I import drawings created in AutoCAD into Illustrator so I can add callouts, etc. for my technical manuals. The whole thing is then saved as a TIFF and imported into Adobe FrameMaker. My question is this: for some reason, when I open the AutoCAD file in Illustrator, the fonts get all funky (that's the technical term ). In AutoCAD, the fonts are laid out in the correct perspective to the 3D objects on which they are placed, but when I convert the document by opening it in Illustrator, the fonts look like they're just placed on the object in 2D, without reference to the object's 3D perspective. Does that make any sense?? I'll be happy to share an example with someone so you can see exactly what I mean. I do not have AutoCAD on my machine, only Illustrator, so I need to know if it's a setting in Illustrator that I need to tweak, or something I need to ask my drafter to do when he creates the files in AutoCAD. Please help!!!
Okay, so for those of us who don't know, have, or use AutoCAD, can you translate that thread to English? Rhino? MAKE2D? Bi-dimensional vector image? One poster wrote:
>>autocad has a flatten command that will flatten 3d to 2d. it is interesting because it will flatten based on the view and project the 2d in that 3d view.<<
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, because I don't know how AutoCAD works, but I don't want the image to be 2D, I want it to stay 3D. The image, BTW, is of computer pieces & parts and I'm bringing it into Illustrator to plunk an arrow on it & say, "See? This little knobby thingy here..." Other than having my drafter put the arrows on it and save it out directly as a TIFF so it doesn't distort the font, is there a viable solution? Is it something he's going to have to do in AutoCAD or something I need to do in Illustrator (like the way I open or convert the DWG file)?
Not trying to be bossy... I'm sure this is all as plain as the nose on your face to all of you, but I'm a technical writer, I have no experience in AutoCAD, and very little experience in Illustrator... all I basically know in Illustrator is how to pull DWG files in, change the line thicknesses, and add the callouts. So I don't even know if any of this is something that I CAN do, or if this is beyond my abilities with only Illustrator on my machine.
I read the entire thread that I was referred to above, but I just don't understand it. Is Rhino a feature in AutoCAD or is it a whole separate program? (If so, can someone give me more info on the program & I might recommend to the drafting department that they look into getting it, if you all think it's the bee's knees.) The information about setting up the postscript plotter confuses me, too... I'm sure there's a ton of tacit information contained in the thread that when all of you read it, you go, "Oh, okay, makes sense." But I'm at sea here...
I would like to try to do this myself, just so I don't have to heap a menial task like adding callouts to a picture to the drafter... he's really got better things to do, and this is something I thought I should/would be able to do myself. Maybe not.
The easiest/best way to convert a CAD drawing to Illustrator is to print to an EPS file. In AutoCAD, go to File> Plot....select the "Postscript Level 1" or "Postscript Level 2" as your printer....make sure it is at the correct scale you want and use the proper linetype file....then hit OK and it will ask you where you want to save it. Give the file a name, open Illustrator and then open the EPS file in Illustrator. Ta da.
ignore all the rhino stuff. it's a separate program. not helpful to you.
you need to set-up a postscript plotter from the plot dialog box in autocad. use this link to help you set-up the post-script plotter. once that is done instead of plotting to a printer you have in your office, you "plot to file" from the plot dialog box.
hope that makes sense (and that this is not billable).
exporting to EPS via the adobe postscript printer is 1 way
more easy is to install a PDF printer
that same pdf printed will open in your illustrator
as for rhino it is free and worth a look www.rhino3d.com and can open your acad files add the notes and save back to dwg or ai or go to the pdf printer also.
illustrator not so easy. if i were to add notes to a file i would do it with the cad to get the most similar look unless something different is what you are going for.
is the issue you don't have a licence? if so look for "Intellicad 2006 lt" it is a autocad clone with all the same functionality and free.
We tried the postscript printer thing, exporting it as an EPS & opening that file in Illustrator to add the callouts. That did indeed correct the font issue. However, when I opened the EPS in Illustrator it did not allow me to edit the line stroke, etc. The drafter is required to create the files in AutoCAD with different layers and colors, etc., so I don't think it would do me any good to ask him to change the line stroke & color and merge the layers prior to sending the file to me, 'coz then he'd have to save the file two different ways. (Does that make any sense?) As to the licen
I also downloaded Rhino and opened an AutoCAD file directly in Rhino, but that still funkified the fonts... they come out not in proportion to the 3D drawing. I tried IntelliCAD, too, but couldn't figure out how to save that as a TIFF file.
Any other suggestions?? It just might not be possible to do what I want to do...
Just to be sure I've told you what I'm trying to do, here are the steps I'm currently using for these files (the steps that clearly aren't working, but maybe it'll crystallize things for everyone so you can figure out where I'm going wrong):
1. The drafter creates the drawing in AutoCAD per military specs (which is why he has to do the different layers, etc.)
2. I import the AutoCAD into Illustrator, edit the line stroke & color, add callouts, and export the file as a TIFF image (unfortunately, it has to be a TIFF image to be compatible with the XML we use for our technical manuals)
3. I import the TIFF image into Adobe FrameMaker technical manual.
It's not possible to do what you want to do perfectly and without any work on either end. When you open the EPS in Illustrator, you'll need to ungroup it and then you can change whatever you want. The advantage to using this method above the PDF method, I've found, is that the lineweights transfer from the Autocad to Illustrator file perfectly, whereas with a PDF, they get messed up.
Why don't you print it with the correct line weights to begin with instead of trying to change them on the other end?
If you are supposed to be working with these programs for your technical manual, I'd suggest you and your "drafter" and other coworkers invest some time in learning Illustrator. The rest of us certainly have! ;o)
i agree with wonderk. why don't you just do all of that in autocad? why bring it into illustrator at all?
alternatively, create the base linework in autocad, then go into illustrator and change lineweights and add text ("illustrate it").
i've also had problems with the way autocad groups things when you bring it into illustrator (autodesk and adobe must be at war and we the users are the victims). so when i bring an autocad file into illustrator i usually have to retrace part of the drawing. i do this by putting the autocad linework on a locked layer, then turn on smart guides and trace the areas where you need different lineweights, color etc.
ultimately there's no easy solution to this. Because of glitches going between the two programs, much of it is learning to make do.
Okay, thanks for all the input. There's obviously not a good solution; I guess AutoCAD & Illustrator don't like to play nice with each other. And I suppose I neglected to mention the fact that I work for the government, hence no funding for training in Illustrator. ;-)
upon looking at your steps i think 'why don't you just make a pen file' that has the line weights you do want and not use the military one if it is not helping yo have what you want. as well as making your notes in cad too
also working with the font size and type is not hard (dimension properties - global dimension scale). if it is SHX find a close TTF and if you want to change the size there is a global scale you can set on that.
"-ViewCaptureToFile" might be a command you want if you want end output as .tiff so you can set your resolution to how ever high you need ( i assume you want something that looks sharp and 300dpi)
and again i see no reason to even use adobe unless you were editing the tiff or opening a PDF file to edit or print. and i would look to opensource solutions first since you are with the government as to avoid fascist buis./gov collusion, as we see with most developing countries who don't want to be owned by corporations like blackwater northstar and haliburton
Actually, for being two completely different programs from two very different companies, AutoCad and Illustrator do work very well together. However, unless you sit in front of them, use them, and mess around with them, none of what we told you is going to make any sense.
So, irregardless of your budget, I'd suggest you take some time, over lunch perhaps, to do some tutorials and play around in the programs. Because frankly, I used to teach this stuff, so any further help I provide, I'm going to have to charge you for! ;o)
here is an autocad/illustrator issue i ran into recently...see if anyone knows a trick around this.
say i am drawing city blocks, using a radius fillet on the corners. i make this shape into a closed polyline, but when i open it up in illustrator, it explodes the pline back to arcs and lines. i think illustrator doesn't like having them together. there is no problme when i bring in a closed pline without arcs.
anyone encounter this problem or know a way around it?
Help converting AutoCAD to Illustrator!! Ack!!
I import drawings created in AutoCAD into Illustrator so I can add callouts, etc. for my technical manuals. The whole thing is then saved as a TIFF and imported into Adobe FrameMaker. My question is this: for some reason, when I open the AutoCAD file in Illustrator, the fonts get all funky (that's the technical term). In AutoCAD, the fonts are laid out in the correct perspective to the 3D objects on which they are placed, but when I convert the document by opening it in Illustrator, the fonts look like they're just placed on the object in 2D, without reference to the object's 3D perspective. Does that make any sense?? I'll be happy to share an example with someone so you can see exactly what I mean. I do not have AutoCAD on my machine, only Illustrator, so I need to know if it's a setting in Illustrator that I need to tweak, or something I need to ask my drafter to do when he creates the files in AutoCAD. Please help!!!
this is a hot topic. see if any of those tips helps.
i'm gonna be that guy, but it's good to use search before creating a new topic.
Okay, so for those of us who don't know, have, or use AutoCAD, can you translate that thread to English? Rhino? MAKE2D? Bi-dimensional vector image? One poster wrote:
>>autocad has a flatten command that will flatten 3d to 2d. it is interesting because it will flatten based on the view and project the 2d in that 3d view.<<
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, because I don't know how AutoCAD works, but I don't want the image to be 2D, I want it to stay 3D. The image, BTW, is of computer pieces & parts and I'm bringing it into Illustrator to plunk an arrow on it & say, "See? This little knobby thingy here..." Other than having my drafter put the arrows on it and save it out directly as a TIFF so it doesn't distort the font, is there a viable solution? Is it something he's going to have to do in AutoCAD or something I need to do in Illustrator (like the way I open or convert the DWG file)?
dude, you're being a little bossy for being a first-time poster that is bringing nothing to this forum other than asking for help.
but because i'm generally a good guy: check out jafidler's response 09/03/07 19:12 in the above thread.
i would say again why even leave Rhino when it can do what illustrator and autocad can for you
Not trying to be bossy... I'm sure this is all as plain as the nose on your face to all of you, but I'm a technical writer, I have no experience in AutoCAD, and very little experience in Illustrator... all I basically know in Illustrator is how to pull DWG files in, change the line thicknesses, and add the callouts. So I don't even know if any of this is something that I CAN do, or if this is beyond my abilities with only Illustrator on my machine.
I read the entire thread that I was referred to above, but I just don't understand it. Is Rhino a feature in AutoCAD or is it a whole separate program? (If so, can someone give me more info on the program & I might recommend to the drafting department that they look into getting it, if you all think it's the bee's knees.) The information about setting up the postscript plotter confuses me, too... I'm sure there's a ton of tacit information contained in the thread that when all of you read it, you go, "Oh, okay, makes sense." But I'm at sea here...
I would like to try to do this myself, just so I don't have to heap a menial task like adding callouts to a picture to the drafter... he's really got better things to do, and this is something I thought I should/would be able to do myself. Maybe not.
The easiest/best way to convert a CAD drawing to Illustrator is to print to an EPS file. In AutoCAD, go to File> Plot....select the "Postscript Level 1" or "Postscript Level 2" as your printer....make sure it is at the correct scale you want and use the proper linetype file....then hit OK and it will ask you where you want to save it. Give the file a name, open Illustrator and then open the EPS file in Illustrator. Ta da.
ignore all the rhino stuff. it's a separate program. not helpful to you.
you need to set-up a postscript plotter from the plot dialog box in autocad. use this link to help you set-up the post-script plotter. once that is done instead of plotting to a printer you have in your office, you "plot to file" from the plot dialog box.
hope that makes sense (and that this is not billable).
p.s. if a postscript plotter is already set-up, do what wonderk just said.
Cool, thanks... I'll try this Monday morning when my (well, he's not "mine," but you know what I mean...) drafter gets in & I'll let ya know!
exporting to EPS via the adobe postscript printer is 1 way
more easy is to install a PDF printer
that same pdf printed will open in your illustrator
as for rhino it is free and worth a look www.rhino3d.com and can open your acad files add the notes and save back to dwg or ai or go to the pdf printer also.
illustrator not so easy. if i were to add notes to a file i would do it with the cad to get the most similar look unless something different is what you are going for.
is the issue you don't have a licence? if so look for "Intellicad 2006 lt" it is a autocad clone with all the same functionality and free.
Okay, delayed reaction... sorry...
We tried the postscript printer thing, exporting it as an EPS & opening that file in Illustrator to add the callouts. That did indeed correct the font issue. However, when I opened the EPS in Illustrator it did not allow me to edit the line stroke, etc. The drafter is required to create the files in AutoCAD with different layers and colors, etc., so I don't think it would do me any good to ask him to change the line stroke & color and merge the layers prior to sending the file to me, 'coz then he'd have to save the file two different ways. (Does that make any sense?) As to the licen
I also downloaded Rhino and opened an AutoCAD file directly in Rhino, but that still funkified the fonts... they come out not in proportion to the 3D drawing. I tried IntelliCAD, too, but couldn't figure out how to save that as a TIFF file.
Any other suggestions?? It just might not be possible to do what I want to do...
Just to be sure I've told you what I'm trying to do, here are the steps I'm currently using for these files (the steps that clearly aren't working, but maybe it'll crystallize things for everyone so you can figure out where I'm going wrong):
1. The drafter creates the drawing in AutoCAD per military specs (which is why he has to do the different layers, etc.)
2. I import the AutoCAD into Illustrator, edit the line stroke & color, add callouts, and export the file as a TIFF image (unfortunately, it has to be a TIFF image to be compatible with the XML we use for our technical manuals)
3. I import the TIFF image into Adobe FrameMaker technical manual.
It's not possible to do what you want to do perfectly and without any work on either end. When you open the EPS in Illustrator, you'll need to ungroup it and then you can change whatever you want. The advantage to using this method above the PDF method, I've found, is that the lineweights transfer from the Autocad to Illustrator file perfectly, whereas with a PDF, they get messed up.
Why don't you print it with the correct line weights to begin with instead of trying to change them on the other end?
If you are supposed to be working with these programs for your technical manual, I'd suggest you and your "drafter" and other coworkers invest some time in learning Illustrator. The rest of us certainly have! ;o)
i agree with wonderk. why don't you just do all of that in autocad? why bring it into illustrator at all?
alternatively, create the base linework in autocad, then go into illustrator and change lineweights and add text ("illustrate it").
i've also had problems with the way autocad groups things when you bring it into illustrator (autodesk and adobe must be at war and we the users are the victims). so when i bring an autocad file into illustrator i usually have to retrace part of the drawing. i do this by putting the autocad linework on a locked layer, then turn on smart guides and trace the areas where you need different lineweights, color etc.
ultimately there's no easy solution to this. Because of glitches going between the two programs, much of it is learning to make do.
Okay, thanks for all the input. There's obviously not a good solution; I guess AutoCAD & Illustrator don't like to play nice with each other. And I suppose I neglected to mention the fact that I work for the government, hence no funding for training in Illustrator. ;-)
i say the best solution is to print to PDF (one with vectors) and open that pdf in illustrator
be it from any cad program rhinoceros, intellicad or autocad..
how do you do keep the lines as vectors in a pdf using autocad?
upon looking at your steps i think 'why don't you just make a pen file' that has the line weights you do want and not use the military one if it is not helping yo have what you want. as well as making your notes in cad too
also working with the font size and type is not hard (dimension properties - global dimension scale). if it is SHX find a close TTF and if you want to change the size there is a global scale you can set on that.
"-ViewCaptureToFile" might be a command you want if you want end output as .tiff so you can set your resolution to how ever high you need ( i assume you want something that looks sharp and 300dpi)
and again i see no reason to even use adobe unless you were editing the tiff or opening a PDF file to edit or print. and i would look to opensource solutions first since you are with the government as to avoid fascist buis./gov collusion, as we see with most developing countries who don't want to be owned by corporations like blackwater northstar and haliburton
depends on the pdf printer you use for me with the adobe pdf printer or with PDF creator (GPL) http://pdfcreator.sf.net
basically if it is a bad pdf printer it is giving you raster and the file size with be MUCH bigger.
Actually, for being two completely different programs from two very different companies, AutoCad and Illustrator do work very well together. However, unless you sit in front of them, use them, and mess around with them, none of what we told you is going to make any sense.
So, irregardless of your budget, I'd suggest you take some time, over lunch perhaps, to do some tutorials and play around in the programs. Because frankly, I used to teach this stuff, so any further help I provide, I'm going to have to charge you for! ;o)
Budget required for Illustrator training = $16.95 + shipping + time.
Print to PDF. Work in Illustrator with the PDF. Do not save as a TIFF. Just keep working with the PDF.
What about text, man! I need to edit stupid CAD Annotations and I do not want to re-type everything...
Please!
edit text in cad then print your perfect pdf then bring that into illustrator
and that is y you use Rhino because it will read all of autocad's text and keep it editable if that is your source.
where as a EPS print will have none.
could you give me an example of the look in illustrator you are trying to achieve?
again rhino = acad+illustrator
plus it will have already picked up the line weights in the file too
PrintDisplay is the command you will need to review in the viewport
here is an autocad/illustrator issue i ran into recently...see if anyone knows a trick around this.
say i am drawing city blocks, using a radius fillet on the corners. i make this shape into a closed polyline, but when i open it up in illustrator, it explodes the pline back to arcs and lines. i think illustrator doesn't like having them together. there is no problme when i bring in a closed pline without arcs.
anyone encounter this problem or know a way around it?
^
nevermind...realized i forgot to dl the dwg plugin from adobe after i reinstalled illustrator.
for anyone who is not aware of this plugin, it makes cad and illustrator infinitely more compatible with each other.
enjoy.
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb402977
that's good. does it detect line weights too and keep hatches editable?
weight / types & text / dim styles
and for CS3 and above XREF paths.
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