I have a design which consists of just arc paths, and I want to laser engrave that onto a surface.
I made a processing sketch to generate the pattern using PDF Export library. The PDF looked just how I wanted. But then realized that the software for this laser (RDWorks) can’t import PDF files. It can import DXF though, so I was hoping for a way to export 2D DXF with arcs from Processing.
However from what I read in documentation, it sounds like DXF export functionality is only for 3D tessellated geometry though and nothing else is supported. Is that accurate?
Any other recommendations of other ways to script generate lines and arcs to be laser engraved?
Hello thehans!
DXF export can be used for 2D as well. If you follow this reference, and make sure your shapes have noFill(), processing will export the lines only.
Ok, I tried and got some results based on that example (substituting P2D instead of P3D).
But if I export arcs, they are split into chunky line segments. DXF has a native arc type that should behave as vector graphics, no segments at any level.
Actually, looking at the generated file in a text editor, its full of “3DFACE” entities.
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I’d also love to know if one could export better DXF with native arcs…
@thehans maybe you could export SVG our PDF and open on Inkscape and then export DXF?