Help sought importing .ai files (into XDP X10)

Hi

I need to import a number of files with an extension of ".ai" to import into XD Pro X10.

I am not able to contact the originator of the files to work out what format the files are in, but I am assuming some form of Adobe Illustrator (??).

But if I go to File ==> Import and select "Adobe Illustrator" and select the file, it goes through the motions of importing (and there is no error message)... however there is nothing in the resulting Xara file!
Any suggestions?

J


P.S. I tried to attach an example to this post, however .ai files don't seem to be allowed.

Second import filter down unless my import filters are different.

Test upload an ai file.

Works perfectly Egg.

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Originally Posted by shiphen

...P.S. I tried to attach an example to this post, however .ai files don't seem to be allowed.

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You could always ZIP up the AI file.

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I need to import a number of files with an extension of ".ai" to import into XD Pro X10.

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Good luck with that. As long as it is a real AI file saved with the PDF data, XDP will open most of them because XDP is really opening the PDF data, not the AI data.

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But if I go to File ==> Import and select "Adobe Illustrator" and select the file, it goes through the motions of importing (and there is no error message)... however there is nothing in the resulting Xara file!
Any suggestions?

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This is often because these are really EPS files with an AI extension. Wouldn't know for certain without a file. Xara hasn't really updated the EPS filter for a while.

Mike

Sometimes they get imported but off the viewing area, try zooming out to make sure, they can also come in very small.

I use AI and EPS files quite a lot. When as Shiphen reports that nothing seems to import, tis easy to look at the layers panel and say, yep, nothing imported. Whether on the page or off it, the objects on a successful import will still show up in the layers panel.

I would say 90% of the EPS files I deal with have to be opened in AI and saved back out to get them into XDP.

I have attached Egg's example AI file simply saved as an EPS. It doesn't open/import in X9, don't know about X10. Please note that the File Tab does show the name if you use the Open command.

Mike

You could also just try a straight drag and drop into Xara. Although I don't see it working any differently from the IMPORT dialogue.

I used Designer Pro X10 Import > Illustrator CS2 (*.ai *.eps) and it imports OK but there is a rounding on the inside of the A that should not be there.

By Jove, it does. Thanks, Gary.

These import filters ought to be consolidated. Nothing else I have require 3 or 4 different ones to open that file.

Try the attached.

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Originally Posted by gwpriester

Second import filter down unless my import filters are different.

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Sadly my popup window that appears when I click "Manage Attachments" seems to look very different.

Attachment 107321

(I am using Firefox 37.0.2 on Win 7 x64)

Zip it.

Nothing wrong I don't believe, probably a browser difference. I use FF and get the same as you. It does allow .ai file uploading.

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Originally Posted by mwenz

Zip it.

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Done

Attachment 107322

It's a mess. The construction really sucks as to how it was made. It was originally created in CorelDraw X7.

Would you like a copy that will open in XDP?

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Originally Posted by mwenz

It's a mess. The construction really sucks as to how it was made. It was originally created in CorelDraw X7.

Would you like a copy that will open in XDP?

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To be honest, no - don't worry too late. I am more concerned that opening .ai files can in principle be done for my other future projects.

Meanwhile what about .cdr files? Corel Draw presumably. I couldn't upload to this forum so I have zipped it.
Attachment 107326

I have CS5.5 and I get an error message the .ai file was created with a newer version and when it opens I see nothing.

Which file, Gary?

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Originally Posted by shiphen

To be honest, no - don't worry too late. I am more concerned that opening .ai files can in principle be done for my other future projects.

Meanwhile what about .cdr files? Corel Draw presumably. I couldn't upload to this forum so I have zipped it.
Attachment 107326

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Yes you would need CorelDraw. CD X7 to be specific for this file.

Mike

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Originally Posted by gwpriester

I have CS5.5 and I get an error message the .ai file was created with a newer version and when it opens I see nothing.

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If you are referring to the EPS file I uploaded, it is one of a couple things regardless of the application. It is either that it is an EPS 3.0 file (XDP only), or your AI installation may be hosed.

BTW, there is no CS5.5 when it comes to AI. the latest version before CS6 was 5.1. But it opens fine in CS5.1 here--just as I would expect it to.

Attachment 107331

That file is a very simple EPS file containing a barcode generated by an online generator of barcodes. The engine behind the generator is the main one used as it is OpenSource code. It generates fairly clean EPS files.

All to demonstrate that Xara really needs to update these filters.

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Originally Posted by mwenz

Yes you would need CorelDraw. CD X7 to be specific for this file.

Mike

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Are you serious? After all this time Xara can't open CorelDraw files?

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Originally Posted by shiphen

Are you serious? After all this time Xara can't open CorelDraw files?

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XDP can only open CD versions up to 5 (for certain) and possibly version 8 files. I cannot recall whether I opened version 8 files or not and I am not finding any on this system to try--but I have hundreds on here so I can keep poking around. I forget what version of CD files AI stops at.

Yep. Like I wrote, the filters need updating. People out in the real world have files from a mix of applications. I don't expect Xara to support all possibilities. But it would be beneficial to them to support the main ones like AI and CD if they ever hope to increase the user base from those other application's camps.

Too, Xara needs to flesh out features of recent AI and CD versions. Else they cannot even update the filters. So in your CD file's example, the type of conical fill that CD has isn't compatible with Xara's conical fill. If they can write a means of translating that conical fill, then they could add that type of conical fill. This type of thing (feature for feature) is the only means to pull in users who want to break from the others.

Mike

Yes. However failing to import all the features is one thing, but failing to import the file AT ALL is quite another!

Xara need to grow up and realise that in the real world us users have raw materials in all manner of formats and they need to attempt to make Xara as useful to us as possible. And the fact that some those formats is neither here not there.

CorelDraw 6 came out in 1996 - that's NINETEEN years ago!
Even version 9 of CD came out in 1999 - SIXTEEN years ago... !

Well, I have mentioned the need for updated filters a couple times ;)

I mainly use XDP for origination, rarely to take existing art and manipulate. If what I receive is simple enough, I get it into XDP and work on it. Even if what I need to return is destined for CD or AI, it is done as far as I can in XDP before finishing or simply saving out in one of the other applications. But I have them all in multiple versions as well. I would rather not have to jump through hoops to do so, though.

Ah well, I don't get paid for making decisions so Xara gets exactly what they paid for. Flip side is I do pay Xara for XDP, which gives me the right to gripe once in a while...

Mike

Gripe away Mike ..... and let's not mention Xara's svg export filter :)

Hah. At least there is the free InkScape. Even when I have made SVG assets in XDP they go through InkScape.

:) Ditto Mike

Hey Egg,

InkScape is an application I have a "It's OK, I hate it" relationship with. The newest verison has a touch better speed, which has been one of my biggest gripes about it. The other is, well, the UI and the work-flow.

But, like I wrote, at least it's free. I have no firm idea what I spend each 12 to 18 months on upgrading the software I have to. Half of them I use as glorified file converters. Oh, I'll finish something off in them when I am creating the art. In some cases it's start to finish in them (mainly the large format and screen printing stuff).

When I was a young lad, there was a television show named Queen for a Day. Using the title's premise (but not the show's substance), I would love to be King for a day at a few software companies. But as the wise man Tom Petty wrote in It's Good to Be King:

It's good to be king and have your own way
Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day

But for me:

Yeah I'll be king when dogs get wings
Can I help it if I still dream time to time

Take care, Mike

Got to thinking about at least eps import. CorelDraw has rudimentary eps import natively. What makes it better is if one has Ghostscript installed. Xara could do the same thing with little effort.