Hello all. I recently purchased the license for Lazy CAM Pro and have been having very little luck getting my AutoCad generated .dxf files to open in LCAM and it is still a problem with the latest version (2.02). I did manage to do it on an earlier version but I can't remember what I did. I think what I did was go to this forum and find some ideas, took my file into another program and did something to it and it worked. Shouldn't this be easier? Does anyone know what is required of an AutoCAD .dxf file to make it readable in LCAM? I have tried saving the .dxf files in V2004, V2000 and Vr12. A couple of my old files still open (the ones I did the mystery process to) so I know it must be a compatibilty issue with the straight ACAD files. It seems very wrong to have to create a ,dxf file in one program and then take it into another to fix it so it works in LCAM. It's called "Lazy" CAM -- I am doing my best to be lazy! Help!

Fiddled around and found one fix that works -- still requires two programs. Here it is: Import the ACAD .dfx (which was saved as version R12) into Corel Draw 11, then, with all objects selected, export using the "selected only" option as an ACAD version R11 .dxf file. I tried exporting from Corel using newer ACAD versions to see what happens, but nothing newer than ACAD R11 worked. R13, R14 and V2000 exports from Corel all hang the program on loading the file when the progress comment reads "Duplicate Entitiy Removal". The processor seems to be very busy doing something (don't know if the computer is hung or just doing infinite computations or something) and I don't have the patience to wait any longer than I already tried waiting, which was a couple of minutes at the longest. The R11 Corel copy loads immediately.

I can get out of that hung state by closing LCAM and Windows claims that the "program has stopped responding", but of course Windows does that a lot when a program is just really busy and not crashed.

Perhaps my biggest problem here is that I am using AutoCad 2005. It only saves .dxf files back to version R12 format, but then again, in other places in this forum I hear of people saving as R12 and having it work. And could that be some difference between ACAD 2005 and whatever version they are using? Ah, technology!

One problem remains: Points were converted into small circles when importing into Corel, but since they are just points where a drilling operation is going to happen I can tolerate editing the G-Code (as long as there aren't too many. Still need a better fix!

Okay, so I didn't give up! I'm still hoping for a more direct way to get from ACAD2005 to LCAM so if you have a technique I would love to hear it!

Hi, Mark

I don't use autocad, turbocad ver. 8 hear.

I tried to look at your DigaProbe.DXF, Used Rinocad, Bobcad and Turbocad 8, no luck hear to see it.

I'm sure someone will jump-in Hear with Info.

Thanks, Chip

Thanks for the input Chip.

Although that probe drawing is not the one I'm trying to load it was still created in my ACAD 2005 so it should act the same way as the one I'm working on right now. At this point I am installing an older version of ACAD (2000) to see if it will export an older format file (like R11). I'll see how that goes. I have some other programs that work with .dxf files that I haven't tried yet, so I might still come up with a solution myself.

I hope I don't have to buy another CAD program!

Update to this post: Tried ACAD 2000 and it only goes back to R12 -- same as 2005. However, tried another program, GlobalMapper, took ACAD drawing in and exported it back out with no alterations and it works so far as I can tell --so far. Points came into LCAM as points instaed of tiny circles like Corel generated. There is a free version of GlobalMapper available from the USGS and it comes under a different name. I know it is somewhat crippled compared to the full GlobalMapper version, but it may work for doing this. I will try to find it (should be an easy Google exercise) and give it a try and post results in this thread. Update: Found it (http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/drc/dlgv32pro/) but it does not export .dxf -- it is a crippled version of GlobalMapper which is an incredible program, btw. I am thinking that maybe there is a program out there that is capable of reading an ACAD dxf file and also saving a dxf in a format that can be read by LCAM. It works in the full version of Global Mapper, for one. Almost in Corel.

Anyway, I wonder what it is about ACAD file format that makes it not work.

Would still like to hear from others if they have found other ways to get ACAD files into LCAM.

Hi, Mark

Thinking back on our water-jet cutter / Mach3 conversion, We had the same problem with autocad DXF's.

It will be a day or so until I can go in and figure it out.

Thanks, Chip

Rez 2.0 should read your DXF!

Could you please post your DXF and I will see where it is all going wrong

Well, I'm doing pretty well in the self-help department here. I just found a free fix for getting it into LCAM starting with ACAD2005. Here is what I did:

1. Saved the original as a .dwg (drawing) file in AutoCAD 2000 format (this doesn't work if saved in 2004 format and I haven't tried other variations of conversion sources and destinations -- there are many possibilities).

2. Did a conversion to AutoCAD 10 format .dxf file using A9TECH's free conversion utility (available for FREE at http://www.a9tech.com/products/a9converter/). You just drag and drop the file you want to convert and select the output format.

Then the resulting dxf opens in LCAM with no problem.

Below is the .dxf saved as ACAD 2000 format that I can't open in LCAM (test-v2000.dxf).
Also below is the resulting file after I do the A9conversion to ACAD10 format (test-v2000toR10.dxf) that does open in LCAM. (Yay!)

Thanks to all for your input!

Hi mark

Just for the reccord, i tryed both files here and they load fine exept in plasma mode then they give a unrecoverable error in drawstock and Lazycam shuts down

Greetings:
Willem

Hi, Willem

I got the same Error Msg. but with a file of mine, It dose it with all files i'v tried.

Thanks, Chip

Hi Willem,

I have only tried them in mill mode (that's the only place I'd use them for now). I'm just happy I can finally get them into LCAM and work right. I can do it using a conversion done by GlobalMapper, but I wanted to find a solution that didn't require an expensive program (for the benefit of others with this problem), so I searched until I found the A9tech website and their converter, which works (for me in mill mode) and is free, a price I like a lot!

For those stuck with ACAD2005 and wanting to use plasma mode, I don't know if this fix would work or not if someone spent the time to try converting to all the various ACAD formats that A9converter is capable of doing (maybe it's a different problem related to that mode? -- who knows!).

I think I noticed that sometimes LCAM would crash differently when confronted with different ACAD formats. And I think some files loaded but lots of LCAM features seemed to not work right. But by now I have done so much fooling around I can't really say what happened when because I tried many different things. I wasn't keeping notes. Anyway, maybe what I found will help someone.

Nice meeting you, Willem!