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Product category: File conversion software, data capture and plotting
News Release from: Softcover International | Subject: Scan2CAD OCR Plus
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 17 February 2000

Convert scanned engineering drawings to
CAD

Scan2CAD, the low-cost raster to vector convertor that turns scanned drawings (raster files) into CAD-editable DXF (vector) files, now offers customised text recognition

Scan2CAD, the low-cost raster to vector convertor that turns scanned drawings (raster files) into CAD-editable DXF (vector) files, now offers customised text recognition Called Scan2CAD OCR Plus, this new program is the world's first low-cost convertor to offer design engineers, etc, drawing vectorisation with customised text recognition using a desktop scanner

Scan2CAD is particularly suited for the growing numbers of design engineers, etc, who use low-cost desktop scanners with their CAD software.

They have discovered that scanned engineering drawings cannot be edited in their CAD program, only viewed and traced over.

Scan2CAD resolves the problem by converting uneditable scanned raster drawings into a DXF vector file comprising lines, arcs, circles and text suitable for editing in any PC CAD program, like AutoCAD R14, 2000, LT and similar.

Scan2CAD v5 was the first low-cost convertor to offer text recognition as standard.

Its OCR supports standard fonts like Arial, San Serif and Times New Roman but is less effective with drawings which have nonstandard, irregularly spaced handwritten and stencilled text, as well as unusual printed or plotted fonts.

Scan2CAD OCR Plus improves this by allowing the user to train the program to convert nonstandard text and fonts specific to a group of engineering drawings, the handwriting of a particular draughtsman and or the text annotation conventions of an entire engineering drawing department.

Scan2CAD's Font Training Kit is based on OCR neural network technology developed by Softcover's British technology partner, Halcyon Services Ltd.

Neural networks work in an analogous way to the human brain.

They learn to recognise shapes and patterns from supplied examples.

A training set of "real life" drawings for a neural network can contain up to 32,000 example text characters representing a maximum of 128 characters.

Once created a neural network can be tested and honed to a high degree of recognition accuracy.

Any unrecognised characters can be added to the network at any time.

Scan2CAD will recognise text at any orientation.

Upper and lower case letters are recognised, as well as numbers and printed symbols, like £ and $.

Controls are provided to recognise and regulate the random spacing between handwritten and stencilled text characters.

Text is saved within the DXF file on a separate (TEXT) layer.

Converted text can be edited in a PC CAD program using its standard text editing tools.

Converted text can also be saved as ASCII text strings and edited in a wordprocessor.

Functionally Scan2CAD's Font Training will appeal most to anyone with tens, hundreds or thousands of old legacy drawings, engineering CAD professionals, local government and scanning bureaus vectorising large numbers of A1 - A0 drawings which require a high degree of OCR accuracy.

However, as Scan2CAD OCR Plus is priced at just £149 (excl), an unprecedented low price for such state-of-the-art OCR technology, Softcover anticipate that Scan2CAD will sell most to the mass PC CAD market.

Scan2CAD is the leading UK-developed raster to vector convertor.

It is now a fast emerging global leader with sales in over 60 countries worldwide.

It was first the first low cost raster to vector conversion program when first released in January 1998.

It was also the first with low-cost OCR in May '99.

Today there is still no rival low cost raster to vector convertor with OCR support.

The release of Scan2CAD OCR Plus with state of-the-art Font Training reinforces Scan2CAD's position as the best buy available in the vectorisation market.

Rival products with similar Font Training functionality cost from £1500 - £2000+ - and then one must add on a similar extra mount for their OCR training modules! Scan2CAD can be purchased on-line from Softcover's web site - www.softcover.com.

Users who buy on-line can choose to receive the program by email.

It is a compact 1.4Mb and downloads in less than five minutes on a standard 33K modem.

A complete package with manual and disks is also mailed to all purchasers.

Scan2CAD OCR Plus includes a comprehensive 200 page manual with Font Training tutorial.

A demo of Scan2CAD v5 can be downloaded from Softcover's web site.

Scan2CAD OCR Plus requires Windows '95, '98 or NT.

A Pentium P200 with minimum 32Mb RAM is recommended as the basic minimum as the training of Scan2CAD's neural nets can take time on a slow PC .

"OCR is typically a feature used by expensive vectorisation programs to justify their very high prices.

Scan2CAD OCR Plus' new Font Training Kit is a powerful addition to our product.

It is a feature that shows our determination to offer a functionally competitive and professional raster to vector convertor to the mass PC CAD market at a price any engineering CAD user can afford for even the most infrequent of requirements" says Steve Hannath, Softcover's marketing director.

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