Most machines that are driving a tool along a path will generally support DXF as input. It works particularly well as a 2D format because of its simplicity and long history. You may want to consider putting a scale designation in the file name ( Thingamajig.mm.stl, Cut2size.cm.dxf) to insure downstream users are aware of what scale the original was generated in.ĭXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is one of the grandaddys of CAD formats originated by Autodesk with the introduction of AutoCAD. With these formats there is no way to convey the units the file was saved in. If you export the rectangle out to another system with DXF and that system is using centimeters the system will display a rectangle that is 1cm X 1cm. Consider a rectangle where one corner is at 0, 0 and the opposite corner is at 1, 1 and the scale is millimeters. Those point positions relate to an origin point. The object is defined as a series of point positions. One problem that often arises with formats like DXF, STL and OBJ is the scale of the object. The export for these formats will all be saved locally to a drive or USB port. Export for DXF and STL are restricted to a single sketch, component or body. This is called the context menu and it shows those commands that can be applied to the current selection. You can also find the Save As STL menu when you select a component or body and use the right mouse button. For DXF you will select sketches, for STL you can select a component or body. For that reason you will select the item you want to export from the browser or context menu. In many cases the object you want to produce will only be a subset of the overall design document. I will discuss the two most common formats for driving fabrication machines which are DXF and STL. With the cost of 3D printers dropping and access to industrial quality machines becoming more available through makerspaces you will want to know how to get it out of Fusion and on to the machine.

3D printers use this same principal but apply it at each level of the 3D part. Take the tool which could be a router, plasma torch, laser or even a sewing machine and move it along a path which you define in Fusion. There is a simple principle behind most CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines. A vast array of machines can convert your ideas into reality.

There is nothing quite as exciting as seeing the results of your design concepts in the real world.

Export from osirix lite to meshmixer