Sorry to be a bit out of the subject, but I'm also working with Illustrator to pattern parts (at least one: 2552).
I wasn't able to find an efficient way to export it to a Ldraw file while keeping the colors. Do you have any idea on how to do this, this would save so much time for huge patterns?
What I'm doing is quite complicated:
- Save a DXF with Illustrator
- Import it as a sketch in Catia V5
- Mesh it manually
- Divide the mesh to get one mesh by color (this is the longest part of the process: to do this manually, but this is the only way I found to seperate the meshes and to keep the vertex on the right position, so that if I reassemble the meshes again, the vertex match).
- Export each mesh as a STL
- Convert to Ldraw with STL2DAT
- Put each DAT file in a big one, so that I have all colors in the same part, with all triangles that are matching, avoiding gaps.
- Project and slice using SlicerPro
If one of you has any idea to get faster from Illustrator to Ldraw, feel free to help, I will appreciate.
BTW, I'm alost done with the 2552 file (don't remember which particular pattern number), so I will post it soon on the tracker...
I wasn't able to find an efficient way to export it to a Ldraw file while keeping the colors. Do you have any idea on how to do this, this would save so much time for huge patterns?
What I'm doing is quite complicated:
- Save a DXF with Illustrator
- Import it as a sketch in Catia V5
- Mesh it manually
- Divide the mesh to get one mesh by color (this is the longest part of the process: to do this manually, but this is the only way I found to seperate the meshes and to keep the vertex on the right position, so that if I reassemble the meshes again, the vertex match).
- Export each mesh as a STL
- Convert to Ldraw with STL2DAT
- Put each DAT file in a big one, so that I have all colors in the same part, with all triangles that are matching, avoiding gaps.
- Project and slice using SlicerPro
If one of you has any idea to get faster from Illustrator to Ldraw, feel free to help, I will appreciate.
BTW, I'm alost done with the 2552 file (don't remember which particular pattern number), so I will post it soon on the tracker...