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Workflows between AutoCAD and Illustrator

  • Background
    • AutoCAD cannot export to SVG or Adobe Illustrator directly (if this changes in the future, then this workflow will be obsolete)

AutoCAD to Illustrator

  1. Clean up AutoCAD drawing
    • explode ARCTEXT - not supported by EXDXF-Pro4 plugin and/or Illustrator
    • Issues with multi-line MTEXT, I'm unable to see the 2nd line in Illustrator, recommend using TEXT instead
  2. Save As DXF 2013
    • EXDXF-Pro4 plugin supports DWG/DXF version 2013
    • Illustrator CC 2014 latest supported - DWG/DXF version 2010
    • Illustrator CS5 latest support - DWG/DXF version 2007
  3. download and install EXDXF-Pro4 plugin used in Adobe Illustrator
  4. Adobe Illustrator Open DXF, using the EXDXF-Pro4 option
    1. select Windows font used, don't know what happens if my DWG/DXF has multiple fonts, appears you can only select one font.
  5. clean up .ai file
    • Issue fonts coming in smaller (e.g. AutoCAD text height 0.10“ comes in as ~ 0.08”), have to manually select and change size within Illustrator
    • Issue exploded ARCTEXT loses Bold/Italic/Underline style settings. Unsure how to make text bold using Illustrator.
    • resize Artboard (AI left toolbar, towards bottom, rectangle button)
  6. Illustrator Save As SVG version 1.1
  7. Easy Animator Pro to animate SVG
    1. Issue with color gradients not showing up once break apart is finished.
  8. References
    1. Lynda.com Adobe Illustrator - Working with AutoCAD Files by William Everhart
  9. Conversion Software
    1. AutoCAD Forum - How to convert a drawing (.dwg) file to .svg?
      1. comment by John.Vellek - Autodesk Technical Support Specialist
    2. CloudConvert dxf to svg
    3. Kabeja
    4. dxf2svg-inkscape

AutoCAD Lineweights and Illustrator Strokes

  • How do you embed fonts in illustrator?
  • what is equivalent lineweights?
  • How do you change the stroke width in Illustrator?
  • How do you rotate/flip text in Illustrator?
  • How do you change the justification of text in Illustrator?
  • How do you move text to a reference guideline?
  • How do you draw circular text in Illustrator?
  • How do you set the size of Artboard?
  • How do you change the text anchor from bottom left to top center of text?
    • Is there an anchor point orientation selector to chose TC, LL, BR, etc?
    • [A] appears text anchor is fixed at the baseline - bottom of text, but you can change the left, right, middle orientation
  • Adobe Illustrator Help - Shift The Baseline
  • How do you resize an ArtBoard? (try holding shift key down to evenly scale)
    • use Artboard tool on left side, towards bottom
    • Top options bar, can enter size 0,0 and 2,2
    • Use white pointer (object selector) to position graphics on artboard
    • Adobe Illustrator Help - Artboard Overview
  • How do you move objects onto different layers?
    • Select the object
    • Layers panel - select the destination layer
    • Object > Arrange > Sent To Current Layer
    • Sandra just does a cut and copy with basepoint? to move objects between layers
    • Adobe Illustrator Help - Move an object to a different layer

Illustrator Strokes

  • Illustrator objects (circle, arc, polygon) have both strokes and fills
    • What is a path?
  • Adobe Illustrator Help - Change Unit of Measurement
  • Edit > Preferences > Units > Stroke > mm (options are points, picas, inches, millimeters, centimeters, pixels)
  • Window > Stroke
    • Weight = 0.35 mm

Rulers and Guides

  • View > Rulers > Show Rulers (Ctrl+R)
  • Create guides - drag from ruler to artboard
  • Delete guides - select and delete on keyboard
  • Units - right click on ruler and select Inches
  • To Create a Guide from a Path

Outline Mode

  • View > Outline
  • View > Preview

Illustrator Precision

  • 0.0000 appears to be it

Illustrator - PE Stamp

  1. File > New
    • Name: PEStamp
    • New Document Profile: Print (had problems with Web guidelines not precisely 1” by 1“)
    • Units: Inches
    • Width 2in and Height 2in
    • Raster Effects: High (300 ppi)
    • rest keep defaults
    • How do you create multiple artboards?
  2. Window > Layers checked on
    • Create New Layer > Guides (color pink)
    • Select this so it's active and eyeball is on
  3. View > Rulers > Show Ruler
    • right click on ruler change units to Inches
    • Drag a vertical guide at 1”
    • Drag a horizontal guide at 1“
    • Check to top horizontal bar properties, not exactly 1 in but 1.0069 in so need to manually adjust
  4. Horizontal Text Guides
    • 0.22 up from center, then right 0.25
      • Convert Path to Guide (View > Guides > Make Guides)
    • 0.06 up from center, then right 0.25
      • Convert Path to Guide (View > Guides > Make Guides)
    • 0.17 down from center, then right 0.25
      • Convert Path to Guide (View > Guides > Make Guides)
    • 0.37 down from center, then right 0.25
      • Convert Path to Guide (View > Guides > Make Guides)

Rope Cord

  1. Ellipse Tool - draw a circle with width and height (diameter) 1.75
    • Shift+Alt creates a proportional circle centered at center point
    • Window > Transform to change radius
  2. Ellipse Tool - draw a circle with width and height (diameter) 13/8 (1.625)
    • Shift+Alt creates a proportional circle centered at PE stamp center point
  3. Line Tool
    • single click top quadrant
    • length 0.12
    • angle 360-40
    • View > Preview
    • Stroke 0.5 pt
  4. Rotate (R)
    • Must already have the diagonal line selected before clicking Rotate Tool
    • click Rotate button
    • Alt click to drag center point to center of stamp
      • also can try Alt+drag left mouse click to move to the center
    • Angle 5 (360/72)
    • Copy button
    • Ctrl+D to repeat (Transform Again to copy rotated object one at a time)
  5. View > Outline mode
  6. Circle with diameter 0.02 (width and height 0.02)
    1. move to upper left corner of trapezoid
    2. copy
    3. move to lower right corner of trapezoid
  7. Circle with diameter 0.08 (width and height 0.08)
    1. move to upper right corner of trapezoid
    2. copy
    3. move to lower left corner of trapezoid
  8. PE Stamp - Portion of Rope Cord
  9. View > Preview mode
  10. Pen Tool
    1. trace the rounded corner polygon
    2. stroke width 1 pt
  11. Object > Group
  12. Rotate
    1. Alt+Left click center of stamp
    2. angle 5 degrees
    3. Copy button
    4. Ctrl+D
  13. Polar Grid Tool (click and hold down on the Line tool to open the flyout menu)
    • Use top horizontal toolbar to center the Polar Grid 1” by 1“
    • How do you have it centered??
  14. Polygon Tool (click and hold down on the rectangle tool to open the flyout menu)
    • single click center point, dialog box should open
    • Radius 7/8 (original 55/64)
    • Sides 72 (original 76)
    • How do you apply a stroke to it?

Inner Circles

  1. drag horizontal Guide down from ruler x=1 and y=0.4375 (7/16)
  2. Circle
    • Ellipse Tool with Shift+Alt to constrain to top guide
    • top horizontal properties toolbar set diameter (width=0.0491)
    • 0.25 pt stroke
  3. Rotate Copy
    • select circle
    • click Rotate Tool
    • Alt click center of PE stamp
      • Also can drag center point of small circle to center of PE stamp
    • opens Rotate Dialog box
      • Angle 5 degrees
      • Copy button
    • Ctrl+D to rotate copy (make 72 copies)
  4. Group
    • window select all circles and right click Group
  5. Layer
    • New Layer called Circles
    • with above Group selected, on the layers panel name at the right end, see a square that represents the selection set, drag this on to the New Layer to reassign objects to another layer

Text on Path - Top

  1. Circle - create path for Text on Path
    • Ellipse Tool
    • Top Ribbon - No fill, Stroke 0.25 pt
    • single click center point, dialog box should open
    • Width (Diameter=1.3) 2*0.65
    • Height (Diameter=1.3) 2*0.65
  2. Line Tool
    • single click center, dialog box should open
    • length 1”
    • angle: 360-55
    • Top Ribbon - No fill, Stroke 0.25 pt
    • Convert to Guides (View > Guides > Make Guides)
  3. Line Tool
    • single click center, dialog box should open
    • length 1“
    • angle: 360-125
    • Top Ribbon - No fill, Stroke 0.25 pt
    • Convert to Guides (View > Guides > Make Guides)
  4. Text
    • click and hold Text button Tool then select Type on Path Tool
    • select circle path
    • Top ribbon change font
      1. Arial
      2. Bold
      3. 10 pt
      4. Justification Align Center
    • Select text
    • Drag end vertical brackets/lines to adjust the extents (left, right) of the Text on Path
    • Single click on Artboard
  5. References
    1. Adobe Help - Tools Panel

Text on Path - Bottom

  1. Circle - create path for Text on Path
    • Ellipse Tool
    • Top Ribbon - No fill, Stroke 0.25 pt
    • single click center point, dialog box should open
    • Width (Diameter=1.3) 2*0.75
    • Height (Diameter=1.3) 2*0.75
  2. Text
    • click and hold Text button Tool then select Type on Path Tool
    • select circle path
    • Top ribbon change font
      1. Arial
      2. Bold
      3. 10 pt
      4. Justification Align Center
    • Select text
    • Drag end vertical lines to adjust the extents of the Text on Path
    • Drag the middle line inwards to move text from outside to inside (concave side)
    • Single click on Artboard
    • PE Stamp Drawing
  3. References
    1. Adobe Help - Tools Panel

Text - Horizontal

  1. Text Tool
    • Arial, Bold, 10 pt, Center (click anywhere to type text, then move text anchor point to correct horizontal guide)
      • Row 1: JEFFERY J.
      • Row 2: JENSEN
      • Row 4: CIVIL
    • Arial, Bold, 9 pt, Center (click anywhere to type text, then move text anchor point to correct horizontal guide)
      • Row 3: Exp. 06/30/17
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