Paper drawings converted to DXF files

Software for scanning, raster editing and raster to vector conversion of technical drawings and diagrams, schematics, maps, site plans, sketches, artwork and CNC profiles.

Softcover International has released Scan2Cad v7.5 for automatically converting scanned paper drawings into DXF files for editing in any PC CAD program.

This three-in-one product is for scanning, raster editing and raster to vector conversion of technical drawings and diagrams, schematics, maps, site plans, sketches, artwork and CNC profiles.

It converts monochrome (1bit), greyscale (8bit) and colour (24bit) raster images into monochrome or colour DXF files for export to any PC CAD, CNC or GIS design-type program.

A raster image can be included with the DXF file as an attachment in a user-specified colour.

If the DXF file is opened in a CAD program that can accept attached raster images, such as Autocad LT, the DXF and raster image files will open correctly overlaid.

This provides CAD users with a convenient raster background for editing Scan2Cad's vectors against or tracing-over the image in CAD.

The version opens all popular raster file types, such as BMP, CAL, JPG, PNG and TIF.

It will open all sizes of scanned images, from a postage stamp or smaller up to A0 or larger.

Images can be acquired via a Twain interface from scanners such as the 91cm Contex Hawk-Eye or directly via dedicated drivers that support professional large format scanners, such as the 102cm Colortrac SmartLF Cx 40.

Scanning is supported with simple and adaptive thresholding integrated as a standard raster editing tool.

Thresholding automatically cleans dirty raster backgrounds while at the same time strengthening the foreground drawing detail.

Drawings that are cleaned and strengthened with thresholding offer the user the prospect of much better vectorisation results.

This is one of the first raster to vector converters to offer this raster clean-up tool as a preparatory aid to enhanced conversion quality.

Among usability improvements are preview window dialogues that let the user see in detail the effect of a raster editing function on all or part of an image.

The preview windows have full zoom and pan support and a positioning mini-birdseye view.

Standard Autocad-style mouse scroll-wheel support for zoom and pan actions is also included.

The preview window dialogues make the process of removing speckles, filling holes, thickening lines and enhancing images using simple and adaptive thresholding quicker and more intuitive.

For example, by moving a slider bar small speckles followed by increasingly larger ones can be seen to disappear dynamically from the raster image within the despeckle preview window dialogue.

Once the required editing effect is achieved, the slider bar setting can be applied to the entire raster image or just a part of it.

Straightforward colour reduction of technical drawings, maps and artwork is another benefit of the preview window dialogues.

Since 1999, Scan2Cad v5 users have been able to reduce automatically 16.7 million colour images down to 256, then reduce them further using an automatic or user-defined process.

User-defined colour reduction had to be done within the confines of the colour palette.

In v7.5 users can select multiple colours directly from a 256 or less colour image displayed within the new reduce colours preview window dialogue.

By taking colours from the real world, colour selection and reduction are made more accurate and more flexible, as well as faster and easier.

In a well scanned and clean image, the software will recognise lines, including arrow lines, continuous and dashed lines, lined hatch patterns at different angles, arcs, circles, Bezier curves and text (OCR) where the individual characters are clear and separated and in the same orientation.

It also has an OCR font training capability based on neural network artificial intelligence.

The core raster to vector conversion capability sees improved arc, circle and Bezier curve recognition.

In particular, it has more accurate recognition of shallow, almost flat curves, such as those found on the wings and fuselages of aircraft and the hulls of ships.

It can be automated to tidy-up the contents of a folder of dirty raster images or vectorise them.

It can do this as a batch run or using a more powerful, updated command line option which now has the ability to deskew or rotate raster images automatically.

Keyboard shortcut keys have been added to make it quicker and more productive to use.

Version 7.5 also includes a multiple raster and vector editing undo capability.

The program is available with an optional CD and a 342-page manual.

All the raster editing features are available for free in the evaluation version.

The restriction in the evaluation version is that only part of the vectorised image can be saved and exported as DXF.

Attached raster images will be exported in full.

The evaluation version is a handy, free raster editing program with the ability to attach and export a raster image within a DXF file to PC CAD programs, such as Autocad LT.

Tutorial videos have been created using Turbodemo.

The quick-start hints and tips sheet has been updated and can be downloaded from the Softcover web site.

Among Scan2Cad's users are thousands of professionals, AEC and electromechanical design SMEs and multinationals.

The St Louis Zoo sculpture designed by the renowned US metal sculptor, Albert Paley, shows the application of Scan2Cad in art and CNC.

"Properly used, Scan2Cad v7.5 is fully capable, challenging more expensive products to an automatic raster to vector conversion quality shoot-out", said Steve Hannath, Marketing Director of Softcover.

"Recent multiple copy sales successes in the US, UK and elsewhere indicate that when discerning AEC, CAD, IT and FM professionals look for price and performance in an automatic raster to vector converter, Scan2Cad is their first choice".

"It doesn't do more than they want at a multiple copy price few can justify".

"It offers strong, best-of-class scanning, raster editing and raster to vector conversion benefits at a price that's attractive to both SMEs and corporates".

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