From the site:
Scalable Vector Graphics:
If you need to bring the contents of a drawing into a graphics program (like Corel Paint Shop Pro) and you need the image to be scalable, use the Print command to create an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Since SVG files are XML-based, many graphics programs support this format.
!! Omg awesome. Thank you for reminding me of this program @MechanicalGoose
I’m really happy with the time I’ve invested in OnShape using the KiriMoto plugin. Meets my 3D printing needs at the moment and does help make SVGs for some of my projects.
I still don’t mind doing Inkscape for a lot of my designs because the text functionality is great and the extensions really do a lot of heavy lifting.
I get your pain, may I offer the following?
On Windows this is handled by Windows. (Tho you’re the first person I’ve met who’s wanted to do such a thing)
This has always been possible with the Live Bucket tool and more recently also the Shape Builder tool.
True, it’s never been great, tho Illustrator doesn’t really bill itself as a converter - it’s more of a new-work-generator. The Adobe Capture app actually does a pretty great job, and faster, if you’re looking for black and white only.
Since I do make my living using the Adobe Suite I actually much prefer the new subscription model. As @wesleyjames alluded, the few hundred $$ each year is far preferable to the $2500 they used to ask for every two years for the Master Collection. On the old system people would wait years to upgrade causing all sorts of compatibility issues between users. Now CC includes all the new tools/updates whenever I want them, the ability to roll back versions, integration with the mobile apps, new programs like Muse, Felix, etc, web hosting space and Typekit. Win all around. If you want Illustrator only without the rest of the suite it’s only $10/ month. It’s powerful, pro software. Would you expect to get Rhino or Maya for free? 
This is the first I’ve heard of Windows having per-application scroll settings, since it’s something you’ve heard of, have any interest in linking to some instructions? It looks like maybe AutoHotKey and some mouse software might be able to do it, but the existence of those softwares doesn’t excuse Adobe. If you’re suggesting reversing the scroll direction for the entire system… no thanks. You’re saying you’ve seriously never heard anyone have an issue with the zoom/scroll direction in AI?
Doing a web search for the words I’ve highlighted may elucidate the existence of this being an old and common complaint, one that most (all?) other graphic-design programs have solved by including an option in their settings.
This? Did the person who made this video leave some functionality out? Because nowhere in that video are connected lines joined at their endpoints, and nothing done in the video can be described as a single step.
This doesn’t seem to be joining lines together either, and seems to require many steps.
There’s a tool in Illustrator called “join”, that tool does stupid things when multiple disconnected shapes are selected.
Basically, I think Illustrator should be able to solve the problem described here…
… without requiring a lot of time/user input. I have no reason to believe that it can. I’m interested in seeing a solution though, if one exists.
In Rhino you’d need to hit Ctrl + A and then click the “join” button.
Artcam also is great for joining lines. Select the vectors, then either join by straight or curved. Then you can close them with the same option. After they are joined, you can even reduce their numbers.
If artcam could produce SVG, or at least the older version I own, then I would be using it more.
You saved presumably, so you’re saying your saved file, while you weren’t using it, got corrupted to the point that some bodies were deleted, yet the file remained usable?
What value do you have in this setting?
What did your feature timeline look like when you reopened the file?
Are you familiar with Fusion 360’s automatic file versioning? What happens when you open the problematic version of the file right now? Does hitting Ctrl + B do anything helpful?
Sorry…not commenting on your post…just got distracted that you changed your avatar…its soooo cuuute!!! 
If you or someone in your family is a student (at least 13 years old) or educator, you can get all of the Adobe apps for $19.99/month. Sure that’s $240/year, but a lot cheaper than what it used to be. You don’t need an school ID, or provide anything besides the school you are affiliated with and if you are a student, educator or school administrator. (and of course your name and address).
At one point they were fine with school volunteers and PTA board members getting in on the discount, but not certain if they are now.
I had, fair enough. TBH most of the Adobe users I personally know use a Wacom tablet and therefore either keyboard shortcuts or gestures to scroll so not a lot of complaints about zoom direction.
For Live Bucket I’m going to differentiate between “single step” and “so quick it’s not annoying”.
My process fur doing what you describe would be
Sounds like a lot of steps when written out - however with keyboard shortcuts I can process a complex image like this in under a minute.
I use SolidWorks also, and what really works best for me, is saving my SolidWorks Drawings as PDF, then importing them into Inkscape, and saving as SVG.
Do you export your model or sketch to a drawing then save as pdf, or save as pdf from the part?
What do the extra steps provide? I haven’t had any problems with saving to PDF and taking that directly into the GFUI.
I don’t have my Glowforge yet, so I didn’t know it would accept a PDF directly.
I tried that and found that saving as an AI file worked even better when I opened it in inkscape. Now I just need to re-write my save as dxf macro to save as AI instead
Yes, I create a drawing, then use “Save As” and select PDF as the file type. This way the PDF is a vector file. If you save the part file as a PDF, then it is not a vector file. In the Drawing, I can use “Area Hatch/Fill” to to create pattern or solid fills. I can also edit the layers to achieve specific line weights and colors. If @ben1 is correct, I won’t even need to create an SVG, but just use a PDF, instead.
I do one of three ways - if I am cutting just one part that I have as a PRT, I just make a drawing of the part in the view I want and save the drawing as PDF, PDF imports into GFUI. If I am cutting multiple parts from a model, I will create a new assembly with all the parts laid out as I want them and then create a new drawing of that assembly. Then I trace the part edges with one line so that there are no repeated cuts. I add any fills or text to be etched in a different layer or two, and hide the parts themselves. Then save as PDF and import into GFUI. This lets me control what is etched, scored, and cut. The GFUI also seems to respect the order and direction of cuts about 75% of the time.
The third option is where the part is simple. I just create a new drawing and draw the part as a sketch, save as PDF and import to GFUI.
I usually add logos and other etches afterward using Add Artwork because the SW image handling seems to produce poor quality results.
Now I’m going to have to look up layers in SW. Didn’t know ow it had them. Also didn’t know Gfui could handle pdfs! Life just got way easier.
So I finally had time last night to turn on my forge. I used your method of SW > drawing > pdf > gfui . IT WAS PEFECT! Now making vectors for the forge is easy and seamless. Which makes programing and using the forge less annoying now.
I was able to setup some templates to run my router no problem. And since offsetting in SW is easy, I was able to kerf compensate.
Also played with making a jigsaw puzzle joint to hold large segments of a template together. Since I was able to kerf offset, it fit perfectly.
Just a note to others, because of the slight slope, with a compensated kerf, if both front faces are up, it’s perfect tight. But you have a slight gap on the face. If you flip one piece over, there is a bit of looseness, but room for glue and no gap on the face. Technically you could cut good side down, and have the tight combined kerf become the face.
I’ll picture the test later, it’s upstairs and my lone 2 year old is down stairs…
Lastly pdf from sketch, while in the part led to a engrave only pdf. It has to come from a drawing.
One thing I found is that if you are doing precision parts with common cuts you will want to trace the edges with sketch lines to prevent double cuts.
And yes, you must save the PDF from a drawing, not from the part itself because PDF from the part saves as an image.
