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Rhino to Affinity workflow - let's talk about DWG/DXF


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Hi,

 

It will be a bit long, since I have to touch other, very closely related issues as well.

 

Rhino to Affinity Designer:

 

So I'm a bit lost, at first a seemingly easy excercise: how do I get linework from Rhino/RhinoWIP to Affinity Designer without using a 3rd software?

The exported .ai/.eps files won't be read, and .dwg is still out of league.

 

Relevant McNeel Discourse threads:

https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/what-export-option-to-use-to-get-rhino-into-affinity-designer/38872/6

https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/exporting-in-eps-ai-format/37015/8 

https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/reading-exported-ai-files-in-vector-editors-other-than-illustrator/18092

 

I've tried the vector PDF as described, but it is extremely messy, not usable.

I have no idea, why the curves are joined into one curve: I have to explode them, then I tried joining them like described here,

but no success, they remain detached.

 

Here are my questions:

Can we expect extended .ai or .eps compatibility, or even better, support for .dwg files?

In the meantime, what do you suggest to send linework from Rhino to Designer?

 

Two very closely related topics:

 

1. DWG/DXF exchange between CAD software and Affinity Designer

 

This is a thread asking for DWG/DXF support, which if I recall, did not happen since then:

Please consider increasing attention on this matter, as the latest official reply was from @MEB, over 2,5 years ago.

This is a very important feature for many designers (myself is an architect), since most of the time our drawings are not generated in Designer/Illustrator. There are flexible 2D editing and publishing tools (e.g. ARCHICAD), that handle technical drawings quite nice, but not textured drawings, so a more tailored, flexible tool is in dire need. But the (seemingly) lack of interest from the development side is a bit saddening, since involving another tool in the workflow leaves Designer on the shelf - which is pity, since Photo is wonderfully replacing Photoshop.

 

2. Select same... functionality

 

Other software generated PDFs from e.g. ARCHICAD are better structured, but one needs a lot of time to prepare them for exporting - I'm saying this workflow issue has two sides, but the lack of select same... features are also hurting a lot. (Also, ARCHICAD cannot produce .ai or .eps files, so the common denominator is DWG.) Thread here:

This is almost a 3,5 years old request.

 

To summarize:

I recognize this is a long standing issue at McNeel as well, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate a usable, decent workflow involving Rhino and Designer.

(I've read over there at Discourse, that someone asked older .ai support already in the Windows beta threads, but couldn't find anything related.)

But from your side, adding support for generic formats, namely DWG/DXF, with layers, and functionality that helps converting technical drawings (Select same) to Affinity Designer files is a must in the long run.

I can only speak from my side of course, but the increasing activity in the above linked threads might suggest, that these are features that would be very welcome.

 

Here is a small testing pack, a .3dm (Rhino) that should originate something, that I can create a usable .afdesign file from.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nytg3owlf2rf8eh/AABtbW1dxAkhonOaRwPRI5pVa?dl=0

 

Thank you!

 

MBP 15" + iPad Pro 10,5"

macOS High Sierra 10.14 | iOS 13 | latest Affinity Photo & Designer & Publisher (and Betas)

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I have been checking in on this topic for a few years now. I really need a reasonable way to get linework from Affinity Designer into Rhino3D, and getting from Rhino3D back into Affinity is also needed sometimes. I love the Affinity Software and the business model. I would gladly pay an additional amount to get some increased functionality with DXF/DWG compatibility, or better PDF compatibility on Rhino's end (but that is up to Mcneel). I am sure Affinity users who work with Fusion360, Rhino3D, AutoCAD, FreeCAD etc would also throw in a donation/upgrade fee to get this issue over the hump. 

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