Export to bitmap (png) Issues

[robdv57]

Using Pro version 3.21.3.0
Want to export .dxf file as .png for use with Paint Shop Pro.
Was successful in creating file "...Platform Conceptpng.png" (attached), but don't recall how.
After making some changes to drawing, unable to replicate the desired export to png.
Toggling screen based linetypes off loses the dashed and dotted variants as in file "...Concept3".
Toggling screen based linetypes on at same 2000x2000/auto settings gets "...Concept11".
Increasing the 'on' settings to 8000x8000/auto gets "...Concept0". Increasing the size further seems to stump PSP.
Have other drawings to export as well. How can the desired linetypes and drawing clarity be retained?
Thanks.

[Husky]

Not my wheelhouse but ....

Screen based line types = ON,
I changed the layer Lineweight from 0.25 to 0.20,

Settings for Bitmap export are set to:

Husky-2019.01.04-04.png (19.24 KiB) Viewed 4187 times

png result is:

Husky-2019.01.04-02.png (67.41 KiB) Viewed 4187 times

Husky-2019.01.04-05.png (29.37 KiB) Viewed 4187 times

Maybe you have to play with different layer settings for Lineweight and Linetype to get the best result for further editing in PS ...

[robdv57]

Thanks Husky.
Setting the layers to be exported to the default lineweight works adequately. Setting the lineweight to 0.20 yields essentially the same .png conversion. Lineweights grater than 0.20 make a blotchy mess of the export.

The solution is more useful than educational, and somewhat baffling. P. 26 of Andrew Mustun's Manual [QCAD - An Introduction to Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Copyright 2008-2012, acquired Nov. 2015, so perhaps outdated] states: “The viewing tools don't have any effect on the actual drawing, they only change the current view of the drawing“. But that does not seem to be what happens, since variants appear on screen and in exports as the viewing mode changes, as the attachments show.

The 'screenview' mode retains and transfers the desired linetypes (except for the sequence of exclamation points to the right of the car outline, which was entered as 'fenceline 2').
The “screenoff” mode somehow portrays the fenceline properly but none of the other dotted/broken linetypes.
The 'draft' mode manages to also lose the fence linetype.

Questions for the forum: Aren't the linetypes fully integrated into the actual drawing? Why do they change when viewed on the monitor or upon export? Why does 'fenceline 2' finally appear as itself in a bitmap export whereas all live screen attempts render it as a series or exclamation points? Etc.

[andrew]

Your linetypes are too dense to be rendered. When using screen-based linetypes, pixel distances are used to make sure dashes are always visible on screen.

Change the global linetype scale to 250, 500 or 1000 (or similar) to make dashes visible even without screen-based linetypes:
Edit > Drawing Preferences > General > Linetype > Global Linetype Scale

For the fenceline entities you might want to change the linetype scale in the property editor to for example 0.1.

P. 26 of Andrew Mustun's Manual [QCAD - An Introduction to Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Copyright 2008-2012, acquired Nov. 2015, so perhaps outdated] states: “The viewing tools don't have any effect on the actual drawing, they only change the current view of the drawing“. But that does not seem to be what happens, since variants appear on screen and in exports as the viewing mode changes, as the attachments show.

What is meant here is that the underlying drawing data does not change when zooming, panning, etc. For example if you zoom in, you are not scaling the drawing. A 100mm line is still 100mm long. The presentation of your drawing on screen or in a bitmap is a different matter and is indeed affected by the viewing tools.

The 'draft' mode manages to also lose the fence linetype.

Draft mode is meant as a work mode for better performance. Complex linetypes are slow and not shown as such in draft mode.

[robdv57]

Thanks Andrew.
The linetype scale adjustments help.
My next quest is to educate myself better as to dxf particulars without turning the forum in piecemeal fashion. Would an AutoCad guide book (from the local library) cover aspects such as the scaling adjustments you suggested? Or one or two other informative references that you can suggest?