Carbide Create - DXF compatibility?

CNC Machines Shapeoko
1

I’ve been trying out Carbide Create for the past few days, trying to integrate it into my CAD workflow and I’m having inconsistent successes and failures importing DXFs. Some will open just fine, others will not open. When they do open successfully, the stock size stays visible and I can edit it, and then go into making tool paths. When they don’t open successfully, the stock dimensions are all set to zero.

Is there a known-good file version that will work consistently? Or is this just a case of “beta feature in beta software, wait and see if it improves?” I’ve tried saving as R2010 ASCII, R2002 ASCII, R12 ASCII, and binary of those as well, and certain files just won’t open in CC. These are relatively simple, clean drawings with just arcs and lines.

Alternatively, is there a better way I should try and import parts? I’m creating most stuff in either SolidWorks or DraftSight. SW doesn’t export SVG natively, so I have to go through Illustrator for that, and that screws up arcs and splines like nobody’s business.

2

Any file which fails, please forward on to Carbide3D — that’s the only way the software will get better.

I’d use Inkscape before Illustrator for SVGs, but I suspect it’s the passing through DXF which messes up the curves.

3

I think I figured out my problem. Exporting from SW to a dxf and having SW export splines as polylines instead of splines seems to have done the trick. Not sure what the difference is in the end (there aren’t any splines in this drawing anyway).

I hope I didn’t seem like I was bagging on the program, it is really nice to use so far besides the hiccup with the files.