Units once more, DXF import trouble

[Rerouter]

Go right ahead, I dont use DXF myself, someone who uses the functions would be in a better position to see it through.

[PCB_Wiz]

@Joan_Sparky

@PCB_Wiz, any chance you can post the link for that sample or attach it right away?

Good idea. This is a simple box outline, not sure which box vendor it originally came from.
Top file is from web, fails to show in KiCad, no errors.
_R12 version is saved-as from LibreCAD, and it loads fine into KiCad
_R2007 is saved-as from LibreCAD, and it fails to show in kiCad

Mod Case.dxf (41.2 KB)
Mod Case_LC_R12.dxf (203.2 KB)
Mod Case_LC_2007.dxf (28.3 KB)

[Rerouter]

The first file and the last file are saved as autocad 2007 format. They are more or less the same thing, just the web one liked adding a decimal point to everything for no clear reason, e.g. 0 becomes 0.0 and 1 becomes 1.0, bumping up the file size.

It appears that it heavily records things in “Splines” while the older format records in vertexs (small straight segments)

Edit: On furthur reading, Kicad does not support splines at all, It may be added later, but for now that is what is preventing its import.

Importing splines from DXF file to kicad from Fusion 360

Short story: use “polylines” rather than splines. Splines are not supported in KiCad and after much deliberation on a number of occasions the unanimous consensus is that splines will never be supported as an entity within kicad. That doesn’t mean that the DXF importer will never support it, but if anyone adds that feature they will need to approximate splines using a series of arcs (this would be much better than the alternative which is approximating splines with a ridiculous number of straigh…

and as a fix for using librecad,

Import DXF with arcs from OpenSCAD, FreeCAD or LibreCAD into KiCAD

no, it is a kicad import dxf limit, that can be found at the manual http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/4.0.5/en/pcbnew.html#_creating_a_board 6.1.2. Using a DXF drawing for the board outline As a first step, any POLYLINES need to be split (Exploded) into their original simpler shapes. In LibreCAD use the following steps: Open a copy of the DXF file. Select the board shape (selected shapes are shown with dashed lines). In the Modify menu, select Explode. Press ENTER. From your FC setting menu you…

[aaltomikael]

Well, now it’s working as it should, with the “legacy” tagged.

[PCB_Wiz]

@aaltomikael

Well, now it’s working as it should, with the “legacy” tagged.

What changed ?
I’m unclear here, are fixes applied to KiCad, or FreeCAD ?

[shiftee]

It looks like he enabled the “legacy” option as shown in the freecad thread here.

That option relates to DXF import, and there is some discussion as to whether it affects export also.

There was also a PR merged in FreeCAD yesterday which may be relevant: Dxf export improvements