How to export DXF files but maintain the grouping. When I export DXF or SVG the grouping is removed. How to correct this
Unfortunately you can’t. DXF files don’t support grouping information, and the way we export SVG files has to discard grouping in order to properly maintain fill / line information.
Grouping in DXF has been around since r13. The only program I use that recognizes DXF grouping is my Illustrator CS3. If I import a r13 DXF with grouping into AI CS3, and I copy and paste from AI to LB, it maintains the grouping.
I think these are called ‘Block Inserts’ in DXF files - LightBurn supports them when importing, but we don’t export them.
Block inserts are different than groups. Groups were introduced in r13. Groups in DXF are similar to groups in graphic programs like LB. Here are 2 DXF files - one without a group, and one with a group. Most CAD people would strictly use block inserts, but I sometimes use grouping when I temporarily want to hold geometry together before I make blocks.
2_circles_blocked_inserted_scaled_0.5_group.dxf (32.9 KB)
2_circles_blocked_inserted_scaled_0.5_no_group.dxf (32.6 KB)
Open your grouped DXF and look in the ENTITIES section - Two INSERT operations and nothing else.
There is a GROUP entry in the OBJECTS section of the file, which defines the group and specifies the members, but it’s still embedded in the file as a BLOCK, and added to the ENTITIES section as an INSERT. I hadn’t seen this before, but it looks like it’s just an INSERT with some extra info.
Unless I misunderstood, and you created two normal INSERTs but then also added them to a group.
The one file contains 2 block inserts without a group. The other contains 2 block inserts that are also grouped.
Edit: Groups in CAD do not have to be “exploded” to ungroup them. They definitely work similar to block inserts, but they are controlled with group/ungroup command. They can contain all types of entities.
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