Best Way To Include Adobe Illustrator .AI File

DIY_Guy

I've obtained the original Adobe Illustrator file for some custom vinyl wallcovering that will be used in a commercial remodel project.

I'd like to include the graphics from this .AI file on the proposed elevation view of the wall where it will be installed.

Unfortunately, I don't have Adobe Illustrator, otherwise it seems like it would be easy to export it directly from Illustrator to a .DWG format.

I do have a program called Canvas X, that can open the .AI file just fine and it looks exactly as it should when viewed in Canvas X.

Canvas X can also export the file into a .DWG format, but when I open up that exported file in BricsCAD it doesn't look the same. It seems as if all the details are there, but it seems many of the details in the .AI file have for some reason been converted to hatches.

I'm wondering if there is another way to convert this .AI file that may work better. I've tried converting it to an .SVG file using Canvas X and that worked much better, but a lot of the curves got kind of squared off.

Any thoughts on my dilemma here would be appreciated.

David Waight

@DIY_Guy Does the conversion come out any better if you export the file from Canvas X as a PDF?

If you are still getting the hatches, have you tried HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY to rebuild the shapes?

Could you post the Illustrator file? I'll happily have a look at it for you.

David Waight

@DIY_Guy Did you get the .DWG I sent back to you?

DIY_Guy

https://forum.bricsys.com/discussion/comment/59438#Comment_59438

David, no I didn't receive any notifications and I just tried digging around through everything available through my profile and account settings and I don't see where the file may be.

Please let me know where I may go to look for it, or maybe try sending me a new message with it attached, as I do seem to receive notifications regarding new messages.

David Waight

@DIY_Guy I'm not entirely sure how this forum works, but your response with the Illustrator file attached went into a part of the forum titled Activity. I only knew you sent something as it popped up as a notification, but it didn't appear here. So I replied in the Activity section, but it obviously didn't get sent to you. Hopefully, if I attach it here, you will get it unless it is something to do with file size. If it comes through, let me know. I'm not sure what you are expecting, but the Illustrator file was set up with no stroke, only fills, so I think that is the reason why things were off. Hopefully, adding a stroke to the Illustrator file and then exporting it gives you vectors you can work with. It is a very busy file though. :-)

GX-014_Yellow_Wallcovering copy.dwg

DIY_Guy

David, that looks much better, thank you.

Did you convert it in Illustrator, use that HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY command, or something else?

David Waight

I converted it in Illustrator by setting a stroke and turning off the fill.

You should be able to do the same in Canvas X.

Then try exporting as a DXF and a PDF to see if it works any better.

I didn't try the HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY command due to time constraints, but if the shapes weren't coming in correctly, you could end up with outlines of shapes that are incorrect.

If you get stuck, post your other one, and I'll have a go at converting that as well.