Cabinet Vision Import Dxf
Malva Ferster
Ah ok. Thanks DaveR. I am new to sketchup and trying out some new processes and hoping that it will work. So looks like I have to buy before I can try with sketchup pro in order to check if it will be a smooth process. Have you done this before with cabinetvision? Did you have any issues with the file when it was in Sketchup?
I see. As far as the drag and drop thing, you can certainly do that either using cabinet components from the 3D Warehouse or by making your own components and saving them into a library or local collection.
Hmm I never thought of that. I was only showed how to draw them up with lines and push-pull. That would definitely save time. I will have a look at some of the options in 3D warehouse. As you can see, I am a real Newbie to sketchup!
We have been asked to integrate 2020 to CabinetVision a before. However, no one has been able to send me the Cabinet Vision import structure. I you can get me that we probably can do it. See www.saberis.com for our new SaberisConnect features and simple monthly subscription price.
We integrated 2020 to Cabinet Vision but not in a way that would be useful to anyone else as we use Application Integration to generate an XML file of the design. That gets imported into our web based custom Project Management and Pricing package and from there it is exported in Cabinet Vision .ORD format for CNCing.
The ORD file structure is quite easy to work with as it is a text file so I don't think you would have trouble writing an interface but you have to know what catalogue on Cabinet Vision to link it to. See attached.
The ORD file is similar to the XML file from Application Integration in that it describes the cabinet in a reasonable amount of detail. Cabinet Vision consists of a Design Module (which is like 2020 Design) that imports the ORD file and just populates the design screen with cabinets (in our version anyway - it can set up walls etc).
From there, the job goes through a nesting procedure which breaks out the cabinets and creates the individual components and optimises them to minimise the number of sheets used and then another process sends the optimised and very specific G code to the CNC machines.
As a perpetual upper classmen at Trial and Error University right here in Yourtown, USA, I can speak with some authority as I tell you that nothing about using SketchUp with Cabinet Vision is intuitive. Don't get me wrong, I think SketchUp and Cabinet Vision are both brilliant examples of software engineering that I will continue to both love and hate simultaneously as I have for years. But you really have to be a masochist or maybe you have to be mind-numb to try and noodle through actually getting SketchUp and Cabinet Vision to play together nicely.
Let me see if I can help you wade through the weeds to find the SketchUp importing sweet spot. I haven't been very successful finding video resources to help me learn how to import SketchUp models into Cabinet Vision. But I did find this video that explains importing from a high level. There's a lot of holes in the video and I'll try to fill in some of those potholes with this blog post.
To answer the first and most obvious question about SketchUp in the context of using it to import objects into Cabinet Vision, is "Why would I ever what to import anything into Cabinet Vision from SketchUp?". That seems like a reasonable question, right? And maybe a better question might be "What kinds of things would I want to import into Cabinet Vision?", and then, we'll have a better starting point, I think.
To follow on to the video I've linked to, let's say you simply must have a toaster in one of your renderings of the job you're currently working on. I can't think of a less practical example of why someone would want to import something into Cabinet Vision but that's what they used in that video, but we'll go with that for a sec anyhow.
This is the part where I mention some more practical examples. Here's a great example of a practical SketchUp model I created and imported. The other day, I was working on a big project for one of my clients. And in this project, the architect spec'd some Ice Box hinges and Ice Box catches to go on a handful of cabinets. Now, as you know, there aren't any ice box hinges in the materials manager in Cabinet Vision. But since these fancy hinges are an essential functional element and an essential visual element of this particular design, I needed to create some hardware so they would behave like any other hinge in any other "normal" cabinet job. I decided this would be a good time to up my SketchUp game. I created the hinge in SketchUp....in just a couple of hours. And I've never used SketchUp before this time.
Another few thousand examples of using SketchUp as a resource to import into Cabinet Vision would be any catalog item from Hafele or Rev-A-Shelf or Blum that isn't already found on in Cabinet Vision off-the-shelf or on eSupport or on any other online resource like Solid Setup.
Tip #1: Don't try to import any of the examples I've mentioned using the SketchUp import feature shown in the image above. That's the one for importing toasters. You'll want to create a new hardware item in the Materials Manager and import your SketchUp model there.
Tip #2: As of this writing ( June 14, 2021 ) Cabinet Vision can only import models saved in SketchUp for SketchUp version 2014 ( or earlier ). Every year, SketchUp updates their software and they include the current year in the name of their software like the current version of SketchUp, SketchUp 2021. The clincher is that you can't save your SketchUp models so that they'll import into Cabinet Vision unless you've purchased SketchUp Pro. SketchUp has several different versions of their software including an online free version, an online Basic version and an online/local version called Pro. The Pro version offers a feature to save your SketchUp models with earlier versions - including SketchUp 2014.
Bonus Tip #2: Take a few lessons on using Cabinet Vision from Craftsman Engineering. We're in the business of teaching Cabinet Vision to newbs and to the old guys who have been around since the days before toast was invented. Whether you simply want to up your Cabinet Vision game or you want to shake some of those old, nasty habits, we're probably the folks you want to talk with. We tailor our training around you and your shop and your particular "pain points". Give us a call - right now - if that works for you ( 916 801-9260 ) , and let's talk about a path to improving your Cabinet Vision skills or maybe we'll just talk about how to import SketchUp models.
Hi. I have a small 4 man custom cabinet shop in Connecticut. I am in need of training to run cabinet vision w/ s2m. I would like to have it set up before I purchase a cnc router in the near future. Let me know if you can help me out with this.
Thank you,
Dave
Hello everyone,Was wondering if I could reach out for some help. I'm starting a small business and am working with a local shop to manufacture parts from 3/4" stock on a CNC router for me. There's not a ton of shops in town with CNC's and I feel like I can get along with these guys long term, so I've been trying not to be a pain in the ***.I use Fusion360 to design my parts in CAD, in 3D. They use Cabinet Vision ("CV") with S2M to operate their CNC router. I'm trying to find the easiest way to send files from Fusion360 to them to be cut. Previously I worked with a manufacturer who could import a .DWG part that I exported from Fusion360 and instantly nest and make my parts for me, but unfortunately I've moved to a different town and had to find a new partner. I've never worked with CV but I understand that .DXF files are the only way files can be imported.Fortunately, I am able to nest my parts inside of Fusion360 onto 4'x8' boards, and then export this file as a .DXF, either as individual boards or all as one file, with colors to represent different operations (perimeters, cutouts, and insets) [see attached file]. All of my operations are "2D" (no edge-boring).However, I am running into two issues.1) The .DXF files I send to the manufacturer, when opened in Cabinet Vision, are missing certain features. My smaller 5mm dia. holes appear, but some of my 20mm dia. holes are missing.2) Currently, the manufacturer has to open my .DXF in AutoCAD to keep the missing features, then re-export as a 2007 .DXF, which they can then open in CV. However, even when they do this they have to manually trace and create all of the features (i.e. holes and perimeters) which is time consuming, and is not nearly as convenient as how it used to work with my previous manufacturer.Essentially what I'm looking for is just some advice on how I can send a file that my manufacturer can open. Alternatively, I'd be willing to buy some software for them that would let me do this easily, if anyone is aware of any that might help solve my problem reasonably economically. They use a Biesse CNC.Thanks in advance everyone! I've attached the file just in case anyone wants to take a peek.
Click the link below to download the file included with this post.
Coffee_Table_TO_BE_CUT.dxf
12/3/20 #2: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Dennis Bean Member
Website:
Nicholas,I am not an expert in Cabinet Vision but a friend and CV expert was able to take your sample DXF and bring it into the S2M Center of Cabinet Vision. You need to be certain the files are closed geometry and always use the same layer names for dados, routes, and drill holes.I am sending you his contact information in a separate email message. He is willing to discuss this with you in detail.Hope this helps,Dennis12/3/20 #4: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
pat s gilbert
Whether can be done or not is usually irrelevant as invariably the guy with the cnc wants to redraw it in CV so as to avoid a disaster.12/8/20 #5: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Mike
That is a pretty simple file. If there are a ton of CNC shops, find one with AutoCAD, or a CAD/CAM suite. I once ran Cabinet Vision and could never have done my job well without another software suite to make non-cabinet custom items. Just look for someone with better tools.12/15/20 #6: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
JONAH COLEMAN Member
Website:
I created an AutoCAD plugin that can go directly from AutoCAD to S2M: -to-s2m/
://engineeringmillwork.com/autocad-to-s2m/12/17/20 #7: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Dropout Member
The 20mm holes in the dxf you attached are not round holes.
View higher quality, full size image (1920 X 1080)
12/22/20 #8: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
David Wishengrad
Nice catch Dropout. I missed that. Would be nice of the offending geometry was identified by the code.Jonah, your link didn't work, so I posted another. There is a switch to type to use different .NET builds. Last I looked, Rich Greenhoe, who wrote most of S2M, is over at Mastercam now and that Alphacam now charges for a SmartLister to work. ROTFL. If I write anything for the future it might be in Python, as the same code, with some import switches, will work in Bricscad too. :) A bunch of people helped over the years. They all had a hand in putting in the hard work.I have a c++ brep rep traverser that dumps solids into a lisp container for VB or C# to pick up too. There is an error with normals in the results of the normals attached to the brep that acad seems to have at its core or is an inheritance from the brep limitation. Regardless, most solids work fine. I did find a way, in my head, of how to double-check each normal by putting the solid into another larger know solid and subtracting it and breping that one too and then comparing their outputs.Avoiding that check which requires acad automation, directly, or by the core.dll, which I have never used, allows for 1/2 million solids to get dumped in seconds. Doing it when only necessary is an option though. It has to do with stepped routes. If the normals are reversed there is not have that part not machined from the wrong direction. With the db encrypted, the brep is a nice work around if the dump is good. The speed increase in doing it all in code only requires writing the new files, pretty much. It's about a couple of orders of magnitude faster.My understanding is that Alphacam, years later, finally came out with their own feature recognition module. If Rich had a hand in that, especially because we did work together at times, I have confidence it works pretty well. For those that use CV, this is a nice option if it works. It's pretty cool you share it.I found with winapi stuff freely available mixed with fkeys or sendkeys that I could automate most any wimdows application to do more. I don't want a bunch of companies getting mad at me for allowing others to see what is possible that they are not getting.It's important to me that people own their copy of the software as an asset and have the freedom to do what they need to do.There is a line between those that know and that don't and that is frequently exploited by many. They charge people now for code that was written long ago, is free, and is basic 101 stuff and they lock them into paying for it. Wish you well. It you want to discuss more please let me know. Have a great day. -to-s2m/12/22/20 #9: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Jonah Coleman Member
Website:
Hmm, I posted a reply but it hasn't shown up yet. I apologize if this ends up posted twice.@David,Thanks for the corrected link. I assume you're referring to the fact that the surface's normal sometimes points inward and sometimes points outward? The linked project does not do feature extraction, but I have other projects that do and have run into this myself.I obtain the surface normal, and then displace a point on the surface by .01 in the direction of the normal. I then use the brep solid's point containment to check whether that new point is inside or outside. For my purposes I want all my normal vectors pointing inward, so if it is outside I simply negate it.I tested a half dozen methods of this before settling on this one- it has the fewest edge cases and is the most performant of the methods I discovered.I may be a little dense- sorry about that, but I'm not sure what you're getting at with your last 3 paragraphs? Maybe you can expand?12/22/20 #10: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
David Wishengrad
I believe I have seen cases where checking to point on a plane, or close it, does not help. If you come across that let me know. The rest was just rambling about how I don't like some of the industry behavior.12/22/20 #11: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Jonah Coleman Member
Website:
OK, thanks. To be clear, the plugin linked above is free for anyone to use. Mostly because I don't want the hassle of having to provide support- I want to be able to say "hey sorry if it doesn't do what you want, but it's free". :)2/8/23 #12: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Haibara Eilish
Website:
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2/19/23 #13: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
David Wishengrad
Hi Jonah,
Thanks for the heads-up regarding the brep normal. Much appreciated for you sharing that. It might be the best way to do that, but maybe not. I have some other ideas, but may not ever get around to deploying it being as Mick's Metacad json /JavaScript / Typescript based data structure negates this issue altogether. From what I can tell, it will probably be the chosen defacto CAD. Everything is always there, in human readable form and available to all. It makes good sense to meThat was also very nice of you to share that S2m module. Very 😎.Two years later, I see your comment and only because this thread had spam posted. I hope you are doing well. I feel honored that you replied to me. The link you provided has a typo, and so many may not have reached your plug-in. I will post it again below.As for my last 3 paragraphs, I am now using InputSimulator, instead of Sendkeys, along with Deepnest and NetDXF and dynamically created script files to get certain things done. I send a setforeground with no delay between each character sent. It's mind-blowing how fast acad can be run this way. -to-s2m/5/2/23 #14: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Jelmer Member
Hey folks,
Long-time lurker, first-time question asker. Hopefully reviving this thread from years ago to get some Cabinet Vision questions answered.
I run the CNC at a fabrication company that builds out activations for events and trade shows. Often the designs from our drafting team that I am cutting are cabinet types of assemblies (Sheetgood materials with rabbets/dados/holes).
I have been in contact with my rep at cabinet vision but what I can seem to definitively confirm is: If a file is made in AutoCAD for example, and utilizes the identical layer naming convention that CV uses, when I import into CV (as a DXF or DWG), can the toolpaths/g-code/nesting be produced automatically with minimal manual input?
Apologies if this has been asked/answered in a different chat and let me know if I can clarify or send a sample file. Thanks in advance for any help!J
5/2/23 #15: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Dropout Member
I'd be surprised if it doesn't.5/13/23 #16: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
David Wishengrad
Hi Jonah,I cannot find your export app that runs in acad for s2m.Please consider using netDXF instead. This way people using acad lite and the rest of the cad apps without an api will still have the same functionality.Hooking in Deepnest.io or another implication of the Boost C Minkowski optimizer would be ideal.It is much better and faster than other optimizers and free too.If you have any questions please let me know.Thank you9/8/23 #17: Cabinet Vision and DXF Files ...
Brent Wilkerson Member
Hey @Jonah!! (Or anyone else reading this)Any chance that AutoCAD to S2M is working for AutoCAD 2023 yet???I see in 2022 you released 1.48 but seems to only support 2022 and back ... and of course we updated to 2023. And we can't fool it to run in 2023. -to-s2m-build-48-released/Any way around it?
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