DXF is the exchange format of CAD programs, and laser and CNC software such as LightBurn imports
it. Silhouette Studio's Basic Edition cannot save DXF, so a .studio3 design needs converting
first. Upload it here and you get a DXF in millimetres, with an SVG of the same design next to it.
How to convert Studio3 to DXF
- Upload one or more
.studio3or.studiofiles, or a.zipof them. - Choose Cut lines only if the DXF should hold only the shapes that are cut.
- Under More options, pick how curves are written (see below).
- Download the
.dxfand import it into your program.
How the DXF is built
- AutoCAD 2000 format (AC1015) with the units set to millimetres (
$INSUNITS= 4,$MEASUREMENT= metric), so programs that read the units import the design at its real size. - One DXF layer per Silhouette layer. Shapes set to "No cut" in Silhouette Studio go on a layer of their own, named after the layer with "- no cut" added, so you can hide or delete them.
- Colours. Each outline keeps its Silhouette line colour, as a true colour and as the nearest AutoCAD colour number.
- Curves. Fine polylines (the default) turn curves into short straight segments that stay within 0.01 mm of the curve; every DXF reader opens them. Smooth splines keep curves exact as cubic splines, for CAD programs and LightBurn.
- Right way up. DXF counts y upwards, Silhouette downwards; the drawing is flipped so it looks the same as in Silhouette Studio.
What a DXF cannot hold
DXF has no fills and no pictures: it contains the outlines only. Text is included as letter outlines. For the colours and pictures of a Print & Cut design, use the SVG from the same conversion.
If your program asks for the units on import, choose millimetres. For Cricut Design Space and other programs that prefer SVG, see Studio3 to SVG.
More about what this tool reads and writes: Silhouette Studio File Converter.