Clive

Has anyone come accross any software that will "convert" photographs into three view drawings. An associate of mine mentioned seeing something like this somewhere at sometime ago, a lot of sum's there!

Mike James

Metacreations used to make a product that did that. (I don't remember the name) It was basically the 3D equivalent of Illustrator's "Auto Trace" function. What I mean is...

It didn't do this process automatically. Based on input of 3 or so images, it would take a "guess" at vectorizing the image(s), based on contrast. The user still had to "agree" or "disagree" with these basic vectors, and then go in and do a bunch of editing to finalize the object. An unpleasant by product of this is that you're leaving the choice of spline or polygon placement to the computer, which is something that can bite you later, when you want to output the image, or convert it to another type, etc..

For the objects I want to create in CAD, (mostly planes and plane parts) it's just as fast to, as Dave Platt has said, "Just start in and DO the job". Computers aren't bright enough yet to interpret these objects the way most of us want them to end up. Maybe in a few years, though... Look where we've come from in the last 15 years. (and I'm sure it'll happen on a Mac first!)

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

About a year ago I got a demo on some software such as mentioned. It was for architecural renderings. You photographed a building (or other hard contrast object) and it converted it to linework. You had to have a good sized and fast computer as it took so long. They you had to bleep out lines which you knew were incorrect. The software was then going for and introductory price of $495 per license. Afterwhich it was going up to $695 per copy. I think the expense not worth the effort of doing by hand.


Wm.

Clive

695$ will buy a lot of pencils and paper! Now all I have to do is find a draughtsman

Woodpile

The program by Meta Creations is called Canoma. I have a copy but never really learned to use it well, but it is for 3d rendering.

The results aren't that great, but that could be caused by a loose nut on the mouse...

Ed

Clive

Thanks Ed, I just checked out their website. Changed name now, and Canoma is no longer supported! So the pencils, paper and draughtsman option is still the best!!

Thanks

Clive

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

An alternate, but perhaps tedious route to obtain a set of three views is the use of a digitizer.

Back in the 1980's I was occasionally doing some artwork for MicroScale Decals. I took photographs and pasted them up on a Calcomp digitizer tablet and traced all the lettering from the side of a railroad boxcar. It was not the most comfortable way to do something, but I then plotted out the lettering, all on my spare lunch hour.

If the three views are in a book, this may be a problem. However, you can easily lay up the multiple views, and their linework, adjust the scale factor, and be going within a few hours.


Wm.

Clive

Wm, thanks for the suggestion. The problem is that I have a set of photos and that is it. If I had a three view from a magazine life would be so much simpler! Just a case of scaling up the drawing to size and plotting it out. I suppose I could try digitising the photos I have, my digitiser is a specialist design but I guess I could 'make-it-work'!
Now if you know of anyone with a magazine article (ie three view) of the 1929 Parks biplane then let me know! See another thread in the scale section.

Thanks again

Clive

rolln_thndr

My Feedback: (1)

What plane is it your looking for? Maybe someone knows of a set of 3-views...

Clive

rolln_thndr, yes I have already posted to the scale forum, have a few scant leads but all are being persued, it is for a Parks P2A 1929 biplane.

Clive