Re: Convert .WMF Files to:

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "Brian" <ka1bbg@w...> wrote:

> Hi, well i inherited IMSI Masterclipart softwear with 35,000 clip-

art things. I am always troubled by conversions from one format to
another. Master5cnc would like a .BMP or a .JPG but the files from
this clip-art are all .WMF files. How do i convert? Thanks Brian f.


Depending on what you want to do with the converted file should
determine how you convert it. WMF (Windows Meta File) is a vector
format (like DXF) that can be sized or broken into objects with fills
and such. Since the GCode file you will ultimately use to control
your machine is vector, a BMP file has to go through at least one
conversion. So, you will be converting a WMF vector format to a BMP
bitmap and then converting it back to a GCode vector (XY) format. If
you elect to go that way, the programs the others have listed will
work fine but make sure you size the image to what you want PRIOR to
converting to a bitmap. If you can get a copy of Corel (version 5 to
version 10) it will import the WMF, let you manipulate it then export
it as just about any standard format including DXF or HPGL.

If you want to make a router or cut file as opposed to a "carving"
with lots of depth variences, it would probably work best to start
and leave it in a vector format. You can clean up a vector file to
give you outlines and such. The Quality of the MasterClips stuff is
not that great. It appears they took a lot of bitmap scans and
converted them to vector format...pretty ragged lines in a lot of
cases. If that is the case you will have gone through multiple
conversions from bitmap to vector and back again!

I was disappointed in the MasterClips collection I bought. A lot of
nonsense cartoons and such and not much quality stuff. A good place
to get files that would route or cut well is to check out some of the
stuff on EBAY. Just search for "Vinyl Cutter" and you will get pages
of CD ROM art for signmakers. BTW, EPS is another Vector format
which is the format a lot of the artwork is in.