Unable to see the large imported illustrator artboard into XD correctly

[bradgl]

Hi everyone,
I have a website design I've created in Illustrator with 27 artboards. To present the initial 4-5 page concept design to the client I previously imported the AI into XD without any issues. Now when I open the 27 page AI, it brings the site in at 10% of the actual pixel size. For example, the homepage artboard is 1440px w X 3454 px H but imports in at 144px w 345px h. Please help as you cannot zoom more than 200% when sharing the XD link. Anyone had this issue or tips to rectify?

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[Spas K.]

Hi Brad, would you be able to share the .ai file with just one artboard, so we can check it out and try to replicate the issue?

In case it's confidential, you can send it via PM. You might not be able to attach it, so uploading to some cloud service and sharing the link is fine as well.

You can also send screenshots from Xd with the imported file on the design tab with one of the artboards selected, and the layers panel visible.

[bradgl]

Thanks @Spas K. 

I'm new to XD so hopefully this can be worked out - appreicate your help.

Working files of 1 artboard here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0z81wbp1mi4j2pn/AAB5cyjbkLjgIoIgbS7ypR1Xa?dl=0

[Spas K.]

Hey, found your issue 🙂

So, in Illustrator, you're using a "large-sized canvas", which I believe was introduced in illustrator v24 (might be wrong though). This allows your drawing area in illustrator to become a lot bigger. The previous limitation was 227 inches, and it can now get to 2270 inches (i.e. 10 times larger). However, if you try to import a file with that bigger canvas into an older version of illustrator, your whole document and all artboards (regardless of whether they are bigger than the old "limited" canvas), will get reduced 10 times, so they fit into the older limitation.

You can read all about that here.

Xd seems to import .ai based on that older limitation, so because you are using the bigger canvas, it resizes everything down 10 fold. Problem is you cannot change this in an existing .ai file. This option is only available when you are making a new one. It's not really obvious, as the only indication you get is a little warning sign next to the Create button:

To fix your issue, create a new .ai file, and set the initial dimensions to something less than 16000px. This will make a document with the older 227" sized canvas. If you then paste all your artboards into that file, and import into .xd, they should import fine.

[bradgl]

Thanks, I will try this. When you say 16000px, do you mean in total height x width or in either direction?

[Spas K.]

In either. 16000px is about 222 inches, so any size below that for both width / height will make the smaller canvas document. You will remove that artboard anyways and replace it with yours. So you put in whatever, 10x10px will work as well.

It is this big dark-grey recangle we want to make smaller (the drawing area / canvas), you can see how small your artboard is compared to it:

And this is how the regular canvas looks when you use smaller dimensions (check the ruler values):

The artboard is the same size in both cases.

[bradgl]

If I send you the full file would you be able to correct it for me, it doesn't seem to be working for me and I get this error. No worries if you can't.

[Spas K. · Accepted solution]

You might have to copy them one at a time, and move them around so they will fit inside the new smaller canvas. If they can't fit, split them into multiple files.

[bradgl]

Thanks for your help @Spas K. All sorted.

[HARSHIKA_VERMA]

Awesome. We are glad to hear your issue is resolved. Please feel free to post if you see more issues in XD.

Thankyou, Spas K. for your efforts in investigating the root cause of the issue and sharing resolution. 

We really appreciate your presence on XD community. 

Thanks,

Harshika

[ken.wells]

Thanks for the help. Same problem. Same solution. I thought I was going NUTS!