[cad-linux] Re: 2D drawings- was Re: Any suggestions about free hosting sites for a CAD symbol library?

  • From: "Lars O. Grobe" <grobe@xxxxxxx>
  • To: cad-linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2010 09:49:22 +0800

Hi!
PS is a powerful output format, but it is not made for editing. I would
also convert my drawings to postscript when they leave my domain and if
they are not to be edited but only reproduced. However, this does not
replace the CAD format allowing my to group, attach attributes, have
high-level geometry and all that. All what you want to keep in you
symbol library. For the latter, there is no common standard in open
source yet (while e.g. spending some time on step/iges 2d might solve
this). Then the only missing part would be the translation from 2d cad
to postscript (or svg, preferred) so that you can "style" your drawing
in a specialized app. Take the tex chain - you have editors working on
the tex (or even on top of that e.g. lyx), then you convert it to e.g.
postscript if you want to freeze the appearance, but you always edit the
source.

So maybe all that is needed is a common supported 2d format on both the
cad and the vector-graphics side. CAD needs to supply dimensioning,
grouping, layers... and the vector-editor can apply styles according to
attributed. That would make all the work on printing, scaling,
linewidths, fonts, color become superfluous on the cad side, as it is
already available in vector graphics packages.

Cheers

Lars.

> It would be nice to have a file format that is a combination of 
> iges/dxf(accurate CAD data) and ps(good text/font capabilities).
> On a slightly related subject: For our shop floor drawings at work, I 
> print the operation drawings off into *.pdf files. When the shop 
> supervisor needs to run a job and needs a copy of the drawing, she just 
> prints the *.pdf. It's nothing ground breaking, I know. But, at least 
> there's something there to look at if our proprietary software goes 
> belly up.
> 
> Dan



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