Converting compound paths to a normal path

[scolemans]

Hey folks,

My company recently purchased a laser etching machine for pad print plates. It uses EZCad2 for setting up files (don't even get me started there) and I've encountered many issues with vector files. Apparently, this software sees compound paths as complete objects and will fill their entirety solid instead of honoring vector lines. For example, if I'm printing an O that is a compound path, even if no object is inside of the O, it will fill the entire thing black and turn it into just a solid circle. Releasing the compound path gives me two vector objects filled with black but if I use pathfinder to punch the center of the O back out, it turns back into a compound path and I'm right back where I started. Unfortunately, the artwork in question is from an outside source so I'm limited in tackling this from the source. Has anyone ever dealt with an issue like this? Any help is very appreciated and thank you in advance!

[Doug A Roberts]

An object with a cutout/counter is a compound path by definition in Illustrator. Asking for a cutout without making a compound path is a bit like asking for a square circle.

Does the software have any documentation you can refer to as to how it handles compound paths?

[scolemans]

That's what I was thinking but I was really hoping there was something I didn't know about here.

It does not and everything I can find on the web is in Chinese, which would be fine if I could read Chinese. It just seems to be very particular about what it considers a path and what it chooses to fill.

[Monika Gause]

Could you perhaps show what is happening?

Does changing the fill rule or the path direction change anything?

[scolemans]

I'll try to find something that I'm able to post online.

Are you referring to settings in the CAD software?

[Doug A Roberts]

Are you referring to settings in the CAD software?

By @scolemans

There are two different settings for compound paths in Illustrator based on different 'rules', found in the attribues panel:

I believe Monika's thinking is that the software may support one of these rules but not the other. Worth a try.

[Bobby Henderson]

What kinds of file formats can EZ CAD 2 import? Are you giving it EPS files, DXF or something else? It's likely the application is picky about the export settings used to create the files it does import and it doesn't like something about the files you are importing into it. Hopefully the app has some documentation about those kinds of settings. The artwork itself may be an issue. I've seen some industry specific routing applications that only like objects to have flat fills and no line strokes or vice versa.

[scolemans]

Unfortunately, it requires an Illustrator 8 file type and I haven't been able to get any other formats to work. The official suggestion by the retailer for this machine is to export vector as a PNG, import that PNG into a program called Vector Magic, go through the steps of turning it into a vector (basically a robust Image Trace) and then import that into AI and export as Illustrator 8.

I've tried outlining strokes and using pathfinder tools to be absolutely sure there is no other data in the "empty" sections of the design to where I have just one merged piece of vector art but the cad software doesn't like that for some reason.

[Monika Gause]

So you have autotraced the artwork? Are there even lines in it? Or are there shapes?

Please show something.

[Bobby Henderson]

They suggested you export a pixel-based PNG image and then bring it into Vector Magic and auto-trace it? Wow. That is a garbage quality suggestion coming from them. The only thing exporting to PNG and auto-tracing the result does is degrade the artwork. I would bypass that Vector Magic nonsense and simply use the Save As command in Illustrator to save the art as a "legacy" version 8 .AI file.

Does the EZ CAD 2 app have the ability to create compound paths or even reverse path direction? It would stink to have to release all the compound paths in the Illustrator art and then have to re-apply the compounds manually within EZ CAD 2, even if the app had a keyboard shortcut for the command.

[Doug A Roberts]

The official suggestion by the retailer for this machine is to export vector as a PNG, import that PNG into a program called Vector Magic, go through the steps of turning it into a vector (basically a robust Image Trace) and then import that into AI and export as Illustrator 8.

By @scolemans

I'm afraid this is nonsensical advice. Lost in translation perhaps?