[sdiy] Front Panel Graphics at Home? `~~`What graphics softwear?

[Altitude]

The trick to doing this is to install a HPGL printer and have it print to
file (just rename it to a .plt instead of .prn).  The problem is that FPD
only supports HPGL (not HPGL/2) and XP does not support HPGL (only HPGL/2).

I was able to find a work around in XP however. Here is the process:

Install the printer driver, choose "print to file" under its port and select
HP/HP-GL/2 plotter as the device.

Print to that printer and chage the name from *.prn to *.plt

Download Splot (the onlything I have been able to find that converts HPGL/2
to HPGL)

http://www.swplot.com/splot.htm

Open you *.plt file in splot and export it as HP-GL (it will save it as a
*.hpg file)

Now in FPD, go to edit/HPGL files and import the *.HPG file (you have to use
*.* to open it since it expects a *.plt file)

Go to the HPGL obeject place, select the file from the pull down menu and
your all set.

Cheers,
Raph

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
[mailto:owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf Of Tavys Ashcroft
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 2:18 AM
To: synth diy
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Front Panel Graphics at Home? `~~`What graphics
softwear?

Oh, I guess I was wrong about being able to copy back and forth.  It looks
like I can only copy from Front Panel Designer and paste in Illustrator.  I
think that when I had done that before, I just assumed you could go both
ways.  Oh well.  Going from FPD to AI is all I've needed so far, because I
haven't had any of my designs manufactured by Front Panel Express.

Just now I tried drawing even a simple rectangle in Illustrator, copying it
and pasting into FPD, but no luck.  I guess there's no other way to get data
into that program, short of drawing it all there.  That's a shame.  They
really should write some file-importing extensions for it, or something.
Kind of crippled if it can't communicate with other programs.

Sorry I didn't double check that first.

-Tavys


On 7/28/06, Jeff Farr <moogah at gmail.com> wrote:
> How are you copying from illustrator and FPE?
>
> On 7/23/06, Tavys Ashcroft <tavys.ashcroft at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I found that I could copy and paste between Illustrator and 
> > FrontPanelExpress.  Everything gets grouped together, so it's not 
> > ideal, but it does work.  Just a thought...
> >
> > -Tavys
> >
> >
> > On 7/23/06, Jeff Farr <moogah at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Do places like FrontPanelExpress accept Corel and Illustrator files?
> > >
> > > I'm stuck at the moment with a .bmp generated in eagle that I need 
> > > to use a reference for making the frontpanel file.  I thought 
> > > FrontPanelDesigner could import images..
> > >
> >
>