Inventor, Autocad, CamBam file exchange problem

[kievari]

Hi,

I'm a beginner in my first year of owning a 6040 cnc machine.

I got some comfortable first in working with CamBam. Next I aimed to learn Inventor to make 3D models then to CamBam to generate g-code. I faced the file conversion problem: I have 2 ways:
1. Export DWG file to Autocad from Inventor, then convert to DXF, then to CamBam,
2. Export STL directly from Inventor, to CamBam

Unfortunately, still I can't get to what I need from non of them. Why?

After drawing a 3D model, I only need the front view, not a 3D model, but if I export STL, I'll have a 3D model in CamBam and I can't engrave it.

Now Autocad path:
1. I export DWG, open it in Autocad
2. There I see a "layout" or as called "plot", but not a model!
3. If I export that layout to DXF, I will get all layers in CamBam, but no object!

I've downloaded DXF from various sites and when I open them in Autocad, they all contain both layout, and model.

Is there a way so I export from Inventor and I get DWG in Autocad where both layout and model exist?
Is there a way to extract only front view out of a STL file, so I just convert it to g-code by CamBam and engrave?

I attach dwg file and dxf ones, for ipt it failed (can't attach Inventor file).

Please help me out of the problem. Thank you.

[ger21]

What you want to do, is create a 2D drawing of your part in Inventor and save the drawing as a .dxf file.
Make sure the drawing scale is 1:1

I can't open your AutoCAD file as it's in a newer format than i have.

[kievari]

Originally Posted by ger21 What you want to do, is create a 2D drawing of your part in Inventor and save the drawing as a .dxf file. Make sure the drawing scale is 1:1 I can't open your AutoCAD file as it's in a newer format than i have.

Is it enough? I mean that it again will make a "layout" but not the "model" in the drawing!

Also:
>save the drawing as a .dxf file.
the Inventor will not export dxf as you know! it exports dwg, then from autocad I have to convert it to dxf, but the problem is when I get to cad, I have the 2D drawing as "layout", or "plot", but no "model"! I.e. if I click on "model" tab, it is empty. I think that is why then I get empty when I import the result to CamBam.

If you tell me which version you can open I will 'save as' in that. Could be really helpful if I convert to what you consider "ok" for sending to CamBam.

[ger21]

I don't use Inventor, so can't be more specific.
But you are not creating the 2D drawing in Inventor. When you do, it will let you save a .dxf file..

Google seems to tell me that you need to choose "Save Copy As"

[kievari]

Originally Posted by ger21 I don't use Inventor, so can't be more specific. But you are not creating the 2D drawing in Inventor. When you do, it will let you save a .dxf file.. Google seems to tell me that you need to choose "Save Copy As"

Thank you very much

I projected the part from the view I needed to a 2D drawing and saved to dxf format.

Thank you again.

[MichelTrahan]

Lerning here ... so bare with me

I have found that selecting a surface in Inventor 2012, you can then export in dxf, which you can import into cambam ... still learning though, but this might help !

Building my own CNC from MDF and 570on-in 3 axis ...

Learning how to go from Inventor files to CNC ... through cambam and Mach3 ... unless you have better ideas

Having fun at it !

[jeff 888]

As a note when you use the drawing to export the dxf make sure you delete the sheet layout and boarder if you dont that crap will import with the model and make your life more difficult.