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Troubleshooting Dieline Import in PackCAD Mockup

PackCAD Mockup is an online tool that validates the 3D structure of your packaging designs and creates realistic 3D product mockups before you ever build a physical prototype. PackCAD’s built-in Dieline Inspector helps catch issues in the geometry of your dieline so you can correct them prior to import. This guide walks through the most common dieline issues our customers encounter and how to fix them.

A flat packaging dieline being checked for import issues in PackCAD Mockup

Dieline Inspector

When you import a dieline, the Dieline Inspector opens automatically and walks you through the import workflow. It flags anything worth a second look and lets you inspect each issue directly. Click Continue to advance through the Dieline Inspector steps, and Finish to import the dieline into your project for folding.

Tip: Hover over flagged issues in the Dieline Inspector to magnify it and see the issue up close.

Most dieline import problems come down to small details that are quick to fix in a vector editor (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, CorelDRAW). The Dieline Inspector sorts what it finds into errors and warnings: errors must be fixed before you can import, while warnings let you continue but are worth understanding first. When an error blocks the import, the final Review step also shows Unable to import dieline. Please correct the errors above under the errors that need fixing.

The following sections cover each warning and error message in more detail.

Colors and Artwork

Unused Stroke Colors

PackCAD Mockup uses the stroke color of each line to tell cuts from creases. You can draw your dieline with any colors, just make sure creases and cuts are colored differently. By default, black (#000000) lines import as cuts, and red (#ff0000) , blue (#0000ff) , magenta (#ff00ff) , or yellow (#ffff00) lines import as creases, but you can customize your import settings in Preferences.

The Cuts and Creases step of the Dieline Inspector lists every stroke color found in your file, sorted into Cuts, Creases, and Not used. If you’re importing dielines with non-standard colors, you’re going to want to check this step to make sure that your dieline’s colors were assigned to cuts and creases correctly.

If your file contains colors that don’t match any of the expected colors, the Dieline Inspector throws a warning. Uncategorized colors are listed under Not used and are left out of the import:

The Dieline Inspector's Cuts and Creases step with no cut or crease colors added, both of the dieline's stroke colors listed under Not used, the dieline highlighted in yellow, and the warning that some colors aren't being imported Both stroke colors in this dieline (pink and green) are under Not used, so none of this dieline’s lines would import.

You might see any of the following warnings:

Some colors aren't being imported. Check the Not used section to confirm that's correct.
No cut colors added. Drag a color swatch here to add it.
No crease colors added. Drag a color swatch here to add it.
How to fix
  1. Hover each swatch under Not used to highlight its lines on the dieline.
  2. Drag any colors that belong to your dieline into Cuts or Creases, so each has at least one color.
  3. Leave artwork and label colors in Not used.

Once each color is under Cuts or Creases, you’ll see cuts drawn with a solid black line, and creases drawn with a dashed black line in the Dieline Inspector:

The same Cuts and Creases step after moving the pink color to Cuts and the green color to Creases, with cuts drawn as solid black lines, creases as dashed black lines, and no issues found Pink moved to Cuts and green to Creases: the warning clears and the dieline preview draws with solid cuts and dashed creases.

Single Stroke Color

If every line in your dieline is the same color, PackCAD Mockup can’t tell cuts from creases, and the Dieline Inspector will throw a warning:

Only one stroke color was found in this dieline, so every line will import the same way. Give cuts and creases different colors and re-import your dieline.
Two dieline thumbnails: one drawn entirely in black, marked incorrect, and one with black cuts and red creases, marked correct
How to fix
  1. Give your cuts and creases different stroke colors in a vector editor.
  2. Re-import dieline.
Tip:

There’s one exception: PackCAD Mockup always cuts along the outer edge of your dieline, even where those lines are colored as creases. So if your dieline has no slits or inner holes, you can drag its single color into Creases instead of recoloring it. On the Panels step, you’ll see the creases along the outer edge turn into cuts.

Artwork in Dieline

Your dieline file should contain only the cut and crease lines for the design you’re folding. Leave printed artwork, bleed, dimension labels, logos, and registration marks out of the dieline at this stage (importing print artwork happens in a later step).

The Dieline Inspector showing a dieline that still contains artwork text

The Dieline Inspector flags any SVG elements that don’t belong in a dieline, like embedded images and text, and skips them during import:

2 unsupported SVG elements were skipped: <image>, <text>. Dielines should include only cut and crease lines.
Two dieline thumbnails: one with printed artwork and bleed on top of the lines, marked incorrect, and one with only cut and crease lines, marked correct
How to fix
  1. Check the dieline preview. If your cuts and creases look right, you can ignore this warning and continue.
  2. For a cleaner file, hide every layer except the dieline, export it on its own, and re-import.
  3. Import artwork separately in the Artwork step.

If your artwork uses lines with colors that don’t match your cut or crease colors, those lines land under Not used and the Dieline Inspector throws a warning:

Some colors aren't being imported. Check the Not used section to confirm that's correct.
How to fix
  1. Hover each swatch under Not used to highlight its lines on the dieline preview.
  2. If only artwork is highlighted, you can ignore the warning and continue, since those lines won’t be imported.
  3. If any cut or crease lines are highlighted, drag their color into Cuts or Creases (see Unused Stroke Colors).

If your artwork happens to use the same colors as your cuts or creases, it will interfere with the dieline import and cause gaps, intersections, and other errors. Omitting these items from your dieline keeps the import clean, avoids surprises, and speeds up the import process. See Prepare Dieline for more details.

Line Connections

Gaps and Overhangs

PackCAD Mockup expects dielines to be drawn precisely, with lines that meet cleanly where they are supposed to connect. The Dieline Inspector throws a warning for cut or crease endpoints that are almost touching but not actually connected to nearby geometry. Small gaps and overhangs like these are common; they look connected when zoomed out or with a thick stroke, but should be fixed in a vector editor and re-imported if they are unintentional.

The Dieline Inspector's Geometry Cleanup step warning that one set of points is almost touching but not connected, with a magnified loupe of the small gap

2 sets of points are almost touching but not connected. If they were meant to connect, fix the gaps and re-import your dieline.
Three close-ups of a red crease meeting a black cut: a gap where the crease stops short and an overhang where it runs past, both marked incorrect, and a clean connection marked correct
How to fix
  1. Hover the warning to see a magnified view.
  2. If the gap is unintentional, join the endpoints in a vector editor.
  3. Re-import dieline.

If the gap is part of your design, click Continue.

Sometimes, PackCAD Mockup may flag an area where there is an intentional small gap or a set of nearby points that’s just part of your design; it’s OK to ignore those cases and hit Continue. Hover over the warning indicator on the dieline to see a magnified view of the issue in the bottom left corner of the Dieline Inspector in order to determine whether a correction is needed.

Tip: Sometimes gaps can cause two panels to be joined when they were supposed to be separate. If in doubt, select the Panels step and check that the nearby panels are separated correctly (hover to highlight individual panels).

Unconnected Creases

Every crease needs to meet another crease or a cut at both ends in order to fold properly. A crease endpoint that doesn’t connect to the rest of the dieline throws an error, which you must fix before importing. Unconnected crease errors are often caused by creases drawn with dashed lines or from unintentional gap or overhang in your dieline:

The Dieline Inspector's Review step showing a blocking error that two crease endpoints don't connect to anything, with a magnified view of a dangling crease endpoint

2 crease endpoints don't connect to anything. Creases must connect to other creases/cuts to fold properly.
Three close-ups of a red crease meeting a black cut: a gap where the crease stops short and an overhang where it runs past, both marked incorrect, and a clean connection marked correct
How to fix
  1. Hover the error to see a magnified view.
  2. Adjust the crease endpoint to meet another crease or a cut line.
  3. Re-import dieline.

Dashed Lines

Each crease needs to be a single continuous line for PackCAD Mockup to parse it correctly. It’s OK to use dash styling on your lines, but make sure any dashed lines in your dieline aren’t drawn as separate dash segments (see the two incorrectly drawn creases in the image below). The easiest way to check is to remove the dash styling from your dieline in a vector editor: a correctly drawn crease will turn into one solid line.

Three dashed creases that look identical with dash styling, shown again with the styling removed: one continuous line is correct, a crease drawn from separate dashes is incorrect, and a crease with its ends drawn as 3 separate lines is incorrect

Otherwise, each separate dash segment imports as its own short crease that doesn’t connect to the rest of the dieline, and the Dieline Inspector throws an error:

2 crease endpoints don't connect to anything. Creases must connect to other creases/cuts to fold properly.
How to fix
  1. Remove the dash styling from your creases in a vector editor.
  2. Find any crease that still shows breaks, whether it’s drawn as separate dashes or has its ends drawn separately.
  3. Replace it with a single continuous line, then re-apply the dash styling if you like.
  4. Re-import dieline.

Overlapping Lines

The Dieline Inspector throws a warning for a cut line and a crease line that sit directly on top of one another. When this occurs, PackCAD Mockup can’t tell which one you meant, and will pick one for you — which may or may not align with your intention.

2 overlapping line pairs were found with conflicting assignments (e.g. a crease line on top of a cut line).
How to fix
  1. Hover over the warning to see where the overlap is located.
  2. Delete the duplicate in a vector editor, or recolor the lines so the overlapping lines are all cuts or all creases.
  3. Re-import dieline.

Short Lines Removed

The Dieline Inspector automatically removes very short line segments (less than 0.5px long) and throws a warning so you can see what changed. These are usually stray fragments left behind when the dieline was drawn, and removing them rarely affects how the dieline folds, but you can correct them and re-import to remove the warning.

2 very short lines detected and removed.
How to fix
  1. Hover over the warning to see which short lines were removed.
  2. If removing them doesn’t affect your dieline, click Continue.
  3. Otherwise, fix the short lines in a vector editor and re-import dieline.

Stray Lines Removed

Lines that are found not to be adjacent to any identified panels (the regions between creases) are removed automatically, and the Dieline Inspector throws a warning. This is usually caused by an overhang where a line extends outside the bounds of the dieline.

Overhang warnings can generally be ignored, since removing them is the correct solution:

The Dieline Inspector's Panel Detection step with panels colored in, warning that one stray line was removed because of an overhang where lines should meet

Sometimes if there is an unintentional gap in the perimeter of the dieline, it can prevent a panel from being identified. This may result in a missing panel and many lines being removed from the dieline:

The Dieline Inspector's Panel Detection step showing a missing panel caused by a gap in the dieline perimeter, with a warning that seven stray lines were removed

2 stray lines were removed because they don't connect to the rest of the dieline. Usually caused by gaps or overhangs where lines are meant to meet.
Three close-ups of a red crease meeting a black cut: a gap where the crease stops short and an overhang where it runs past, both marked incorrect, and a clean connection marked correct
How to fix
  1. If it’s an overhang that is not part of the dieline, click Continue.
  2. If an entire panel is missing, close the gap in the dieline’s perimeter.
  3. Re-import dieline.

Looped Curves

A curved line that crosses over itself to form a small loop may create an issue importing, so the Dieline Inspector throws an error. These loops are easy to create by accident when dragging bezier handles, and they’re often too small to see without zooming in.

2 invalid lines found. This is typically caused by a bezier line forming a small loop on itself.
A curved line with a small loop where it crosses over itself, marked incorrect, next to a smooth curve, marked correct
How to fix
  1. Hover over the error to highlight the affected curves.
  2. Adjust the curve’s bezier handles in a vector editor so the curve no longer crosses itself.
  3. Re-import dieline.

Folding Problems

T and L Junctions

A T-junction is three creases meeting at one point, and an L-junction is two creases meeting at one point in the middle of the dieline (not near a cut edge). Both can keep a design from folding cleanly, so the Dieline Inspector flags them as warnings. In general, folding along one of the creases at a T or L junction would stretch or tear the panel:

2 T-junctions found (three creases meeting at a single point). T-junctions may not fold properly.
A flat panel with three creases meeting in a T-junction, and the same panel folded along the short crease, tearing along the straight one
How to fix
  1. Hover over the warning to see a magnified view.
  2. Check that your creases are positioned correctly, and fix any gaps.
  3. Re-import dieline.

If the T-junction is intentional, click Continue.

2 L-junctions found (two creases meeting at a single point). L-junctions may not fold properly.
A flat panel with two creases meeting in an L-junction, and the same panel folded along one crease, tearing along the other
How to fix
  1. Hover over the warning to see a magnified view.
  2. Check that your creases are positioned correctly, and fix any gaps.
  3. Re-import dieline.

If the L-junction is intentional, click Continue.

Here’s how a T-junction looks in the Dieline Inspector with a magnified view:

The Dieline Inspector's Review step flagging two T-junctions where three creases meet at a single point, with a magnified view of the junction The horizontal crease was drawn slightly higher than it should have been, resulting in both a T-junction warning and a short crease warning.

Short Crease

The Dieline Inspector throws a warning for very short creases that join two panels without any other common creases. Two panels connected to each other through a tiny hinge like this may not fold the way you expect. Short creases are often unintentional and due to a slight misalignment in the dieline (you may also see T-junction or gap warnings alongside the short crease warning):

The Dieline Inspector's Review step flagging two very short creases bridging otherwise disconnected panels, with a magnified view of the short bridging crease

2 very short creases were found joining panels that are otherwise disconnected. Check that this is intended, or the dieline may not fold as expected.
Two flat panels joined only at their corners by a very short crease, and the same panels folded, hanging on that tiny hinge
How to fix
  1. Hover over the warning to see a magnified view of the short crease.
  2. Look for a slight misalignment in the dieline.
  3. Correct the misalignment, or convert the short crease into a cut line in a vector editor.
  4. Re-import dieline.

Missing Geometry

No Lines Found

If the SVG has no lines, the Dieline Inspector throws a warning. A dieline needs to be in vector format, and each line in the dieline drawing should have a stroke color assigned to it.

No lines found in this file, so there's nothing to import. A dieline has to be vector lines with stroke colors — embedded images, filled shapes with no stroke, or hidden layers can't be imported.
How to fix
  1. Open the Source step in the Dieline Inspector and check that the imported dieline looks correct.
  2. Check that your dieline layer is visible when you export.
  3. Check that the dieline is drawn as stroked vector lines, not filled shapes or an embedded image.
  4. Re-export the SVG and re-import dieline.

Missing Panels

Panels are the regions between your creases and cuts. If the Dieline Inspector finds no panels, or only one, it throws a warning. This is usually caused by crease lines that are marked as cuts or left in Not used section during the Cuts and Creases step, or by gaps that keep the cut lines around the edge of your dieline from forming a closed outline.

No panels detected.
Only 1 panel detected.
How to fix
  1. Open the Cuts and Creases step and check that your crease lines are marked as Creases.
  2. Check that each crease reaches a cut or another crease at both ends.
  3. Close any gaps in the dieline in a vector editor.
  4. Re-import dieline.

No Geometry Found

If the file has lines but none of them survive import, for example because every color is in Not used, the Dieline Inspector throws a warning on the Geometry Cleanup step and an error on the final Review step, and you can’t finish importing.

No geometry found.
No geometry found.
How to fix
  1. Open the Cuts and Creases step and check that your dieline’s colors are under Cuts or Creases.
  2. Check that the dieline is enclosed by cut lines without any gaps.
  3. Fix any issues in a vector editor and re-import dieline.

Multi-Part Dielines

If your file contains more than one dieline, or parts that don’t connect to each other, the Dieline Inspector will throw a warning. Multi-part dielines aren’t fully supported yet. If this is something you’d like PackCAD Mockup to support, please let us know at support@packcad.com.

This dieline contains 2 separate pieces. Multi-part dielines aren't fully supported yet, you may want to split this dieline into separate files and import each piece on its own.
How to fix
  1. Split the pieces into separate SVG files and import each one on its own.
  2. If the pieces were meant to be connected, open the Cuts and Creases step and check that the creases joining them are marked as Creases, not Cuts.
  3. Check creases in a vector editor for gaps or the wrong stroke color, fix and re-import dieline.

File Setup Problems

Unsupported Units

PackCAD Mockup reads SVG sizes in mm, cm, in, pt, and px. If your file uses em, ex, or pc, the Dieline Inspector throws a warning and imports the dieline as px, so it may come in at the wrong size.

Unsupported unit: em — imported as px, may be the wrong size. Re-export in mm, cm, in, pt, or px, or set an explicit width and height on the SVG.
How to fix
  1. Re-export the SVG in mm, cm, in, pt, or px, or set an explicit width and height on the SVG.
  2. Re-import dieline.

Artboard Bounds

PackCAD Mockup uses the artboard (also called the “viewbox” for SVG files) as a coordinate system to apply artwork and material textures to your dieline. If the dieline extends past the edge of the artboard, the Dieline Inspector throws a warning, because artwork and material textures will look stretched past that edge.

Dieline is outside the bounds of the artboard. Artwork and textures may look stretched past its edge.
How to fix
  1. Resize the artboard in your vector editor so it contains the whole dieline.
  2. Re-export the dieline and artwork with Use Artboards selected.
  3. Re-import dieline.

Parsing Issues (Uncommon)

The messages in this section are rare, and they often point to a problem on our end rather than in your file. If you run into one, try the steps below, and if the message doesn’t clear, please reach out to support so we can take a look.

No Outer Perimeter

Every dieline needs a closed outline of cut lines. If the Dieline Inspector can’t find one, it throws a warning.

No outer perimeter was detected, please check that dieline is enclosed by cut lines.
How to fix
  1. Check that the dieline’s outline is drawn in a color assigned to Cuts.
  2. Close any gaps in the outline in a vector editor.
  3. Re-import dieline.
  4. If the warning doesn’t clear, click Send us your dieline at the top of the Dieline Inspector.

Oversized Holes

The Dieline Inspector throws a warning when a cutout comes out larger than the panel around it. This usually means cut lines around the cutout overlap or cross over themselves.

A detected hole was larger than its containing panel. Usually a sign of overlapping or self-intersecting cut boundaries.
How to fix
  1. Find the cutout in a vector editor and check its cut lines for overlaps or duplicated lines.
  2. Redraw the cutout as one clean, closed outline.
  3. Re-import dieline.
  4. If the warning doesn’t clear, click Send us your dieline at the top of the Dieline Inspector.

Internal Issues

If something in the SVG can’t be read cleanly, or PackCAD Mockup hits a problem on our side while processing it, the Dieline Inspector throws a warning or an error. Parser warnings are often caused by malformed transforms or CSS left over from another tool.

2 parser warnings surfaced while reading the SVG (often malformed transforms or CSS).
Ran into a problem computing one of the panels. Please reach out to support@packcad.com for help.
Hole detection ran into an internal issue. Some interior cutouts may not be tracked correctly. Please reach out to support@packcad.com for help.
We ran into an unexpected issue while reading this file. Please reach out to support@packcad.com for help.
Error encountered — the file may be malformed or not a valid SVG. Please reach out to support@packcad.com for help.
How to fix
  1. Open the Source step and check that the dieline looks right in the Dieline Inspector.
  2. Re-export the SVG from your vector editor, or from a different editor, and re-import dieline.
  3. If the message doesn’t clear, click Send us your dieline at the top of the Dieline Inspector.

Still Stuck?

If something doesn’t look right and you’re not sure why, click Send us your dieline at the top of the Dieline Inspector to share the file with the PackCAD team for help:

The Dieline Inspector's "Send us your dieline" dialog with fields for email and an optional message and a Send button

Once your dieline imports cleanly, see Getting Started to learn how to apply artwork and fold your design into a 3D mockup.

Help and Support

If you ever need help using PackCAD Mockup, feel free to reach out at support@packcad.com. We welcome feedback, feature requests, and bug reports!