Help needed with AutoCAD R14

[cropwell]

Ey up chaps, I'm stuck.

I have got a very old version of AutoCAD loaded on my CNC computer, which has no unnecessary software (networking etc), so the easy way of explaining my problem is to start with a photo of the screen


What I am making is a harmonica case. The inside cutout is two rectangles and two circles. I want to end up with a pocket which is the combine of the four shapes. I can do the drawing in Coreldraw, and weld up the shapes, but when I transfer it to the CAM program (EstlCam) it produces a very 'steppy' outline, which is no use. I have to export the drawing to a .dwg file with Corel and then open it in AutoCAD and export it as a .dxf file to go into Estlcam. Somewhere in this process it loses the continuity of the shape.

How do I make the four shapes into one outline ?

I must admit that I do not understand the AutoCAD terminology. The program was bought for my son when he was a student in the late 1990's and I am unwilling to spend money on a CAD program, when there are so many free ones about and I am unlikely to use them to any worthwhile extent.

Cheers,

Rob

[cropwell]

Sorted - after a lot of messing about !

[Blackrat]

iirc you type in the word TRIM :D

[suesi34e]

Hi, sorry I meant to PM you!

[cropwell]

I have got past the stage of creating the shapes I need. Now I find I can't make them into a dxf file to put into my CAM program. All I get is the outer rectangle. I attach a copy of the dwg file, if anyone can help. The inside shape was created as a REGION and then made an outline with the UNION command.

Here's the dwg file hc2.dwg

[Clive S]

Rob are you trying to convert it to DXF if so here it is

Rob.dxf

[cropwell]

Thanks Clive, but I was hoping to find out why I could not do it, What the Fun was I doing that the export command did not pick up the inner bit?

I need to know so that I can do other drawings through the same process.

Cheers,

Rob

[Clive S]

Rob was load it into Acad and saved as dxf in your version.

I don't understand why it does not do that for you.

[Ger21]

Thanks Clive, but I was hoping to find out why I could not do it,

Because it's a REGION.
Explode the REGION, and use PEDIT to Join the lines into a single polyline.

Always save as V12 .dxf, for best compatibility.