DXF file not displaying

[roboguy]

Been using 6040 laser-cutter at a hackerspace for a short time now. When we import a DXF file, often it doesn't display. Occasionally, it's because the image is outside the laser cutter boundaries, but that's rarely the issue (& is resolved easily by 'Centre to Table'). The colour key for cut types displays at top right, so something is clearly being loaded & recognised. At other times, the import fails & a screen message says the file's too big, & displays some gobbledygook in a text box, then asks whether to continue; despite the message, often the file is tiny. We repeatedly select New File, then Import, or close & re-open Laser System 5.3 software. Eventually, it displays, but it can take up to 20 attempts. Is it a software bug? How can we remedy? Thanks for any tips.

[JamesW]

Hi Roboguy,

I've experienced this as well - and it usually seems to be associated with unnecessarily complex DXFs. My view, try to clean up the DXFs before import, so they don't feature a plethora of redundant nodes. AutoCAD seems to be a bugger for this - Inkscape, on the other hand, produces nicer, cleaner DXFs. Inspecting with the node editor will reveal overly complex DXFs. Judicious use of Ctrl-L can help with some types of image, but use caution. I now pass all DXFs through Inkscape to clean them before import.

Hope this helps!

James