I need to get a file over to FreeCAD. It’s simple 2D drawings and I assume that DXF is the file format to use for this scenario. The problem is that the colors of the geometry doesn’t carry over to FreeCAD. I tried to assign the color in Rhino “by layer” and “by object” before exporting but it opens in FreeCAD all black. Another problem is that all polycurves are exploded into single segments. I tried a few of the different presets available at export and tried the many available options but nothing seems to affect the outcome. That is strange since some of the options specifically mention colors and explode curves. Blocks don’t carry over either, though I could live without that for now. Groups and/or layers would also be nice to works via DXF, though I have no idea if that is even a thing that DXF can do.
Is there a specific combination of options that I need to check in order to get the DXF export respect the object color set in Rhino and keep the polylines joined?
Is there another file format that may work? I tried dwg and step and that didn’t work either.
I had tried importing DXF from Rhino into Fusion some time ago and if i remember correctly, colors didn’t work there either. So that makes me assume that it has something to with the export logic of Rhino.
Thanks for the link. At first one would think that this might be the solution. But it isn’t. Reading the last post tells you that it simply doesn’t work with FreeCad. It is suggested there to use LibreCAD instead. I tried, yes LibreCAD imports the colors correctly. It can even keep the polylines joined.
Looks like this is a limitation of FreeCAD. I’ll have to ask the person that needs to get the file to use something else than FreeCAD.
Fusion has no colours in its sketch environment so that’s why they don’t show. Colours will come through for solid bodies in STP, IGS and other solid formats.
Where are you trying to import into FreeCAD, into a sketch?
The data will finally be imported to KiCAD. The person who continues working there just needs to do some additional steps and that is where FreeCAD, Fusion360 or LibreCAD would come in.
LibreCAD looks like the best tool for that at the moment.
My conclusion regarding Rhino DXF export:
To me it looks like Rhino does a really good job by offering all the different options to cater to different Programs that might import a DXF in different ways. All those options made me think that there is some magic combination I would need to get right in order to make FreeCAD read the DXF the way I would like it to. Though it turns out FreeCAD is simply too limited in that regard. No fault to Rhino as far as I can tell.
