Today I’m pleased to announce that OpenCutList version 6.0.0 has just been released. It is available now on the Extension Warehouse .
OpenCutList is a Cut list and Cutting Diagram optimizer Extension for SketchUp.
Open Source, crowdfunded and easy to use
This release required a tremendous effort to overcome some limitations of SketchUp, but paves the way to OpenCutList for further work in the direction of CNC, laser-cutting or other fields where precise SVG/DXF or STL/OBJ data is required.
This version offers simple tools to export parts geometry in 2D or 3D in the most common file formats.
We would also like to thank the translator team for making it possible to offer OpenCutList many languages. Although not all languages of the previous version are currently available, we will release an update as soon as the translations will be available.
I hope the new features will be useful to you and will improve your creativity and productivity in your wood (or metal) projects.
Wow!
A new version full of new features and improvements.
Boris and the OCL team have taken great care to improve and refine functions that we thought were already mature.
And they offer us new digital export functions (dxf obj svg…) superbly integrated and well thought-out.
The smoothing of curves in exports is amazing. Not only for circles and arcs, but also for curves: parabolas, ellipses… exploded or not (provided they’re composed of at least 6 segments) There’s genius in this.
In our workshop, OCL and Sketchup are at the heart of the furniture and woodworking process. We’re currently considering upgrading our machine park by investing in a CNC. This new OCL comes at just the right time, and will certainly help us take that step.
Thank you
Wow that’s amazing. Thanks a lot for your efforts.
After some quick testing I found that exported dxf files can’t be opened with latest LibreCAD (but I was able to open the file via some online software). This is really strange considering according to your screenshots you’re using LibreCAD as well (although you’re using MacOS while I’m using MS Windows).
It’s strange that you can’t open files with LibreCAD. I used LibreCAD 2.2 (on macos). But as far as I can test it can open these DXF on AutoCAD, QCAD, Fusion360, Shapr3D, Autodesk online viewer.
What happens when you try to open the file on LibreCAD ?
We are integrating the new DXF exporter into our workflow. 2 fails, that I can’t figure out.
I have a component that has a rabbet (not sure it it’s the right word. “Falz” in German - it’s a step in the Z-Axis) on the outside. When I select the component and export it to DXF this section of the component is not being exported.
I have designed a bit of a yacht-floor. It has different colors on different parts of the component, separated be lines (but all on the same z-plane). Only the outside-contour is being exported.
OpenCutList uses the face normal to determine in what direction you want to project. And it always projects from the Front face of the pointed face. So be sure all faces are well oriented
It’s the normal behavior. OpenCutList merge all faces that share the same depth. To be able to export the inlay path, you must separate it from geometry and uses “Path” feature.
Be careful that edges are exported as path only if they are not associated with a face. And if you want a continuous polyline, be sure that edges are welded together.
as for 1) - yes, that would be cool - it’s definitely a mistake people would make.
for 2) - ok - I get it too. Works. I don’t like it very much, because I like to “keep my solids solid” - and these type of “hidden groups” usually cause problems down the road. Maybe one (you?) could add an option to export all visible lines at one point or the other down the road.
I know and understand but addressing multiple goals with one unique tool bring necessarily some compromises.
OpenCutList is not a simple 2D exporter that just flattent edges geometry. It considers the input as a solid volume created by faces. And try its best to render the global shape.
In OCL world a part is not necessary a single drawing. A part is a set of faces nested in a component. And these faces can be nested in sub groups. So global part shape could be constructed from unmerged faces.
I see that you have installed Skema 2d Projection, that can do similar things (and respond to your need). But as I can see, in its export all lines are single or doubled, no polyline. DXF is not exploitable on CNC. The gap between project line and correctly understand, project and export closed shape is quite huge to pass without compromises.
In your given file, the floor is not solid. It’s just a face
All good, man! It’s an awesome tool, as it is! And yes - I think I have tested pretty much EVERY Plugin that claims to export things out of Sketchup. Getting stuff out of Sketchup (be it via Layout or with an exporter) remains the Achilles’ heel of this software. All we be solved in Sketchup 2024 though, which seems to be right on track for a release somewhere in 2030.
I think it’s more a geometric or logic problem than a strategic or economical question
A good solution is a solution with no border effect.
I will try to brain about these inner lines …
@napperkt, maybe we need a new tool to export all visible and coplanar edges contained in a pointed drawing element to extends the possibilities without changing the 2D part exporter logic.
When I try to open the file from the file manager LibreCAD opens but without any file in it and there’s a message in the left bottom corner “opening aborted”. When I try to open the file directly from LibreCAD there’s an error popup saying “Import error: error opening DXF/DWG file”.
Nah, thank you for this amazing extension! I know I didn’t cover many of the features you have built, (like, I should have at least mentioned your new exporters!) but I hope to have still shown it in a good light!
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