Import-Export > Import

Menu bar → File → Import opens a Dialog Box to import Graphic files and puts them into a new layer.

Available import formats are:

Extension	Description
AI	Adobe Illustrator (AI) is a vector graphics file format.
BMP	Bitmap (BMP) is a raster graphics file format.
CNC	CNC G-Code is a language to control CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines. [a]
DXF	Drawing Exchange Format (DXF) is a CAD file format.
GIF	Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a raster graphics file format.
JP2	The JPEG 2000 (JP2) file format is a further development of the JPEG format and offers, among other things, additional data compression options.
JPG	Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is a compressed image format.
MCL	Marker Control Language (MCL) is a GSI PC-Mark vector graphics file format.
PCX	Personal Computer Exchange (PCX) is a raster graphics file format.
PLT	Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (HPGL) Plotter File (PLT) is a language format for printing line drawings, specifically designed for 2D plotters.
PNG	Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a raster graphics file format.
SF	SAF is a SCAPS archive.
SVG	Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a 2D vector graphics file format.
TGA	TGA or TARGA is a raster graphics file format.
TIF	Tagged Image File (TIF) is a raster graphics file format.
TWAIN	TWAIN is a software protocol and applications programming interface between software and scanner.
TXT	Point Cloud Data is an ASCII format containing 3D vertices.

Table 39: Available Import Formats

[a]: Please note that not all available G-Code commands are interpreted into entities by SAMLight. For example, G0 commands are ignored during import to SAMLight.

import_entities

Figure 372: Import Dialog

Resolution: Defines how to transform the vectors from the file in case no units are given. The resulting unit is mm.

Keep Order: If this is selected all data is written in LineArrays to make sure that the exposure order is the same as the order inside the file. Less memory is needed for loading and saving a file. The disadvantage is that closed PolyLines can not be hatched after the import. The example below shows this behaviour.

Read Pen Info: Enables the interpretation of the Pen information given in the File.

Center to Field: Centers the entity to the given field size.

Create One Group: Can be used to optimize the order of the vectors to minimize the marking-time. All selected ScPolyLine2D objects will move into a new ScPolyLines2D folder. Then two polylines will be closed to a new polyline if the distance between them is smaller than CloseDist (in mm). If CloseDist is set to '0' no polylines will be closed. Afterwards all polylines will be sorted in order to minimize jumps. If necessary and possible polylines will be flipped to optimize the marking order of the polylines and thus the marking-time as well.

Advanced...: Allows to influence the import of the drawing more detailed, see chapter Import Advanced.

Example "Keep Order":

import_keep_order_selected1

Figure 373: Example for Keep Order enabled

import_keep_order_not_selected2

Figure 374: Example for Keep Order disabled

Activated options for available file formats are:

	Resolution	KeepOrder	ReadPenInfo	Points	Preview	PenColors
AI	－	✔	✔	－	✔	－
BMP	－	－	－	－	✔	－
CNC	－	－	✔	－	－	－
DXF SCAPS	－	✔	✔	－	✔	－
GIF	－	－	－	－	✔	－
JP2	－	－	－	－	－	－
JPG	－	－	－	－	✔	－
MCL	－	－	✔	－	✔	－
PCX	－	－	－	－	✔	－
PLT	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	－
PNG	－	－	－	－	✔	－
SAF	－	－	✔	－	✔	－
SVG SCAPS	－	－	✔	－	－	－
TGA	－	－	－	－	✔	－
TIF	－	－	－	－	✔	－
TWAIN	－	－	－	－	✔	－
TXT	－	－	－	－	✔	－

Table 375: ✔: available, －: not available

For Import of a SVG file, the Pen Colors are mapped as follows:

•Each RGB channel value of the import file and of each SAMLight pen is divided by 64 and truncated. Thus, all values are mapped into one of the following blocks (0-63, 64-127, 128-191, 192-255).

•Then, the first SAMLight pen which matches the SVG color blocks in R, G and B channel, is taken. If no corresponding pen is found, the next undefined pen is taken, starting with 21.