CAD Software Forum

Is anyone else seeing this? When you do flatshot various curves are missing

Brother I feel like your Flatshot isn't capturing all the curves properly. You have to check if the missing curves are splines or other objects that Flatshot struggles with. Converting them into polylines before running the command could help. Also, make sure the layers containing those curves are visible and not frozen. Sometimes, changing the visual style to 2D Wireframe before using Flatshot can fix these issues. If nothing works, it might be a software bug, so checking for updates or reaching out to CMS IntelliCAD support could be a good idea. Do let me know if you figure it out!

Thanks for the reply. I'd say it's something graphics related but not from the system? I've knocked up a little test and from this image you can see I have two lots of parts. One I have added fillets too etc, the other not. I then did a flatshot of them with the upright end pad in place. It has missing curves.
I then moved the upright pad from one of the parts and did another flatshot, it then shows the curves.
I changed my graphics from advanced to basic for this, and testing more I get the same results in all graphics set ups. I downloaded 4mcad to test that, the same thing happens.....

A very basic model I put together to try out certain things, seeing the same problem. If I tip the 3d model space view a tiny amount from the plan top view, the missing edge shows up. Tip it further and it disappears again.
This time I've reinstalled the software, ran the graphics benchmark so it all shows up in the options and this is what I'm seeing.

I've basically been trying to break flatshot and find the issue. I've been messing with graphics, turning on the nvidia card and turning it off, all different setting within the software, basic, intermediate and advanced. None of these make any difference.
The only thing I've found is some pieces it doesn't like. It doesn't seem to follow too much of a pattern. On the attached file I have a bunch of solids and an imported WDS part. Very random model, but as I say I'm trying to find the problem. I have a model in there which when as a full solid everything work fine. I can shell it, or subtract a solid from it to make a piece of SHS. Still seems to be fine. Put inside that SHS a square piece and it breaks. Just seems a bit wild to me that something so small would cause this. Now yes I could just edit the flatshot block, but if this was anymore complex then it wouldn't be so simple to do so.

It would be good if CMS could comment perhaps?
I've added a winzip link to the file because it tells me it's too large to upload?
https://www.zipshare.com/download/e2FyY ... Q2MDZlNTZ9

In my quest to find out what is happening with this I'm trying various other providers of this type of software. All of it seems to behave the same. I have come across something called BiiCADo. This seems to be not supported anymore since the website is kind of stale and out of date. You can still download a trial, so I did. The flat shot works perfectly fine. Exactly the same file that fails in Intellicad, works fine in that sofwre. Because of this I figured it can't be my graphics set up or anything, so what is happening?

One is various solid models on different layers, the other is the same solids put into a block and flatshot ran again.
Something isn't right here?!
I tried this on a previous assembly I made and this made no difference.

Also to add to this if you do a flatshot and export it to a block straight away, when I import that block it's in inches when everything on my set up is in mm

I was excited to try v14, it's slick, nice dark mode, very smooth loading and moving models around but STILL cannot do a proper flatshot!
I'd say it's pretty pointless me upgrading if this type of thing isn't resolved.

i've also had many problems with Flatshot not showing tangent edges in some views with pipe bends.
Here's a few workarounds ..

1. Extrude / sweep an ellipse rather than a circle. The ellipse can be fractions of a mm off a circle eg 0.0001
Flatshot now creates tangent edges in all view angles.

2. Option 2 is to rotate the whole model 0.001 degrees in a ucs view ..
eg for a ucs world view, rotate the 3 model in either front, back, left or right views (just one view) by 0.0001 degrees.
This now enables flatshot to create edges.
Undo the rotation after Flatshot.

Have you reported the issue via the 'Help' dropdown, 'send feedbacl' ??
This is the BEST way to report a problem!

Thanks for the reply. I have actually done some serious messing with this recently and found that by changing the background to white, assigning a new layer with black solid line and making sure that is active before doing flatshot it actually behaves better.
I did report it and got told to ask in the forum.

UGMENTALCASE wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 28, 2025 11:52 am

I did report it and got told to ask in the forum.

Did you report the issues via the form I suggested?
That goes straight to Intellicad.org, may also be shared with CMS