CAD Drawings From Scans?

[Rob]

Huge problem...

I have a set of drawings at work which are now only paper based due to an idiot some time ago, not keeping a digital copy.

We now need to edit all of these drawings.

Is there anything that exists to allow me to scan these drawings in, and auto convert them in CAD drawings, they're not that complex.

 

[Darren S]

What about this, Rob? Not really an area I'm familiar with, unfortunately....

http://www.topshareware.com/Raster-to-Vector-Normal-download-38646.htm

D.

 

[Nigel]

I doubt you'd be able to easily convert a raster image into a vector format.

I take it redrawing from scratch isn't an option? Shouldn't take too much time as your only really copying.

edit: that software Darren posted sounds too good to be true.

 

[Rob]

I think thats the kind of thing I want, now to try find one for free...

Cheers Darren.

Anyone got any experience with any particular one?!

Nigel, its a fairly simple wiring schematic, and if Adobe Illustrator can do it-ish then I don't see why something else can't.

All of my drawings are perfect a4 copies, black and white, I hope I can find something to do it.

I've done 32 pages of a3, but this a4 stuff can be scanned, so I hope not to do it manually, or I may cry.

 

[jez4130]

Scan it in then redraw over the top?

 

[Craigus]

Can't you just scale off the drawing and redraw, will be much much more accurate!

 

[Rob]

I have been doing the above, for 32 pages of a3, its driving me nuts, I now have a further 75 pages of a4.

Accuracy isnt the most imporant thing, as they are being edited anyways, but it obviously can't be miles off.

 

[Darren S]

I doubt you'd be able to easily convert a raster image into a vector format.

I take it redrawing from scratch isn't an option? Shouldn't take too much time as your only really copying.

edit: that software Darren posted sounds too good to be true.

Probably m8! Worth a shot if it was a bit cheaper, I guess? $99 is a bit much to just spend on a 'hope it does' piece of software.

D.

 

[rory182]

Adobe illustrator if bodging it is an option, otherwise never seen or heard of anything to do this - complete ball ache this sort of thing, don't envy you!

Can open .dwg etc in illustrator not sure if you can save as dwg though

 

[calum001]

will be interesting to see if there is any programmes that can reproduce it fairly well into CAD format, i've never heard of anything that can do it though

i'm stuck drawing up about 30 bridges from scratch from 50 year old drawings (wouldn't be able to reproduce them in CAD anyway as the quality is shocking on most of them) but could be handy for other things in the future

 

[rory182]

Just had a look in illustrator, you can indeed export as dwg and dxf

I'd try scanning and opening in illustrator and export to autocad

 

[Nigel]

We have some legacy drawings that it would be useful to have digital copies of, so if you find a solution thats accurate I'd be interested to see it. We're currently just redrawing by hand.

My earlier edit sounds arsey Darren, it wasn't meant that way. Oops.

Corel draw exports as DXF as well but if what your exporting isn't drawn in vector format then when imported to AutoCAD it justs imports it as a raster image. We quite often take vector logos in .EPS format and export them to .DXF.

 

[Darren S]

We have some legacy drawings that it would be useful to have digital copies of, so if you find a solution thats accurate I'd be interested to see it. We're currently just redrawing by hand.

My earlier edit sounds arsey Darren, it wasn't meant that way. Oops.

Corel draw exports as DXF as well but if what your exporting isn't drawn in vector format then when imported to AutoCAD it justs imports it as a raster image. We quite often take vector logos in .EPS format and export them to .DXF.

Ney chance - I know exactly what you meant! When we look for software here, some of the stuff on the 'Net is clearly too bloody good to be true!

What about this one? You get a 10-day trial period on the download as well....

http://www.algolab.com/downloads.htm

D.

 

[Rob]

I've just downloaded this,will try and report back.

Sorry i posted then disappeard, lunch time.

http://www.scan2cad.com/scan2cad-raster-to-vector-free-trial-download.htm

 

[Rob]

Meh, seems s**t tbh, my wiring diagrams contain a fair bit of text, so I think I'll be starting again soon.

Cheers for the advise.

Another week/2 weeks of this hell, great.

 

[Darren S]

Meh, seems s**t tbh, my wiring diagrams contain a fair bit of text, so I think I'll be starting again soon.

Cheers for the advise.

Another week/2 weeks of this hell, great.

Lol! Can't you get management to sign off a £1k per drawing revamp? It takes a lot of time and mental stress to redo those scans.

D.

 

[Ricardinho]

We scanned in and drew over the top when we had stuff like this.

What sort of drawings are they?

 

[Rob]

Lol! Can't you get management to sign off a £1k per drawing revamp? It takes a lot of time and mental stress to redo those scans.

D.

I've only been here 3 months, think its pushing it a bit

I'll just set myself a daily target and plodd on...

We scanned in and drew over the top when we had stuff like this.

What sort of drawings are they?

Thats what I've been doing but I've got another 73 pages of A4 to go, it actually makes going to the dentist for 8 hours a day seem a promising idea.

Electrical LV panel wiring diagrams.

 

[beatjunkie]

Just to let you know Illustrator doesn't work with scanned pdfs. If the pdf is created using CAD then you can open the pdf in Illustrator and export as dwg and it works!

Have you tried vectorworks? This should vector all of the lines in the pdf file.

We always get stuff like this because some companies dont send proper dwg files or just paper copies, at a push use photoshop!

Good Luck!

 

[Millsy]

You can insert a PDF as an underlay in CAD LT 2010/11.

might help?