cappio777

My Feedback: (2)

I read on some threads that you could import scanned drawings into autocad. Can you modify this drawings like a regular CAD file or its just viewed as a picture file?

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

I have only done this with R-14 and later versions, but all are brought in as a graphic picture file. There is a bit of manipulation possible in Acad, but for better part you need to crop, resize, rotate in some graphic program like Photoshop, and then bring into Acad. Acad is not a graphic software and works in combination with whatever is found and installed already on your Win98 or later O.S.

Before importing, you need to get down to the basic graphic quality beforehand using the secondary software. You will soon find that common old fashioned JPEG are poor, whereas a TIFF is much better for import quality. The image need not be scanned, but has to be in a graphic quality. AND, Acad, will not import a compressed image of any sort. You need to uncompress them prior to insertion.

There are other CAD softwares which now have the same ability, and most use the same proceedure.

Wm.

cappio777

My Feedback: (2)

What kind of manipulation is possible here. I have imported graphic files into cad and cannot get it to modified anything yet.
I remember doing something similar with a program called Grafix Designer where you can take a drawing and it will redraw it using vector analysis so you can manipulate every single part. I was hoping autocad had something like it.

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

No, Autodesk is not in that business it seems.

Images can only be scaled, moved, layer on/off, XREF, are only but a few of the simple things it can do with images.

To distort the X-Y, crop, mirror, rotate, etc. it is faster to do such in Micrografx or Adobe. About four years ago, I scanned a Saab pusher from three views. I then imported it into Acad, and traced the images. Problem here was that the 3-views were poor in that one wing swept to the rear more than the other, the wingspan was not symetrical, the sideview was shorter than the topview, which also did not agree with the bottom view. It was faster to adjust each view to known full sized lengths in Photoshop, and then import into Acad. You alter the images outside of Autodesk where they are best suited. You can do about the same operation in CorelDraw or Micrografx Designer, but there too they make you earn your efforts.

Autodesk has no built-in R-to-V commands, nor do they support such. R-to-V is yet another subject. Not as simple as hitting the Import Image tab. To do the R-to-V conversion you need yet a different software. The current low cost R-to-V software does not create whole lines, but instead creates very tiny line segments that then need to be overlayed by the operator. You cannot just grab a few lines and alter or rotate them as in the full version of Acad. Readers of this forum have submitted a few examples for all to look at.


Wm.

DICKEYBIRD

Like William said, it's best to play around with raster images in a paint or graphics program. I think your original question was concerning making a scalable plan from a raster image. If that's the case, insert your raster image onto a new ACAD drawing, then trace over the lines with vector entities in a contrasting color. When you're satisfied, delete the raster image and you can scale the result to your heart's content.

cappio777

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks Dickeybird, thats what I been doing so far. I was just asking if it would read the lines of the raster image just like a dwg file. On Grafix Designer it breaks down the object being transfered and you can manipulate every little component of the image almost like a CAD file. Only problem is the lack of precision it has. Anyway, it was a good try. Thank you to everyone that answered.