captainbob Posted June 13, 2014 Share #1 Posted June 13, 2014 For years there has been talk of software that will convert raster (scanned) drawings to vector drawings so they can be used with cad software. Is there one on the market that works? It would be a lot easier than having to trace scanned plans. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usedtosail Posted June 13, 2014 Share #2 Posted June 13, 2014 Bob, there is some freeware that I have been using that works pretty well. It is called Inkscape and is a lot like Adobe Illustrator. I have done a few raster to vector conversions, but not a whole lot. The output will also depend on the quality of the image. There is a companion freeware program called GIMP that I use to clean up the images after scanning them and before vectorizing them. The one caveat is that the vectorization makes a lot of points, so editing after vectorization is a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainbob Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted June 13, 2014 Thanks Tom, that seems to be the problem with all I've seen. They vecrorize into pionts or short lines and the you still have a lot of work to do. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hexnut Posted June 13, 2014 Share #4 Posted June 13, 2014 Cap'n Bob, that's been my experience. I did post a short tutorial on using illustrator to fix old bitmap plans,(post #11) it's probably info you already know... http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/6361-need-help-enlarging-image-to-start-first-kit-over/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveF Posted June 14, 2014 Share #5 Posted June 14, 2014 If you are using Autocad there is a program that goes with it called Raster Design. It does what you are asking for. There is no quick conversion programs because all scanned images have faults. These must be corrected before you can convert. pixel dots , lines that are larger, or don't intersect. These are some of the problems. If you go to you tube you can see short vids about what Raster design operates. Not the answer you are looking for but hope it informs you. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael mott Posted June 14, 2014 Share #6 Posted June 14, 2014 Bob I have run into the same problem occasionally and found that using a drawing program to trace manually better in the long run, than using the trace utility than the pain of correcting of all the points that have been mentioned in the conversion process. The added advantage of manually being that one can leave off irrelevant data (smudges etc) and work immediately in layers as you draw. But my drawing technology is older than what is available these days. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainbob Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted June 14, 2014 Yes Michael, I'm with you. I drew on a board before AutoCad and then when 3d came along I switched to SolidWorks. And for most of that time the software developers have talked about designing a program that could do the conversion. Since I have been away from the industry for so long I was only wondering if a conversion program was ever perfected. Oh well. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robnbill Posted June 21, 2014 Share #8 Posted June 21, 2014 Sorry to be late jumping in on this. I just went through this since I am getting prepared to work on plans for the US Brig Eagle. There is a website called VetcorMagic.com. You can go on their site and upload your drawing for free to see how it does. You can do up to two downloads free. After that there is a subscription fee of $8 bucks a month with any time cancellation. You can try it and see if you like what it does before you have to commit to the subscription. I have been please so far and have vectorized probably a dozen or so drawings. Anyway, if you are still looking to do this you can go out and se if it does what you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainbob Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted June 22, 2014 Thanks, Bill. I'll take a look. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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