Pen Tool Path - duplicate and flip

[akamii]

I've come across an issue but not sure how to solve.

When I create a shape in AD, convert to curves, copy shape, export to SVG, everything is fine. Cricut Design Space, AD, Inkscape and every SVG on line checker opens it fine.

However, then a create a path using the pen tool, copy, flip and export both paths to Design Space, I get one path and one line. It will only work if I make them compound paths. Why is this? Again, everything opens fine in on line checkers even in AD. I've also converted the file to dxf in Inkscape and opened in Silhouette Design Studio and have a similar issue in that only one path is showing (no line this time).

The line is strange as it is always on the left. I've spent ages looking for said line in AD when eventually I've worked out it not actually a line at all.

The file is created in AD at 72dpi and exported within AD. 

I thought once anything is a curve then it should not matter that it was copied and flipped. Any thoughts? Copy of SVG below, original AD file and a photo of how it opens in DS.

I think it may be a generic cutting machine issue as it happens in both Silhouette and Cricut but I would be interested if I'm missing a step creating the original file or SVG.

Thanks

test3.svg test3.afdesign

[Alfred]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, @akamii.

59 minutes ago, akamii said:

I thought once anything is a curve then it should not matter that it was copied and flipped.

When you flip a curve you reverse its direction. In case that’s the problem, try selecting the flipped copy with the Node Tool and pressing the ‘Reverse Curve’ button on the Context toolbar.

[dutchshader]

in the layers panel you have one layer and one group, ungroup (right click) this group and try in design space.

 

[Gear maker]

@akamii My guess is that Design Space is not liking the transform matrix in the SVG file.  Go into the export and click on the More button.  Try selecting the Flatten transforms.  If this works make a preset with it flattened.  You might also tell it to rasterize nothing while you are at it.

[akamii]

2 hours ago, Alfred said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, @akamii.

When you flip a curve you reverse its direction. In case that’s the problem, try selecting the flipped copy with the Node Tool and pressing the ‘Reverse Curve’ button on the Context toolbar.

Thanks @Alfred, but that didn't work 😞

2 hours ago, Alfred said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, @akamii.

When you flip a curve you reverse its direction. In case that’s the problem, try selecting the flipped copy with the Node Tool and pressing the ‘Reverse Curve’ button on the Context toolbar.

 

1 hour ago, Gear maker said:

@akamii My guess is that Design Space is not liking the transform matrix in the SVG file.  Go into the export and click on the More button.  Try selecting the Flatten transforms.  If this works make a preset with it flattened.  You might also tell it to rasterize nothing while you are at it.

Now this one seemed to. A bit more testing required but may be a good option. As I want to sell some of my cut files, I really don't want people to download them and then find that bits are missing!

 

Thanks so much all for your help. Very strange glitch and very annoying!

Edited March 13, 2021 by akamii

[akamii]

2 hours ago, dutchshader said:

in the layers panel you have one layer and one group, ungroup (right click) this group and try in design space.

 

Didn't make any difference unfortunately. Thanks though.

I always thought that SVG files were all read the same. It appears not.

[akamii]

I now have a bit of an update. It seems that not everything gets created into curves - I'm assuming when exporting. If you look at the attached file, all parts are curves in the layers panel. In the SVG file if you upload it into a text editor, (I've renamed the SVG file into a txt file so it shows) the buffers and white light and red light are still ellipses. This is why they are not being seen correctly in Design Space and other cutting machine systems.

Is there a way to force the shape to become a curve apart from Convert to Curves which I've already done? Is this a bug?

 

Front_73.afdesign Front 73.svg Front 73.txt

[Gear maker]

1 hour ago, akamii said:

Is there a way to force the shape to become a curve apart from Convert to Curves which I've already done? Is this a bug?

I have never had it do that, at least I've never noticed it.  But it is doing it for me also.  In a way it could be handy, lots of people ask if there is a way to change a curve back into a shape and the answer always is No, other than a undo.  But this seems to do it.

But, that doesn't help you.

It looks like it does it to any rectangle or ellipse (and possibly other shapes).  I found only one way to stop it.  As long as the More says to flatten transforms, then any transform stops the conversion.  If I put in a rotation or shear as small as .0001, then the conversion does not occur (.00001 didn't work).  Not a perfect cure.  I see that the rectangle and ellipse does not have to be converted to a curve when using this method.  In fact the entire drawing can be selected and given a slight rotation (.0001) and it seems to stop all rectangles and ellipses from being converted.

I don't know if this is a bug or if the svg spec calls/allows for this.  I suspect that it is the latter.