After all, Microsoft Word 2010 has already a bundled feature to save a DOCX into PDF, which is searchable. I would like to proceed the same.

I put this wish to all my best for the upcoming new year 🙂

[mcielok]

Louis,

I fully concur both with expectation from PTC and with new year's wishes!

[GerardLeclercq]

Another advantage of having true characters in the PDF is that the viewing in a PDF viewer is of outstanding quality.

In some circonstances, a PDF done by Drafting is almost not readable when the page is fit in the viewer window.

[FriedhelmK]

Yes, would be nice if that could be realized.

In the implementation the main problem might be that drafting and annotation for the fonts of text and dimensioning using internal character definitions.
That means no Windows True Fonts.
Other older CAD programs make it in the same way, for example ACAD.
in order to obtain real, editable text in a document there must be embedded True Fonts.
But what other Windows application knows hp_block_v, hp_i3098_v and all the others.
You'd have to change the whole text system.
And what happens to all the old drawings?
How could them make this compatible?

[GerardLeclercq]

Easy to say but maybe not to implement:

When using Windows fonts such as Arial in Drafting, the translation in PDF should be possible.

When using Drafting fonts such as hp_block_v, a new Windows font can be created.

[FriedhelmK]

If you will use in Drafting a Windows font it will be first translated into the character format of Drafting and then loaded.

This is done with the command CONVERT_TO_ME10_FONT.

CONVERT_TO_ME10_FONT command Converts a TrueType or Type 1 font to PTC Creo Elements / Direct Drafting font.

The binary font is stored in:

"C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\CoCreate_or_PTC\Shared\drafting_version\fonts\xyz.fnt"

[GerardLeclercq]

I know. But the main definitions of the Windows font used in Drafting are known: Name, size, ratio, slant, ...

Indeed some parameters may not be compatible such as slant and frame. Possible solution: having a warning if that there is a slanted text which will be translated normal. Frame can be translated into simple lines. We can afford having some discrepancies in text, since they will be alone: circles are translated into polygons, for example.

[GerardLeclercq]

There could be a way, but there are some customizations to do. From Drafting, store as SVG. Open the SVG file in Inkscape (free) and save as PDF. The texts are selectable.

But text attributes are not correctly translated (ratio at least). Where does that come from? I think that the Drafting to SVG translator is faulty. Because viewing the same SVG file generated by Drafting in Inkscape, FireFox or Internet Explorer, the text attributes are not correct.

[mcielok]

Drafting translator being faulty is one of the issues! It seem that in the resulting pdf, texts are searchable after replacing Drafting fonts with suitable ones, migrating from mi to dwg and printing the pdf. Unfortunately, saving dwg files with such fonts gives wrong text proportions, ever since I've been using ME10/Drafting.

Well, I suppose that now my chief would expect me to make drawings... Shouldn't PTC be supposed to provide for this matter?

Tomorrow I'm going to try to first save dwg and then replace the fonts. I'll advise the results.

[GerardLeclercq]

When I did the test, I used Arial font since it exists both in Drafting and in Windows. I was reaaly surprised that (at least) the ratio was not correctly translated.Indeed, I thought that it should be simpler for Drafting to translate Arial than hp_i3098_v for example. Moreover, when you use Arial for the first time, Drafting creates it on the fly from Windows font file. It is not really understandable.

I did also the test with dwg by using DraftSigh. Same problem of ratio. And when I print in PDF from DraftSigh, the text is not searchable.

What application do you use to get searchable text from dwg files?

Which fonts?

[mcielok]

It seems I'm using nothing different from you (meanwhile: switching the order between replacement of fonts and saving dwg does not change the result): I set the font of all texts to Arial, save dwg file (both ACad 14 and 2010 version work) open with DraftSight and print with Adobe PDF. The printer behavior regarding fonts may be adjusted in Advanced properties (TrueType font:...) and editing Default Settings in the Adobe PDF Settings form; but I deem these are some "Let's-try-this-too!" options...

An acceptable attempt I made to provide our client with good quality dwg files, appears (just tried) suitable to print searchable text pdf files. It consists of searching for the text parameters that change and measuring them: shortly, I give the following instructions to Drafting:

CHANGE_TEXT_FONTNAME 'Arial' SELECT GLOBAL FONT 'hp_i3098_v' CONFIRM;

CHANGE_TEXT_RATIO .56 GLOBAL ALL

Make obviously sure of the correct sequence (should you already have some Arial texts in your native file, only the original hp_i3098_v, or whatever, should have the ratio changed).

Dimensions text font should be changed as well; you will get still discrepancies with framed or ballooned texts and I'm not sure whether the reference point of each text block could influence the final result.

I Hope this might help (but always wait for a definitive solution!).

[GerardLeclercq · Accepted solution]

Why not customizing the file DXFDWG.con file instead of using macros?

[mcielok]

Mmmmmmh...

This is an idea... I haven't been thinking of .con files for years... Curiosity will have to wait until the Ammonia loop steam generator allows me to make some try. Or until it is satisfied by you! Thanks Gerard, for the moment; I'll let you know.

[mcielok]

First tries gave ambivalent results... Dxfdwg.con is able to affect the translation, yet I couldn't reach univocal effects for different original fonts, so I finally got some texts with wrong dimensions.

I'll keep the thread up to date with any further progress.

[mcielok]

Got it!!!

Finally I made up my mind to focus and set the correct translation rules in dxfdwg.con.

Dwg files are good and the pdf print from DraftSight preserve texts!

Thank you again for the idea Gerard.