Graphics and Print guys, or Autocad guys too, Anyone here with experience..

[Trem]

I've done a scale vector drawing in Corel Draw of a possible guitar i want to build or rather have built and was wondering if there is a way to import or convert it into Autocad and retain it's scale and or zero point and be a functionable 2d cad drawing for a cnc to read and interpret correctly.

I'm a little unsure of how it works.
It should be drawn to scale within about a 1000'nth of an inch if all went right, but i was a little confused. At first i was just working in photoshop and had calculated the ppi of the document with regards to the actual ppi of my monitor, so that an inch on a ruler in photoshop with a new document actually measures and inch on my screen with a real ruler - i thought you had to do that to get things to print proper size that you are shooting for?

It turns out as close as i can visually get at 93.6 ppi. Then i was assuming when i print it at that ppi it should print to actual scale.

When i went to draw from scratch again in Corel as a vector drawing, i set the ppi at 93.6, but Corel automatically rounds the Document ppi up to 94 ppi. I didn't realize that till later. So since i was working off the ruler in Corel i guess i should just print it at 94 ppi?

I don't have any experience with print, it's a little confusing monitor ppi, document ppi ect... or maybe i'm over thinking it, but i would be taking it to Kinkos or wherever that has a big ass printer to get it on one sheet.

Secondly, I also would like to have it in a cad file that a cnc could read properly. I can export the drawing as a DXF or DWG from Corel. But i don't know if there is something special that has to be taken into consideration when beginning the document in the first place or before exporting or when importing to Autocad that would keep it's scale ect.

Or if i'm just severely confused about cad and cnc and what it needs to be to work, lol.

Thanks

[Jayster]

Trem,

I'll take a shot. First a .DWG file will definately read in autocad, as far as it 'meshing' with CNC - I don't know. However, I'm assuming that the guitar will have a need for trilinear interpolation and I'm not sure how you could create the necessary compound radius' in your software.

Most CAD programs have a scale feature(that relates to printing), and will not necessarily appear correct on your monitor. A quick way to test this would be to draw a rectangle and print it out to whatever your choice of scale is(1/4, 1/8, or whatever), and then measure the print out.

Hope this somewhat helps.

[Trem]

Thanks Jay,
Ok, well yeah i was hoping to have it print to 1:1 from the get go, it looks about right at 100% on my monitor. I had read that at least in photoshop to have something appear in the size you want it to print on your monitor as your drawing it that you had to figure out the actual ppi on your monitor as they are all different, but for working off a grid or with the rulers in the program i started to wonder if that matters as long as it's printed at the ppi you drew the document. Seeing it on the monitor in actual size may not matter so much since it's not a it's not a greeting card or something like that.
I'll just have to try it out. Take the file down and print it and see how it comes out.

As far as beveling and routing, i'm not sure how they program that for cnc, but the drawing would just be 2D with all the relevant lines and routes and i would just make notes for the depths ect. It's probably less likely i found someone to cut to body that they would use a cnc, but i'd like the option, or to at least learn a little about it. Have to read up more how they work.

First guitar i built in 93 i just bought a body blank from warmoth and a drew the shape from an old high school scratch pad of guitar drawings direct on the blank and cut it out routed everything freehand, bought a neck through from carvin and glued it up. I actually never finished it due to having no one to paint it, and little tools to work with. I was going to go dig it out of my moms this weekend. Probably in her attic for the last 18 years (omg the time) and see how bad it actually is, lol.

Anyway, this one i want done exact.
Thanks Again