XaraX2 request for Charles Moir: re:eps import

**Ross Macintosh** · 17 September 2005, 02:36 PM

Charles - Please have a look at the eps import.

I attach a simple eps file I created in SketchUp but it won't import into Xara X1. If there's something non-standard about the eps file let me know so I can solve this at the SketchUp end. It would be very useful to be able to get SketchUp vectors/faces into Xara where they could then receive some xara-magic.

Regards, Ross

**Albacore** · 17 September 2005, 05:19 PM

Imported it into Illutartor for you and then into Xara.

I know that you were asking for an improvement in the import filters in Xara but I feel we should be asking for PDF filters which are more widely used than eps. After importing into Xara I went over to the Sketch Up site and I noticed that it also exports drawing into pdf files which you could use to import into Xara if when 2 is released it has a PDF import.

**Ross Macintosh** · 17 September 2005, 07:30 PM

I actually didn't need xara version of the file -- I had just made it as a sample of a SketchUp-exported eps file. My interest is in getting much more complex models into Xara for rendering.

Certainly, support for vectors/shapes from a pdf would be most welcomed by me too.

I attach a quick xarafied version of the buckyball...

Regards, Ross

**Albacore** · 18 September 2005, 10:47 AM

Hi Ross,
I thought that was the case, as you have CD and you could easily import it but I went ahead anyway.

I really strong feel that Xara 2 will need to have an pdf import filter if it is to match AI in the future. I don't like reverting back into distiller as it can produce some strange results both in colour and in object shapes on some occasions. Most printers in the Uk now prefer to receive files as pdf's rather than Postscript files.

Nice rendering Ross and good use of colour. Is it for a logo?

**Charles Moir** · 18 September 2005, 12:13 PM

Importing EPS and PDF is basically importing Postscript, which is a general purpose language and not a graphics file format as such. OK, PDF is a subset of Postscript, but nonetheless this is a HARD job.

So to take a simple example, a Postscript file could contain a simple for..next loop to draw 100 rectangles. The file contains no actual drawing other than a small program. To interpret that you require a full blown Postscript language interpreter, which is what Adobe include in their products.

As Albacore says the world is moving away from EPS towards PDF and this is where we think it's better to focus our attention. So this is an area we are working on but, I'm afraid to say, that the next release will not have a PDF import capability. That will take a little longer.

**Albacore** · 18 September 2005, 05:42 PM

Hi Charlees,
Your ending statement has made me extremely unhappy. This means I will need to keep using AI, to keep my speed up, and a lot of jumping around between AI and Xara. I really thought with your statement earlier in the year and the company asking for developers for input and export filters that we would get at least import of PDF's to Xara 2.

I will need to consider very carefully my needs when Xara 2 is released and compare both AI and Xara upgrades. Most of my work at the moment is print based and with the reliablity and the colour consistancy of AI, I now find that I am using this programme more and more for the output of my work. With the recent upgrade of the bitmap tracing facilities of AI and the improvement in what they call "live paint" the progamme is getting a bit more user friendly although shape editing is still dreadful.

At the moment I am not looking for a web based application which xara seems to becomming I am really looking for a application that its reliable when sending files to the printers and it is a file type which they can easily accept. This also means that this file type does not cost me any more time to produce and is consistant in its output.

**Ross Macintosh** · 18 September 2005, 06:58 PM

Okay so a pdf import function isn't likely going to make it into X2. Is there any possibility the existing eps importer can be looked at & tweaked as needed? I've never had it work for me.

Regards, Ross

**ivan louette** · 18 September 2005, 07:26 PM

Or some kind of integration with Ghostscript as an intermediate ?

kindly,
ivan

**Klaus Nordby** · 18 September 2005, 09:18 PM

Guys, let's cut Xara and Charles some slack here. PostScript/PDF is darmn harrrrrrrrrrrrd stuff, technically, and Xara is a small company with modest coding resources. I would MUCH rather have XX2 improved in other areas pertaining to the actual _creation_ of artwork, than have Xara spend their precious coding hours on a non-artwork-creation feature as PDF import.

**Ross Macintosh** · 18 September 2005, 10:00 PM

Klaus -- Xara would integrate better with my workflow if it had a functioning eps import. If it did work for me I'd be able to use Xara far more. It would make a huge difference in my work. For me this is not the trivial matter you imply, and frankly, your dismissal of it is insulting.

Does it work for anyone? -- its been there for years but as far as I know it doesn't work. When I asked the question I didn't know if there's something wrong with my eps files or Xara's importer. I'll still hope it can be made functional -- I'd even be happy if that was the only improvement in X2. I really don't think I'm asking to much to have it fixed.

Regards, Ross