Output Images

I'm using SW2005, sp4. I'm trying to output some images of parts and
assemblies to be used in manuals and brochures. The models have
textures and annotations that need to be in the output images as well.
The images can be in TIF, JPEG, or EPS format and should be about 300
dpi.

If I output from the model; I get the annotations, colors and textures,
but get poor output quality. I'm limited to 50 dpi with a TIF.

I tried PhotoWorks and get great output but no annotations.

I tried outputting from a drawing, and again get good output, but no
textures.

So is there a way to get one of the three:
Better quality output from a model?
Include annotation in PhotoWorks?
Include textures in drawings?

Thanks for your help.
dp

 

I can't speak specifically to sw2005 as I am running 2006, but textures
that are defined in the main SW window propegate through to drawings but
those defined in photoworks do not. Where were yours defined?

 

We actually output to eDrawings and do a screen shot of that.

 

I heard the 300dpi, but how LARGE will the images be printed? When
making images (and recomendations on how to make the images) dpi is
less important than the total number of pixels you need. I can make
several suggestions but they all hinge on how many pixels you need.
-Ed

 

Tick's secret recipe...

Print your image to EPS or PDF. The vector format of EPS makes it so
dpi really doesn't matter. You can keep zooming in and not lose
resolution.

To get vectorized images, I usually print to PDF. Then I use
Ghostscript (shareware) to convert to PNG (useful for MS Word docs) or
EPS.

 

There is free Macro that allows you to save high resolution .bmp of your
SolidWorks screen you can then use PhotoShop or your preferred image
editing software to convert as per your requirements.

http://swtools.cad.de/macros.htm

Look for mm_18.zip

If you use it then think about donating, there are a lots of useful
macros on this site.

I still use his PAC4SWX batch printing utility rather than the
SolidWorks Task Scheduler, as it has a better feature set. Great for
batch converting sheets named DXF (or anything else) as a DXF.

Regards

John Layne
www.solidengineering.co.nz

 

We are using custom textures. I'm not sure where they really originated
from. With that said, I can't get the standard textures to show in a
drawing either. If that can be done in SW2005, please let me know.

 

The 300 dpi mark was established by the graphic artists who are
assembling the literature. That's what they want to start with and
they'll resize it up or down a little bit depending on how much room
they have for the image on the page after all the tables and other
verbage. Most images will fit in a 2 to 3 inch square.

 

Good, you don't need any more pixels than you already have on the
screen.
The simplest way is to just print screen (upper left of your keyboard)
and paste into any imaging software, MS paint, or Word in a pinch.
Before printing the screen I tend to take my video card up to the
highest resolution it can go, and set my toolbars to maximize screen
real-estate. The graphics guys never complain about having too many
pixels. While you are in your graphics card settings, you might alos
poke around and see if there is an anti-aliasing setting. There is an
anti-aliaising setting in SWx but it doesn't really do that much.
Don't forget to set your image quality (under document properties) as
high as it will go.

Final note - don't save as a JPEG if it is being used for print. JPEG
compresses by throwing away data. Keep it as a TIFF, a BMP, or if size
is a concern a PNG (basically a compressed BMP without any loss of
quality)