When it comes to working with their produced floor plans, however, the company only typically supplies the user with raster images or PDFs of the floor plans. If you’ve ever wondered how to convert a Matterport floor plan image to DXF/DWG, keep on reading. We’ll cover the basics of converting raster to workable vector files and how Scan2CAD can easily automate and streamline that process.

What Kind of Floorplan Files Do You Get from Matterport?

Matterport Floorplans (source)

Matterport supplies you with both a 3D model of the scanned space as well as a professional-grade floor plan for presentation purposes. We’ll be zeroing in on the 2D floor plans you’ll be getting with their service.

According to their website, after 2 business days of processing, they supply you with a zip folder containing both PNG files and a PDF. The PNG files display individual floor plans and the PDF file contains all floors together. If we take the sample file they have posted up on their site as an indication of what to expect with the PDF files they send over, we can see that the PDF also contains raster images.

Raster images are made of colored pixels and, unlike DXF or DWG files, are not editable on standard CAD programs. Vector files, which is the type of file that DXF and DWG files are, are composed of editable geometry that can be opened and manipulated with CAD software.

PNG files are an example of raster images and as such, the default images that Matterport gives you will be harder to convert to DXF/DWG compared to vector images. But there are a number of options if you want a shot at raster-to-vector conversion.

What Are Your Options When Converting Raster Images to DXF/DWG?

You mainly have three straight-forward options when it comes to converting Matterport floor plans into CAD files:

1. Importing the raster images into your preferred CAD program and tracing over the image with the program’s built-in drafting tools.
2. Use a CAD program’s automatic raster-to-vector conversion functionality.
3. Make use of dedicated conversion programs such as Scan2CAD.

Option 1: Trace Over

Tracing Over A Raster PDF Using CAD (source)

The simplest way to convert a raster image into a CAD file is to import it into any standard CAD program and then start tracing over it with the program’s drafting tools. It’s basically the same as placing tracing paper over a hard copy of a plan and tracing over the plan with manual drafting tools.

If you have highly skilled drafters who have a good eye for detail and a great sense for drafting and floor plan standards, this is most likely the most accurate process. However, it is also undoubtedly the most involved and most tedious of the previously stated methods.

The accuracy of this method really shines with less than stellar raster images. With blurry, pixelated floor plans, automatic conversion tools will have less to work with and most often will give you low-quality vector files after the conversion process. Manually tracing over low-quality raster images lets draftspeople use their experience with floor plans and the context of the image to interpolate what the details are for the image.

Of course, this is less of an issue for floor plans coming from Matterport. As we mentioned before, the drawings you get from their services are professional-grade, with quality that needs no interpolation. Additionally, state-of-the-art conversion solutions like Scan2CAD are getting more and more accurate when it comes to converting even low-quality images.

Nevertheless, if you have time, labor, and patience on your hands, manually converting Matterport floor plans would be perfect for you.

Option 2: CAD Program Conversion Tools

There are CAD programs that have built-in conversion functionality that some users will find useful. AutoCAD has Raster Design that does exactly that – it’s useful and convenient for those who already have a copy of the software. The same goes for other CAD programs that have a conversion tool. Out of the three methods, this one is the most convenient.

Do note, however, that for a lot of these programs, the conversion tool isn’t the main focus of their development team. Often, you’ll find these built-in conversion tools as plug-ins or add-on tools that you need to purchase separately from the main program. As such, ease-of-use, as well as the number of tweaks you can make to the conversion process, can be limited. This makes it more difficult to deal with raster images that are of lower quality than the tool is designed to handle.

Still, the convenience of having a conversion tool already built into your CAD program mostly outweighs its cons. At the end of the day, it’s up to the user to decide if they want to prioritize convenience or functionality with the type of project they’re working on.

Option 3: Conversion Programs

Scan2CAD is a dedicated conversion program that’s designed specifically to convert files for use in CAD and CNC projects. It can easily handle Matterport floor plans and convert them into DXF or DWF formats. For the last two decades, Scan2CAD has sought to improve and develop its conversion tools including advanced object recognition and OCR functionality.

In a way, it’s a perfect balance between the first two conversion options. Like manually tracing, dedicated conversion solutions like Scan2CAD can handle raster images that are normally too pixelated or blurry for automatic conversion. And like built-in conversion tools, it’s convenient and does the process automatically.

For a full tutorial on how to use Scan2CAD to convert Matterport Floorplans, Check out this Video:

Video Tutorial: Converting Matterport Floorplans to CAD

Why Scan2CAD?

Excess Vertices on CAD (source)

Automatic conversion often gets a bad reputation due to the sheer number of low-quality online “Converters” found on the internet. And two of the biggest gripes are the ways those converters handle 1.) curves and 2.) text.

For curves, you’ll often get results similar to the image above – instead of a smooth arc or spline, you get several tiny polylines. The converter doesn’t smooth out edges and just views all pixels in the raster image as individual polylines. This shortcoming also applies to text. Where instead of converting raster text into editable vector texts, the text is converted into polylines.

These kinds of frustrating results are virtually nonexistent with Scan2CAD’s and object recognition and OCR (text recognition) functionalities. With Scan2CAD, curves, arcs, and circles are recognized by the program as such and they’re converted properly.

Scan2CAD is the industry leader when it comes to raster and vector conversion. And unlike most built-in automatic conversion tools, Scan2CAD is fully customizable and versatile – you can tweak your settings and fine-tune them to the type of document you’re working on. You can even save those settings as presets to reuse them as you want in the future.

Recap

To reiterate, here are the different ways to convert a Matterport floor plan image to DXF/DWG:

Using Scan2CAD is a good mix of functionality and accuracy and is overall the best option for those that want to prioritize those two factors.

One of the most commonly used formats when it comes to file-sharing in this digital age is the PDF file. It’s a useful format for those who specifically value compact file-sizes since PDF files typically have smaller sizes than their editable counterparts. It’s also a convenient format to share, with it being readable by most machines and even through standard web browsers. And as mentioned, since they’re not editable, what you have are clean, shareable files with little risk of tampering.

Its otherwise un-editable nature starts to become its undoing though when it comes to situations where users actually do need to edit or copy the contents in PDF files – not such a big issue with text PDF documents but gets harder to deal with when we’re talking about technical drawings or hard-copy PDF scans that you’re looking to convert into CAD files. And sure, there are PDF conversion solutions out there, but just as each individual PDF file is different, it’s also tricky to figure out which conversion process will be right for the job.

In this article, we’ll be tackling what to look out for when dealing with PDF documents and finding efficient ways to convert them to CAD files.

PDF and CAD files

Different types of PDF files Source

If we’re dealing with various types of PDF files and CAD files, it would do us well to take some time to discuss the major PDF and CAD file types that we will typically be working with. Essentially, we’ll be taking a look at what input files we have and the output files we want to turn them into.

For input PDF files, we’ll discuss the major difference between PDFs with raster elements and those with vector elements. Additionally, we’ll take a look at cases where the PDF files have both raster and vector elements in them.

When we talk about CAD files, there are too many specific formats to go into detail with one by one. So we’ll just stick to the standard ones that are most commonly used and recognized by most CAD software.

PDF files with raster elements

If you’ve dealt with any digital forms of photos or illustrations, you will no doubt be familiar with raster images. Otherwise known as bitmap images, raster files are images that are made up of clustered, tiny pixels – small dots that, when viewed as a whole, form a cohesive and full image. It’s a digital form of pointillism that is used to convey visual information on screens. The most common image file formats such as .jpg, .png, .gif, and .tif are all examples of raster files. The main tell compared to vector images is that raster images start to get pixelated and blurry the more you zoom in on them.

PDF files with vector elements

Compared to the pixels contained in raster elements, vector images are made of paths which are basically just digital formulas that are expressed by computers into different lines, arcs, fills, and texts. These digital formulas, instead of containing information about colors and pixels, actually contain path-specific information such as line weight, length, curve, and color. Unlike raster images, vector files do not get blurry the more you zoom in on them. Popular vector file formats include most of the standard CAD file formats we use today such as .dwg, .dxf, and .ai.

PDF files with both raster and vector elements

In certain cases, PDF files can have both raster and vector elements in them. This happens usually when technical drawings have embedded raster elements in them such as vicinity maps or company logos. Sometimes, PDF files that are scanned from hard copies can also have both raster and vector elements when the scanner that was used automatically adds a white background or OCR text elements onto the scan. For these types of files, we recommend converting and saving out the raster and vector parts of the PDF files independently since the conversion process for raster and vector elements are vastly different. You should be able to composite the two converted files back together easily in your preferred CAD programs after the fact.

Output CAD files

When it comes to CAD files, the two most standard formats you’ll want to convert to are .dwg and .dxf. Those two usually cover most if not all of the CAD programs you’ll be using to edit the converted CAD files. Even if the CAD program you use doesn’t natively produce .dwg or .dxf files, it will most likely have the option to import those kinds of files for users to edit. It’s useful to note that CAD files are actually types of vector files. In that vein, you’ll have a much easier and smoother time dealing with vector PDF files when converting compared to their raster counterparts. With raster PDF files, you’ll have to go through the extra step of converting them first into editable vector files, automatically or through manual tracing, before you can reliably save them as .dwg or .dxf files.

PDF contents

So you’ve figured out what type of PDF file you’re handling and the CAD file format that most suits your needs. What’s next?

Well, you’ll have to take a critical look at the actual body of the PDF. What are its contents and what are you planning to achieve with those contents? Generally speaking, you’ll be dealing with text documents, technical drawings, and illustrations.

A sample technical document as a PDF Source 

Text PDF

Seeing as we’re looking to convert PDF files into CAD files, text-heavy PDF documents aren’t really at the top of our priority list. Still, it’s important to discuss PDF text since a lot of technical documents do have a lot of text amidst all the drafter lines and details.

You must be thinking – we don’t need to convert PDF text, it’s just a simple matter of copy-pasting the words! For TrueType text in PDF documents, that is indeed true. But often, you’ll be dealing with scanned versions of technical drawings that don’t have vector TrueType versions of the text in the document. That is, the scanned text will be in raster form.

Some scanners actually have OCR capabilities and can ideally convert any scanned text into editable TrueType text automatically. But you’ll be hard-pressed to find scanner OCR software that can reliably convert text without making it look like complete gibberish.

This is where programs such as Scan2CAD would come in handy. It has sophisticated OCR and object-recognition capabilities that can accurately convert any raster text you’ll have on your PDF scan.

Technical drawing PDFs

So when we talk about technical drawings, documents such as floor plans, elevation views, and engineering diagrams all fall in that category. These are, as you’d expect, what users will usually want to convert into CAD files.

Usually, if these PDFs were exported straight out of their original CAD program, they’re bound to be vector PDFs. Like mentioned before, vector PDFs are much easier to handle and convert than raster PDFs and are the best to work with if you’re looking to use them on your CAD software.

Illustrations

These include any sketches or linework of logos and such that users might find the need to open up and edit on CAD programs. These are fairly similar to technical drawings that are also highly graphical and are made up of line objects and fills, but you’ll find that illustration elements on PDFs are typically less complex than technical drawings and are much more forgiving when it comes to conversion accuracy.

One thing to look out for in illustrations is their capacity to be turned into solid-colored or even monochromatic images. The one downside about vector files is that they can’t handle smooth color gradients as smoothly as raster images. So if your logo or sketch PDF has a lot of gradients, chances are that it won’t convert into a CAD file very easily.

Conversion software

Scan2CAD handling a typical raster technical document

Automatic PDF to CAD conversion software come in three main forms – online converters, built-in CAD software tools, and dedicated conversion programs like Scan2CAD.

Online conversion tools

There are certain conversion solutions being marketed online that offer conversion solutions straight from the web. These usually include users uploading their PDF file onto the website and waiting for the site to convert the file and make the converted vector CAD file available for download. Alternatively, some sites send over the converted files through email.

This type of conversion process is usually ideal for simpler illustration or sketch conversion and only for conversion processes that you know you won’t be repeating too regularly. Do keep in mind that this method is not ideal for any confidential PDF files with sensitive information since you’re essentially giving these online conversion tool websites a free copy of the document.

In short, opt for online converters with the following – one-off conversions, simple illustrations or sketches, and monochromatic raster PDFs. Online converters will prioritize ease of use as well as convenience at the slight expense of conversion accuracy and customization.

In-software conversion tools for CAD software

Some CAD programs have PDF-to-CAD conversion functionality already built into the interface. Others will require users to install sanctioned or third-party plugins that can take care of the conversions for them. In any case, this will be the preferred method for those users who are lucky enough to use a CAD program with conversion tools.

This is perfect for vector PDFs that need to be used as references in an already existing CAD file. Do note that not all CAD programs have this option and even those that do might find a hard time converting raster PDFs.

Opt for in-software conversion tools with – CAD programs that have that option, vector PDFs, and PDF files that don’t need a lot of editing or reworking and can be used on CAD programs straight away. In most cases, these tools are best for vector PDFs that have already come straight from CAD program exports.

Dedicated conversion programs

Scan2CAD is the top choice when it comes to picking a conversion program that has advanced object recognition and sophisticated OCR options. The process is highly customizable and easy to tweak using Scan2CAD’s plethora of pre-determined profiles and tons of editable conversion settings. Converting PDF to CAD files would be a breeze.

This is perfect for any raster PDF files, technical documents that need a high degree of accuracy, and any subpar scanned raster PDFs that need to be cleaned up first before converting. That isn’t to say that the Scan2CAD is designed just for raster PDFs – the program can handle both raster and vector PDF files and can output both .dwg and .dxf standard CAD formats.

If you’re just getting into LibreCAD, you’ll find that a frequent requirement for most CAD work would be to use a reference image and create a CAD file out of that. It’s a fairly straightforward process but can be confusing for first-time drafters.

The standard LibreCAD interface Source

In this article, we’ll be covering a bunch of topics ranging from image file types, image conversion methods, and vectorization processes. Since it’s always on a case-by-case basis when it comes to dealing with the different types of image files available, we’ll do our best to cover anything and everything that can help you master the art of importing images into LibreCAD.

Video: How to convert images for LibreCAD

Image types: raster vs. vector

Although the ideal world would be one where we didn’t have to deal with literally hundreds of different image file types, that sadly isn’t the case. So before we talk about converting images into a format that LibreCAD can handle, our first consideration will have to be the image file type we’re dealing with.

To keep things simple, we’ll talk about just the two major types of image files that we’ll most likely come across – raster image files and vector image files. Vector files are a bit easier to deal with since CAD files are, by default, also vector image files. But you’ll more often be dealing with raster files and it’s a little tricker to get these LibreCAD-ready, so we’ll get into detail about converting raster files first.

Raster images

The reason we mention that you’ll often be dealing with raster file types is that it’s also the standard way for images to be digitized. The most common formats such as PNG, GIF, JPEG, and BMP are all examples of raster files. They’re made up of individual tiny pixels and their quality is defined by their resolution size or the number of pixels they have in the image.

An easy way to tell whether an image is a raster file or not is to zoom in – if it gets blurrier the closer you zoom in, chances are that it’s a raster file. And it’s this blurriness that makes working with pixelated or low-quality raster files difficult in LibreCAD.

Here’s the basic process of opening up your standard raster image on LibreCAD:

Opening a raster image in LibreCAD

Step 1

Click on File > Import > Insert Image. In the dialog window that pops up, locate your image file and open it up.

Step 2

With your crosshair cursors, click where you want to place the lower-left corner of your image.

Step 3

At this point, you’ll want to take the time to calibrate certain details of your image such as its scale, the layer it’s on, and its transparency. You can use LibreCAD’s various drafting and editing tools to get the image just right.

Step 4

From here, we’re done with most of the complicated importing work, so it’s time to start with the tedious process of manually tracing over the imported image. Take the various vector tools of LibreCAD and trace over the details you want to vectorize. Depending on the complexity of the image, this could take from a few minutes to hours and days of working time.

So as you can see, LibreCAD can import raster files without a hitch. But the lines and details on the image can’t be edited natively. CAD programs draw using vector lines so editing raster pixels isn’t something it can do easily. And there isn’t a magic button that instantly sharpens low-res photos like the one they have on CSI-esque shows, so you’ll have to do a lot of guesswork to accurately depict bad reference pics as LibreCAD files.

Depending on the quality of the image, there might be a lot of manual work that needs to be done to get a raster image to work on LibreCAD. Luckily, like in the video we showed earlier, there are automatic conversion solutions that are available. Scan2CAD, in particular, stands out for its advanced object recognition, accurate OCR capabilities, and user-friendly interface.

Smooth vector images and pixelated raster images Source

Vector images

If you find yourself dealing with a vector image for use on LibreCAD, you’ll generally have an easier time handling and importing the file. The native file format on LibreCAD is AutoCAD DXF, a good example of a standard vector file format for CAD programs. Aside from DXF, other common vector file types include DWG, g-code formats, and certain PDF documents.

The main difference that vector images have with raster images is their use of paths instead of pixels. Basically, paths are mathematical equations and digital data that dictate the specifics of how an element of the image – be it a line, arc, circle, or shape – is visually represented. As such, vector file elements will always be clear and sharp regardless of how much you zoom in on them. As such, vector files aren’t limited by their resolution and file size, unlike their raster image counterparts.

Do note that although LibreCAD can marginally support DWG files, it can only reliably open and handle DXF files. So you’ll have to first convert your vector files into DXF files before you can freely import them into LibreCAD with no issue. The video earlier showed earlier goes through the process but we’ll cover the specific details in a bit.

For now, just know that if your vector image is a DXF file, all you really have to do is open it up on LibreCAD as you would any CAD file that was produced on LibreCAD. It’s truly as simple as that.

Converting images into DXF files for LibreCAD

In cases where you don’t have the time to manually trace over raster images or when you have non-DXF vector images that you absolutely need to import into LibreCAD, automatic file conversion would be your best bet.

Let’s go through how Scan2CAD is the only option for high-quality, straightforward file conversions for CAD programs.

Converting a raster floor plan on Scan2CAD

Converting an image for LibreCAD

Step 1

Open up your image on Scan2CAD. If it’s a raster image, proceed to Step 2. If it’s a vector image, skip to Step 5.

Step 2

Clean up your raster image. Click on the ‘Clean Image’ button at the top left of the interface and use the following tools at your discretion.

Step 3
Use the editing tools on the left of the image to manually add raster lines or erase any raster elements.

Step 4

Click on ‘Convert raster image’ next to the ‘Clean Image’ button. For most technical drawings you want to import into LibreCAD, choose the following options.

Step 5

Click on ‘Run’ to generate a vector preview and click on ‘OK’ if the preview is up to par with your standards.

If there are some details in your vector image that you want to finetune such as optimizing the vector elements, converting polyline vector texts into TrueType text, or smoothing vector lines for CNC cutting, click on ‘Convert vector image’.

Click on ‘Run’ to see your settings on a preview image and click on ‘OK’ to finalize those changes.

Step 6

Once you’re happy with your vector image, click on ‘Export’ on the top right. Choose the location you want to save it, pick DXF as the file format, and name your file accordingly. Click on ‘Save’ once you’re done.

A few extra settings will show up; make sure you tick on ‘Convert black vectors to white’ – LibreCAD has a dark-colored background so you want to have white vector lines for the sake of visibility and convenience.

With a process this easy and straight-forward, there’s very little reason to choose anything other than Scan2CAD for your LibreCAD importing needs.

In this video tutorial, we show how to convert a raster or vector PDF to BricsCAD using Scan2CAD.

BricsCAD is a CAD software developed by Bricsys NV, a company that specializes in 2D and 3D modeling, BIM, and sheet metal design. The program is a relatively new player in the CAD game, only having been established back in 2002 by CAD entrepreneur, Eric de Keyser. It has tons of potential though and boasts robust functionality and ease-of-use that rivals the most established CAD programs available out there.

But if you’re new to the program, experiencing a bit of a learning curve is completely understandable. So today we’ll make things a bit easier to understand by talking about how to import PDF files into BricsCAD.

The Basics of PDF

PDF files are popular mainly for their usefulness when it comes to file sharing. The format is compact and clean, making it convenient to handle over email. It’s even capable of handling digital signatures, so it’s useful for contracts and official documents. Other common uses are for e-publications, technical documents, and detailed blueprints and schematics.

The PDF format is nonetheless notorious for one thing – although it’s convenient for distribution, the contents are hard to extract or edit. CAD programs such as BricsCAD have developed a couple of workarounds for that exact situation and we’ll be going through those processes today.

PDF Types

The PDF file type Source

We’ll get to the process of converting PDF files into BricsCAD files, but we first need to look at the different PDF document types that you’ll encounter when dealing with schematics and blueprints. Specifically, we’ll be taking a look at raster PDFs, vector PDFs, and PDFs with both raster and vector elements.

1. PDF with raster images

Bitmap files, more commonly known as raster files, are image files that are made of pixels. Their quality depends on their resolution or the overall number of pixels they have on the image. The more pixels, the higher the resolution, and the sharper the quality of the image. All the most common image files are raster files, including JPEG, PNG, and GIF files.

PDF files that come from scans of documents will mainly have raster elements. These are a bit trickier to manage since CAD programs cannot natively edit raster elements.

2. PDF with vector elements

In contrast to raster files, vector images are made of paths – mathematical formulas that dictate attributes of geometric graphical elements including length, position, and curve. Unlike raster files, vector files will always have high-quality regardless of the resolution. Common vector file types are DWG, DXF, and g-code formats.

PDF files that are exported from CAD programs will often have vector elements in them. BricsCAD typically outputs DWG and DXF files, which are examples of vector files, so vector PDFs are easy for the program to import and handle.

3. PDFs with both raster and vector elements

At times, PDF files will have both raster and vector elements in the same document. Often, you will have embedded raster images with vector lines on top. It’s not an uncommon occurrence, and it’s the user’s prerogative when it comes to deciding what elements to import into BricsCAD.

How do you import PDF files into BricsCAD?

When importing PDF files into BricsCAD, the process mainly depends on what PDF file type you’re dealing with. There are actually a bunch of specific variations of the PDF, but we’ll keep it simple and focus on raster and vector PDFs. Additionally, you also have a bunch of conversion options to choose from. Let’s go through each of these.

1. Converting a vector PDF to BricsCAD

Converting PDF files Source

One of the reasons BricsCAD is such a useful new CAD program is its ability to handle vector PDF quite well. Some of the even bigger names in CAD don’t have built-in PDF conversion functionality as easy to use as BricsCAD.

1. Click on the Insert option at the top of the BricsCAD interface and under the Import tab, click on ‘PDF Import’. Navigate through the folders and choose the PDF file you want to import.

2. A dialog box should open with various options for opening. Check and change the settings accordingly, although the default settings are usually fine. Click on OK.

3. Click on the spot you want to insert the PDF into and the import should show up.

4. Selecting the PDF lets you tweak its properties. You can change attributes such as the PDF contrast, scale, rotation, and visibility.

5. From here on, double-check your scale and resize your PDF accordingly.

6. If the PDF is purely vector, you can find that your cursor will be able to automatically snap to the ends of the lines on the PDF file and you can even edit them if you need to.

Here’s a video that should help:

2. Converting a raster PDF to BricsCAD

When dealing with raster PDF that you can import into BricsCAD, you’ll find that editing and selecting the lines in the file won’t be possible. In these cases, you’ll have to trace over the PDF underlay and manually recreate the lines yourself.

1. Click on the Insert option at the top of the BricsCAD interface and under the PDF tab, click on ‘Attach PDF’. Like with vector PDFs, Navigate through the folders and choose the PDF file you want to import.

2. A dialog box should open with various options for opening. Check and change the settings accordingly, although the default settings are usually fine. Click on OK.

3. Click on the spot you want to insert the PDF into and the import should show up.

4. Tweak the properties to make tracing over the PDF underlay easier. Specifically set the Fade a bit higher so that it’s easier to see the lines you draw over the PDF.

5. Use BricsCAD’s drafting tools to start recreating the lines of your PDF. Make sure to double-check the scale before starting and fixing it accordingly.

2. Converting a raster PDF using Scan2CAD

Converting a raster file into vector

The erase tool at the left of the interface will be valuable for erasing any parts of the image you don’t want to be converted such as graphic noise and speckles. Other raster edits tools will also be useful for cleaning up the initial raster PDF.
Boot up Scan2CAD and open up the raster PDF to be converted. Use the program’s tools to clean up the image as much as you can before the actual conversion process. The ‘Clean Image’ tool at the top of the interface has many options for you to tweak and test out. Be sure to click on the Threshold option to turn the image completely black and white.

3. Click on ‘Convert Raster Image’ next to the ‘Clean Image’ button. Technical vectorization will usually do the trick for technical drawings; just be sure to pick the appropriate presets according to the contents of the PDF file. Click on ‘Run’ to generate a preview for check and click on ‘OK’ to execute the conversion.

4. The same tools used for editing the original raster image can also be used to do minor edits to the converted vector file. Any major editing is best done on BricsCAD itself later on.

5. While on the Vector tab, click on ‘Export’ at the top right. Choose your file name, file format, and location and you’re done with Scan2CAD. BricsCAD can open DWG and DXF files so choose either of those for your file format.

6. Open up the file on BricsCAD and do any last edits there.

To sum up

Using BricsCAD to open up PDF files that are already vector is the fastest way to handle converting PDF to BricsCAD. If you’re not lucky enough to get a vector PDF, Scan2CAD is perfect for handling any raster PDFs. Manually opening up your raster PDF on BricsCAD and then manually tracing over it should always be your last resort.

We hope this quick how-to article was helpful. Once you’ve converted enough PDFs, you’ll start to figure out what method or even combination of methods work the best.

In this video, we use Scan2CAD to convert an image for Fusion 360

Fusion 360 is Autodesk’s integrated 3D CAD solution for the constant woes of disconnected software workflows. The program is one of the best pieces of software out there that has adequately unified the design, engineering, and manufacturing processes into one platform. What you get then is an almost uninterrupted start-to-finish CAD and modeling experience.

Although the program is versatile enough to be a valuable asset in any CAD and modeling program arsenal, it has found a particularly comfortable niche in the hobbyist CNC market. How it found itself there though is a fairly interesting story in and of itself.

The short version of the history of Fusion 360 goes as such: In the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Autodesk was hard at work in developing a then-modern system that could rival other big names in the midrange modeler market. Their main concern was that their best-selling modeling program, Mechanical Desktop, was harder to operate and navigate for anyone not familiar with Autodesk products. A few trial and error attempts later and they eventually came up with the Fusion 360 that we all know and love. In 2014, Autodesk did the most recent big change to the program which is that it integrated the workflow and file management of the program with cloud technology.

The technology of the program has come a long way from its humble beginnings back in 1998. And with all its continuous development, it has come very close to a seamless workflow. But the one thing most Fusion 360 users as well as just CAD and modeling program users can agree on is the difficulty importing images. Placing image files into these programs and then translating them into models can sometimes really serve as a bit of a roadblock to an otherwise straightforward operation.

So in light of that workflow hiccup, we’ll try to tackle the exact steps users need to take to import images into Fusion 360 and turn them into working models. We’ll go through some of the options available and give some pointers to figure out which import and conversion method works best for each type of user.

Fusion 360 user interface Source

When importing image files into Fusion 360, we must first look at the type of image that we’re importing into the program. The next thing to figure out would then be how to convert those images into Fusion 360 models.

For the types of images we typically deal with, we’ll need to figure out if they’re raster images or vector files. Vector files are much easier to deal with in CAD programs, but raster files get a little bit tricky.

When you convert these image files into models, you can opt for manual conversion, which is a tedious but precise process, or you can choose to go the automated conversion route, which is a much more efficient solution for regular users of imported reference images.

When choosing what automatic conversion solution works best, we strongly recommend our very own Scan2CAD. The internationally acclaimed program is a versatile and easy-to-use conversion software that can take any standard image files and convert them into DXF, DWG, or g-code files. The software also has object recognition, OCR, and customizable conversion settings better than most available conversion solutions out there.

Image types and how to import them

The difference between raster and vector Source

When considering how to best handle raster and vector images when importing them into Fusion 360, it could be useful to understand the underlying mechanics of these two image types and what makes them so different from each other.

1. Raster Images

Raster images are the images that most people will have handled before. Some of the most common image file types such as JPEG, GIF, PNG, and certain PDF files are all examples of raster images, otherwise known as bitmap images. Raster files are made up of clustered, colored pixels and the resolution or “clarity” depends on how many pixels make up the image. Simply put, the less number of pixels in the image, the blurrier it gets and the harder it is to work with on Fusion 360.

For raster files, the import and conversion process includes first converting the raster image into an editable vector version of itself and then using that to create a model. First, click on Insert > Canvas and then select the image you want to import. Select the face or plane you want to insert the image into and then adjust its properties appropriately. Click on OK when you’ve finalized your settings.

2. Vector images

Vector images are the file types that most CAD programs can freely edit and manipulate. Common Autodesk standard file formats such as DWG and DXF are all examples of vector files. Although PDF files were mentioned to be a type of raster image, PDFs are actually a bit special in that they can contain both raster and vector file types. In contrast to a raster image’s pixels, vector images are made up of what you would call ‘paths’. There’s a bunch of technical explanations as to how paths work, but suffice to say that since they’re not pixels, vector types will always be crisp and clear regardless of zoom level or file resolution.

For vector files, since these are already fully editable in Fusion 360, it’s a simple matter of just importing your vector file into Fusion and using them as a jumping-off point for your 3D models. That is, as long as they’re in a file format that Autodesk programs can handle.

When you want to open up a DWG file, click on File > Open. Navigate to where your DWG file is and open that up. If you want to insert a DXF file, click on Insert > Insert DXF and then select the DXF file you want to insert. 

Converting raster images for Fusion 360

There are two main methods to convert raster images for use in Fusion 360: manual and automatic. Additionally, automatic methods would usually branch out into in-app conversion solutions and third-party apps. But in the case of Fusion 360, there are sadly no in-app plugins that can provide such functionality.

1. Manual conversion

Tracing over an imported raster image with Fusion 360’s sketch tools Source

Manually tracing over an imported raster image can be a bit of a pain. It’s tedious, time-consuming, and highly inefficient especially with more complex reference images. For some users though, this might be the only conversion option they know and are comfortable with. And who can blame them? It’s a free and straightforward way to get to where you need to go.

Even some users who know about automatic conversion opt for manual tracing due to its more precise and involved process. Compared to most low-quality, free-to-use online conversion tools, manual conversion can also produce much more precise vector files from even low-quality images.

2. Automatic conversion

Converting a spanner image with Scan2CAD

As mentioned before, Fusion 360 does not have the built-in capacity to convert raster images into vector files. But instead of just biting the bullet and resorting to manual conversion, users can opt for specialized third-party apps such as Scan2CAD that can automatically convert both raster and vector images into the right format. 

Scan2CAD can handle most standard raster and vector files. It’s primarily designed for CAD programs and CNC software, so it can output DXF, DWG, and g-code files with ease. It’s hands-down the top choice for conversion software for Fusion 360.

Automatic conversion with Scan2CAD

A highlighted view of all the lines (red) and arcs (magenta) of a converted vector file in Scan2CAD

While automatic conversion solutions sometimes get a bad reputation for having inaccurate or low-quality output files, this is mostly attributed to “free” online conversion services. These websites will usually include watermarks, inaccurate object representations, and upload limits.

Scan2CAD is a cut above the rest, mainly because of two very powerful tools: advanced object recognition and accurate OCR functionality.

1. Object recognition

When a conversion solution gives you a bunch of connected and jagged polylines instead of smooth curves, this is usually due to bad object recognition. That is, the program does not see curves or circles as such and just turns the whole image into a mess of polylines. Scan2CAD avoids this type of haphazard conversion and uses its superior object recognition to accurately convert arcs into arcs and circles into circles. It can also handle dashed lines, beziers or splines, and even solid block vector objects.

2. OCR

OCR, optical character recognition, refers to how a program detects raster text and converts it into editable vector text. Plenty of scanner software and converters will boast of OCR functionality, but the average OCR conversion of most raster text often produces gibberish. This makes it all the more frustrating since you’ll have to erase or edit the mucked-up OCR text and has you wishing the program didn’t use OCR in the first place. Scan2CAD, on the other hand, has one of the most sophisticated and accurate OCR capabilities in the market. It can handle all types of text and at any angle of tilt.

Final thoughts

Manually converting imported raster images on Fusion 360 works only in certain cases: 1 – if you’re working with one or two files, 2 – if the quality of the raster image is too unsuitably low that only the human eye can reasonably extrapolate the details, and 3 – if it’s a one-off conversion process that you know you won’t be doing regularly.

Otherwise, if you’re regularly working with reference images and importing them into Fusion 360 fairly often, then Scan2CAD is the way to go. It optimizes the process and makes life much easier for Fusion 360 users.

As the most accurate and efficient vector conversion solution available, the time and labor saved with Scan2CAD is well worth the investment.

Video Tutorial: How to Reverse Engineer an Object

Fortunately, programs like Scan2CAD can help make this straight-forward and much less confusing than it has to be. Although the steps taken can be quite involved and might take a little time to understand, it’s one of the best ways to digitize and recreate a product part that’s difficult to find or procure otherwise. Today, we’ll go through some of the more complicated steps in using Scan2CAD and help you convert your physical objects to vector files that you can easily use for reverse engineering. High-quality CAD and vector files are immensely helpful during reverse engineering, and Scan2CAD is the easiest way to produce them.

A reverse-engineered 3D scan of a machine part Source

Step 1 – Scanning or photographing the object

A low-quality scan of a machine blueprint Source

It is imperative that before we digitize an object using Scan2CAD, we get a high-quality raster image that is suitable for automated conversion. Ideally, the preference is to use a high-quality scan of the object. The settings for a good scan are as follows:

• Make sure to set the scan file format to TIFF or any other similarly lossless file format. JPEGs will typically have some details lost in the scanning process since it isn’t a lossless file type so try to avoid this file type if you can.
• Set the DPI at the range of 300-500. Anything lower than 300 DPI will give you a low-quality and often pixelated scan and anything higher than 500 DPI will give you unnecessarily large file sizes with no additional benefits.
• Monochrome or black and white scans are best for the purposes of Scan2CAD automated conversion. You can use grayscale scans and colored scans as well, but these will still inevitably be turned black and white on Scan2CAD before being converted into vector files.

When a scan of the object isn’t possible, photographs can also be used for Scan2CAD given the right setup. Here are the settings for taking a photograph for conversion on Scan2CAD:

If you’re converting an image of a physical object it’s important that you acquire a suitable image in the first instance. Here are some key tips:

• Just as with scans, make sure to set your photographs to lossless file formats.
• Set the object against a background with a contrasting color. Specifically, place a light-colored object in front of a uniformly black background and place a dark-colored object in front of a light background.
• Ensure that the camera is parallel to the object and is pointed at it directly. This is to prevent any prospective distortion to assure that the resulting photo is an accurate depiction of the actual dimensions of the object. Ideally, you could take a picture of the object from far away using a telescopic lens.
• Set the lighting so that the object has minimal shades and is not obscured or covered with shadows. Any shades and shadows picked up by the photo will be included in the output when Scan2CAD runs the conversion process.

After acquiring a high-quality raster image, take the extra time to double-check the image and to edit out any unwanted speckles, distortions, and image noise. Re-do the scan or photograph if you have to. Scan2CAD does have some editing tools you can use for any last-minute edit, but it’s best to use dedicated image editing software to really clean up your raster image before converting.

Step 2 – Converting your image to a vector file

Vectorized spanner on Scan2CAD

The next step involves opening your raster file on Scan2CAD and proceeding with the actual conversion process there. This basically involves doing last-minute edits on your raster image, optimizing the vectorization settings for your image, optionally making last-minute edits on your output vector, and then saving the file. Here are the specific steps:

1. After opening up the file, choose the Edit > Grabcut tool. In the dialogue box that opens, either click on ‘Use whole image’ if you want to convert the entire image or click and drag to create a rectangular selection detailing the area you want to convert. Then on ‘Confirm selection’.

2. Scan2CAD will automatically take out the background but in cases where you want to do it manually or if Scan2CAD missed some areas, click on ‘Background’ and scribble a line or two on areas that are supposed to be backgrounds. Click on ‘Run’ to execute any changes and then ‘Next’ to finalize.

3. The next screen brings you to the finalize object and here, you can choose to use the ‘Smooth’ slider to smoothen any jagged edges in the image. Click on ‘OK’ once you’re happy with the result.

4. Additionally, if there are any other small cleanup actions you want to take, you can click on the Clean Image dialog box located at the top left of the screen. If the option is available, tick the ‘Threshold (Black & White)’ option under ‘Color Reduction’. This turns your image black & white and makes it suitable for conversion. If the option is grayed out, that means your image was already black and white and no longer needs to be monochromatized which is the case if you’ve already used the Grabcut feature.

2. Although at this point, any major edits should have been done beforehand, there are also additional options under ‘Clean Image’ that you can use to do any small last-minute changes.

• Remove Speckles & Holes: for any small clusters of pixels of white or black that need to be removed from the image
• Thicken Lines: for any barely legible lines that need to be thickened
• Smooth: for ‘jagged’ or pixelated lines that need to be smoothed out

Click on OK if you’re done with the ‘Clean Image’ dialogue after this.

3. Other than the options under ‘Clean Image’, you’ll also have editing tools available on the left side of the screen. Most notably, you’ll be able to use the following:

• Several ‘draw’ tools: separate tools for creating new raster lines in the drawing.
• Draw text: to add raster text into the image
• Erase: to take out any unwanted parts of the image

4. If you’re happy with your edited and cleaned up image, click on the ‘Convert raster image’ tool . You’ll want to choose the ‘Outline’ option under ‘Vectorization Method’ and then click on ‘Run’ to generate a preview.

5. You can then cycle through the tabs of both the original raster and the converted vector as well as a tab with both to see if the resulting vector is accurate enough for your tastes. The ‘Highlight vectors’ option can help you see the vector objects more easily. You can play around with the Vector definition slider if the preview is too jagged or too smooth; just be sure to click on ‘Run’ each time you make a change to generate a preview of your changes.

6. Click on ‘OK’ once you’re happy with the preview to finalize the vector conversion.

Step 3 – Check and optimize the converted vector

Although it may be tempting to just run with the produced vector after using Scan2CAD’s raster-to-vector conversion, it’s always important to double-check the result and do any last-minute edits that need doing.

The draw, text, and erase options that were available to edit the original raster are also perfectly well-suited for editing any vector objects. At this point, make sure that the lines of the vector are perfectly straight, the angles are correct, and make sure that any bezier curves are converted into arcs or polylines for optimal compatibility with CNC machines. Scan2CAD also has a nifty ‘Convert vector image’ tool to do these optimizations for you.

Once your vectors are all optimized, all that’s left is to click on the ‘Export’ button at the top-right and set your file name and format.

Conclusion

Although do bear in mind that a discerning eye and careful double-checking is always integral when it comes to these kinds of processes, reverse-engineering doesn’t need to be any more intimidating than it has to be. Especially when you have Scan2CAD to do most of the heavy-lifting when it comes to reverse engineering and digitizing physical objects. 

All these steps might seem a little overwhelming, but Scan2CAD can execute all of them for you without a fuss. We’ll go through all of these steps in the article today, but let’s first start with a demonstration of how Scan2CAD can optimize your CNC designs for cutting.

Image types for CNC cutting

CNC machine working on steel Source

There are two things to consider before you can even start optimizing your image for CNC cutting: 1 – whether the image itself is suitable for CNC cutting and, 2 – whether the file format is suitable for CNC cutting.

Usually, when you deal with images for CNC cutting, you want to go for monochromatic images with minimal gradients. Colored images are a bit difficult to deal with since converting them to black and white doesn’t always work out well. Anything with midtones will either be converted to black or white when setting it up for CNC cutting and so a lot of the details will get erased. Gradients are an even bigger problem for the same reason. So when you’re designing or editing an image for CNC cutting, always note that the most suitable images will be monochromatic ones that can easily be turned black and white. 

When we talk about image formats, we’re looking at if the file you’re working with is a raster file or a vector file. Vector files are pretty straight-forward since the standard CNC file formats are also examples of vector files. If you’re working with a vector file – which you can tell if an image is one if it doesn’t get pixelated or blurry no matter how much you zoom in – you can go straight ahead to optimizing the file for CNC. If you’re working with raster files, however, the process is a bit more involved. You’ll have to convert that raster image into a vector file. 

Conversion options

Raster to vector conversion Source

When you need to convert an image for CNC, you have three options:

1. Manually trace the image using your CAD program
2. Convert using built-in conversion tools in your CAD program
3. Convert with conversion software like Scan2CAD

Option 1: Manual tracing

Tracing an image meant for CNC use involves opening up your raster image on your preferred CAD program and using the software’s drafting tools to vectorize all the elements of the file by “tracing” over the image. It’s the digital equivalent of duplicating a blueprint by putting tracing paper on top and copying all the lines. The process is fairly straight-forward but can get tedious and time-consuming if the image you’re working with has a complex geometry.

Some CNC users actually prefer working with manual tracing since the user will have complete control over conversion accuracy, the number of vector elements and nodes in the image, and, depending on the skill of the drafter, the ability to convert even low-resolution raster files. Do note, however, that automatic conversion tools have developed and improved to the point where their accuracy is comparable to that of manual tracing executed at a fraction of the time.

Although some conversion programs can only do so much with low-quality raster images, it can still convert such files to a point where editing and correcting any inaccuracies would still take less time than manual converting the file from scratch.

Option 2: Built-in conversion tools

Some CAD and CNC programs will have built-in conversion functionality and can automatically vectorize any imported raster images. Not all CAD programs have these tools built-in, and even those that do will have their limits. Some of the more well-known vector software that has vectorization functionality are Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and AutoCAD’s Raster Design.

Do note, however, that these conversion tools aren’t optimized for CNC. More than likely, you’ll have to do a once-over to see if all the vectorized elements are converted properly. Still, it’s much faster than manually converting the vectors through tracing.

Option 3: Convert with conversion software

In contrast to plug-ins that only add on some functionality to a CAD program, there are other stand-alone software that specializes in raster and vector conversion. Scan2CAD is an industry leader when it comes to those types of programs and for good reason. Scan2CAD has two decades of development and experience under its belt, resulting in a conversion solution for CAD, CAM, and CNC that is precise, efficient, and easy to use.

The program handles both raster and vector conversion. That is, if you have a raster file that you want to convert into vector elements, Scan2CAD can do that for you. It can also handle vector files whose formats you want to change. The program has sophisticated object and text recognition tools to make sure that conversion go as smoothly as possible.

Additionally, Scan2CAD has a CNC optimization mode that automatically takes any existing vector file and reduces the number of nodes and poly-lines for a smoother and faster cut.

Poor conversion results

Comparing an exploded vector circle with a circle entity Source

How do qualify the type of results that we get from vector converters? A good metric would be to see if the program converts obvious arcs or circles into several small line segments. If the software can’t reliably produce arcs or circles, it might not be the best program to produce designs for CNC cutting. Smaller polylines aren’t ideal for CNC cutting because it makes the file unnecessarily complex with the sheer number of vector objects in the image. Not to mention, the CNC machine will sometimes create jagged arcs when you scale the design up.

In this type of conversion where all elements, regardless of the apparent curve, are converted into individual connected vector lines, optimization becomes a bit of a task. Not only do you have to manually erase the polylines, but you’ll also have to redraw these as arcs. Fortunately, Scan2CAD’s sophisticated object recognition as well as vector optimization tools solve all of these problems.

Object recognition simply means that if the raster image has graphics that are meant to show curves or circles, Scan2CAD will recognize this and also vectorize these elements as arcs or circles. Additionally, if you want to optimize your vector files even more, Scan2CAD can also process the image to minimize the number of vector objects and smoothen out any jagged polyline edges.

Raster text

When it comes to raster text, you’d usually want to go with conversion software that has good OCR capabilities. When it comes to CNC, however, things are a little bit different. CNC machines don’t normally handle vector text objects well, so your best bet is to convert any raster text into vector lines and arcs.

Scan2CAD has a reliable OCR conversion tool that lets you convert raster text into editable vector text. However, as in the case with CNC files, if you’d rather convert the raster text into vector lines, all you have to do is opt to go without OCR and Scan2CAD will turn that raster text into exploded lines and arcs.

Raster text and exploded vector text Source

Optimizing a design for CNC using Scan2CAD

When you have your vector file converted and ready to be used for CNC cutting, the last step would be to make sure that the file is optimized for the process. You can opt to do that manually by going through the image and smoothing out any jagged edges yourself, but automatic optimization solutions like Scan2CAD has are much more efficient.

Here are the steps for optimizing your design for CNC cutting using Scan2CAD:

1. With your vector file opened up on Scan2CAD, right-click on the Vector tab header and choose File Statistics. This opens up a window where you can see the actual number of vector objects in the file.

2. To optimize the vector, just click on the ‘Convert vector image’ tool at the top of the Scan2CAD interface. A dialog box should open up.

3. Under ‘Conversion options’, be sure to tick ‘CNC Smoothing’.

4. In the now available ‘CNC Smoothing’ tab, edit the settings as you see fit. If you’re not sure about what edits to make, the default settings are usually good enough left as they are.

5. Click on ‘Run’ once you’re okay with the settings to generate a preview at the left side of the dialog box. You can click on the ‘Highlight vectors’  tool at the bottom-right corner of the preview window to have a more detailed look at the vector objects in the image. Red highlights mean the vectors are lines, pink highlights indicate arcs, and blue highlighted vectors are circles.

6. If you’re happy with the preview and want to finalize the optimization, click on ‘OK’ to execute the changes. Once you’re back in the main screen, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Export’ option at the top-right of the interface and save your file under the file name and file format of your choice.

With Scan2CAD, the conversion and optimization processes are as easy and as efficient as they can be. Most images won’t take even 5 minutes to get ready for CNC cutting. If you’re a frequent user of CNC software and want to save time and money with the whole process, Scan2CAD is absolutely a must-have.

For experienced Solid Edge users, a frequent workflow requirement is importing images into the program to then use as a reference for additional drafting and modeling or design edits. It’s a fairly common necessity for any CAD user, but the simplest or fastest ways to go about it is still somewhat unclear to some. Not to mention some processes leave room for errors in accuracy or precision when copying the details of the imported image.

Seeing the need for clarification, we’ll be tackling the exact process of importing images into Solid Edge in this article. We’ll look at some of our options and go into detail about which process we recommend to be the most and precise and efficient.

Solid Edge 2020 user interface Source

When it comes to importing images into Solid Edge, there are basically two points to first consider – 1) the type of image we’re importing, and 2) the methods of converting those images into Solid Edge models.

For image types, we’ll mostly be dealing with either raster images or vector images. The importing process for both are fairly different with vector images being by far simpler and faster to handle, so we’ll mainly focus on going into detail about importing raster images.

As for conversion methods, the two main ways to go about it are opting to trace over the image manually and essentially doing a manual conversion, or using a third-party program to convert the image first into a legible CAD file and then importing that file into Solid Edge. There are certain pros and cons to both methods and what you’re willing to compromise on will depend on what your priorities are when working with your Solid Edge models.

Image types and conversion methods – we’ll tackle both these subjects in detail so that hopefully, by the end, you’ll hopefully have a better idea about how you want to go about importing your images into Solid Edge.

Before anything else though, let’s take a look at how Scan2CAD, an industry leader in globally acclaimed conversion programs, can take image files and convert them into the DXF or DWG formats, both of which can seamlessly be imported into Solid Edge without any compression or loss of detail.

Types of images

The different standard raster and vector file formats Source

Let’s discuss the two types of images that we’ll be importing into Solid Edge and their differences – raster images and vector images. The way you’ll go about converting and importing them are fairly different and warrants some discussion.

1. Raster images might be the image type that most will be familiar with. The usual JPEG, PNG, GIF, PNG, and TIFF files are all examples of this type of image. The way raster images are set up is something akin to digital pointillism – the graphics are made out of clustered colored pixels that are arranged to form a coherent image. The greater the number of pixels, the sharper the image will be.

2. Vector images include file formats that CAD users frequently work with. DXF, DWG, CNC, and g-code are among the many vector file formats that users might want to import into Solid Edge. Vector images are made of parametric numerical data that are then interpreted by computers into graphics. A vector image of a circle, for example, is made of data that determines the circle’s line and fill colors, outline thickness, and diameter. The telltale sign of a vector file is that it doesn’t get pixelated or blurry as you zoom into it the way that raster images do.

3. PDF files aren’t technically image file types but are worth mentioning in the list since they can have both raster and vector images at the same time. In this case, you can decide if you need just the vector or raster elements in the PDF file and do away with the unnecessary parts. If you need both, more often than not you would have to convert both raster and vector parts individually and then composite them together in Solid Edge.

It bears repeating that vector files are easier to deal with on Solid Edge since Solid Edge files are natively also vector files. Any imported vector files can be readily edited and manipulated natively in Solid Edge right away with no additional steps.

That said, we’ll mainly be tackling how to convert and import raster images into Solid Edge since it’s a more involved and detailed process than importing vector images.

Converting images for Solid Edge

There are two main methods when converting image files for use on Solid Edge – manually tracing over the image files on Solid Edge or using automatic conversion software to convert the files before importing them into Solid Edge.

Manual tracing 

Using reference images to produce a model on Solid Edge Source

Manually tracing a reference image in CAD software is the bane of most CAD beginners. It’s painstaking and time-consuming but is the only option for a lot of users who don’t yet know about automatic conversion software. This is the digital parallel to placing tracing paper over a reference drawing and creating a new copy by going over each line.

There are users who would sometimes opt for manual conversion for its better accuracy over most free-to-use online conversion tools. Do note that there are standalone programs that are designed to carry our conversion quickly and accurately and are usually the go-to method if precision and efficiency are both priorities.

Pros:

• Precise when the resolution of the reference image is too low-quality to be suitable for automatic conversion.
• No need to use any third-party software and can be done natively on Solid Edge.
• Complete free.

Cons:

• Accuracy will wholly depend on the skill of the drafter who performs the trace.
• Time-consuming and tedious.
• Would not be suitable for batch conversions of multiple drawings.

Automatic conversion software

Automatic conversion with Scan2CAD

Although some CAD and modeling programs have the built-in capacity to automatically convert any imported raster images into usable vector graphics, Solid Edge, unfortunately, does not. Luckily enough, vector conversion software such as Scan2CAD can achieve the same level of convenience and accuracy as any built-in conversion tools available out there.

Scan2CAD is a conversion solution that can handle both raster and vector files. It’s primarily geared towards CAD and CNC programs so it’s able to export files into any standard industry formats such as DXF, DWG, and g-code. With 2 decades of development and optimization under its belt, Scan2CAD is the top choice for conversion software when you’re looking for something fast and accurate.

Pros:

• Sophisticated object recognition can accurately convert all standard graphics such as lines, arcs, and circles.
• OCR tools can reliably convert raster text into TrueType text.
• Saves hours of work compared to manually tracing over images.
• Exports into all standard CAD and CNC file formats.
• Can handle both raster and vector files.

Cons:

• Can only convert raster images of a certain resolution. Low-quality images that are pixelated or blurry will likewise produce subpar results.
• Does not work natively in Solid Edge.

The accuracy of automatic conversion

A close-up view of converted arcs, dashed lines, and text in Scan2CAD

Automatic conversion programs sometimes get a bad reputation due to the amount of questionable free online conversion services. With those, users will usually get low-quality conversions, bad object recognition, inaccuracies, and file upload limits.

Scan2CAD does away with all that by having two sophisticated conversion tools in its arsenal – advanced object recognition and accurate OCR functionalities.

1. Object recognition refers to how well a program can figure out what the objects in the image are supposed to be. For example, plenty of free online conversion tools will typically see a raster image of a circle and convert that into essentially a many-sided polygon instead of a smooth vector circle. These types of programs are lacking when it comes to object recognition, but Scan2CAD makes sure to avoid those kinds of conversion errors by employing sophisticated object recognition tools. The program can accurately convert polylines, arcs, splines, circles, and even dashed lines.

2. OCR functionality (optical character recognition) is the ability of a program to recognize raster text and convert that into editable vector text. Although plenty of scanners and PDF programs have OCR tools, the sophistication of their OCR results leave a lot to be desired – most of the time, you’ll be dealing with gibberish due to low-quality OCR. Scan2CAD can reliably employ OCR to deal with all types of computer-produced raster text and can even handle vertical and angled text along with standard horizontal ones.

What should I opt for?

If you’re working with small, relatively simple files, you can maybe get away with simply manually tracing over them in Solid Edge. If you want to save a little bit of time and accuracy or precision isn’t all that important, some free online conversion sites would probably suffice.

However, if you’re looking for the top-shelf pick among conversion programs and you know you’ll be converting files often enough to warrant investing in optimizing your process, Scan2CAD is the way to go.

Scan2CAD is the most accurate and most efficient conversion solution available in the market today. You’ll save both time and labor with the use of the software, freeing you up for more important design, manufacturing, and engineering tasks.

Regardless of the format, raster-to-vector conversion can be a little daunting if you haven’t gone through the process before. But there are clear, straight-forward solutions to convert your CIT images into DXF or DWG files suitable for use on your standard CAD software. We’ll discuss the different methods for conversion as well as the arguably the most efficient way – using Scan2CAD.

What are CIT images?

Scan2CAD supports all standard raster and vector formats such as JPG, TIF, BMP, DXF, and DWG. But only recently has support for CIT images been added into the mix. So what exactly are CIT images and how are they unique from other raster file formats?

Files with the CIT format are categorized under Intergraph Scanned Image files. These are monochrome bitmap or raster files. Raster files are made of colored pixels and cannot directly be readable and editable on standard CAD programs. Vector files on the other hand are made of 2D and 3D geometry that can be read and manipulated by CAD programs.

As such raster images, in contrast to vector images, are a bit more complicated to be made usable on CAD software. DXF and DWG files are the most common vector formats that we’ll be dealing with when using CAD so, by default, the most efficient process is to convert raster images into DXF or DWG.

What are your options when converting CIT images to DXF/DWG?

When you need to convert a CIT raster image into a DXF or DWG file, you have three main options:

1. Manually trace the image using your CAD program’s drafting tools
2. Use your CAD program’s automatic raster-to-vector conversion tool
3. Use dedicated conversion software

Option 1: Manual tracing

Traditional manual tracing Source

The most straight-forward method of converting a CIT image into a usable DXF/DWG file is to import the image onto your designated CAD software and then trace over the raster elements with the program’s drafting tools. This is essentially the digital equivalent of placing tracing paper over the original draft drawings and recreating the elements by tracing over them.

Given the skill and eye of the drafter, this is arguably the most accurate process. But it is also undoubtedly the most involved and most time-consuming of the three methods mentioned.

We say accurate since experienced and skilled drafters will always be able to discern the individual elements of a drafted drawing even though the quality of the file leaves much to be desired. With particularly low-quality files, automated conversion processes can only do so much.

But state-of-the-art conversion programs such as Scan2CAD has dedicated years to developing the technology to convert all kinds of raster images. Even in cases where the drafts are much too low-quality for Scan2CAD to get the conversion 100% accurate, it can still get it to the point where the remaining time spent editing the converted result is still a fraction of the time it would have taken to manually trace the whole drawing.

Option 2: Built-in conversion tools

Some CAD programs will have built-in conversion tools that will take raster images and convert them into readily usable vector files. A well-known example of this is AutoCAD’s Raster Design.

With this and most other add-ons to popular CAD programs, a lot of manual tweaking is involved in setting the conversion just right. Since they are essentially just a plug-in to the main product which is the CAD program, ease of use and versatility aren’t prioritized. Most built-in conversion tools lack the capabilities to identify and convert arcs, circles, and text, for example.

Still, the advantage of using these types of built-in conversion tools is that they are integrated into already fully-functioning CAD software. Less fuss is involved when just dealing with the conversion process all from within your preferred CAD software.

In the end, it’s about weighing the pros and cons of convenience versus functionality. But do note that not all CAD software offer this type of tool, so be sure to do your research before assuming that your program can execute this type of process.

Option 3: Dedicated conversion software

Scan2CAD is a conversion solution that specializes in producing converted files to use in CAD software as well as CNC. As such, it’s perfect for converting CIT and other raster image file formats into vector formats such as DXF and DWG. The company has spent the last two decades researching and developing software that boasts the industry’s best conversion performance as well as the most easy-to-use interface and tools.

Like the previous option, dedicated conversion software like Scan2CAD is also an automated conversion solution. Unlike the previous option, Scan2CAD can be run independently and does not need to function as a plug-in or add-on. Since the software is specialized, it can offer advanced conversion tools such as sophisticated object recognition and OCR capabilities.

What sets Scan2CAD apart?

Curves with excessive vertices Source

If you have a negative image of automated conversion in your head, know that you aren’t alone. A lot of people have doubts when it comes to automatic vector conversion due to the staggering amount of “free” online conversion websites that produce less than satisfactory results.

A lot of these online converters tend to convert every raster element into a polyline, regardless of its identity as a potential arc or circle. As such, instead of getting a circular vector element in your final product, you’ll instead get thousands of small lines instead of a single smooth entity.

The same goes for any text, arcs, or splines in the image, rendering the potential time saved by converting automatically moot due to the amount of post-editing that needs to be done to correct these mistakes.

What makes Scan2CAD the best automatic conversion solution is its advanced object recognition capabilities. Circles will be recognized as circles, dashed lines will be recognized as dashed lines, and thanks to its OCR capabilities, the text will be converted into editable TrueType text.

What is OCR?

OCR conversion Source

Expounding on OCR, the acronym is short for optical character recognition. This is one of Scan2CAD’s best tools in that it lets the program recognize any potential text objects in raster images and convert them into editable text strings.

Although not necessarily an uncommon feature, the majority of scanners and programs that have OCR capabilities don’t have the sophistication of Scan2CAD and will end up converting text into incoherent gibberish.

Additionally, any conversion software that doesn’t have OCR will end up converting any raster text into polylines. This is inconvenient not just because you’ll have to input the text strings manually but also because you’ll have to take the time to delete any of the text polylines that were converted. This kind of ‘exploded text’ is the bane of the existence of any drafter’s looking to have elegant, efficient solutions for raster-to-vector conversion.

Conclusion

When looking to convert CIT images to DXF or DWG, the best option would be to use software that was specially designed to meet your needs.

With Scan2CAD, not only will you be getting accurate vector conversions, but you’ll also be saving a ton of time and effort.

One of the major players in the BIM software industry, Revit gives its users the freedom to design a building model in 3D, view and annotate aspects of the model in 2D with standard CAD drafting tools, and access and edit comprehensive and live building model information in the form of schedules and tabulated databases. The software’s holistic approach to building design also includes the building’s structures, various engineering components, and even the planning and tracking of the building’s lifecycle – from design conception to construction by phases and even continued maintenance or planned demolition.

Seasoned users of the software will attest to its usefulness. Revit is amazingly efficient in the design, drafting, and modeling of construction projects. And with any CAD and BIM design workflows, there will always be a need to use reference images as the starting off point of the process. As such, it’s important to touch upon exactly how to import images into Revit.

Autodesk Revit user interface Source

The importing process isn’t complicated per se, but it is tricky to figure out how to import the image and then convert it into a usable, editable Revit file. More so, it’s hard to plan out the most effective and efficient way to go about all that.

Most users will opt to import the image and then draft or trace right over it – the manual conversion method. This process takes time and effort to do, which is especially true for large, complex images such as complicated floor plans or detailed elevations. For those looking to save a few hours of labor, automatic conversion software would be the way to go. In this article, we’ll go through all the most efficient ways to import images into Revit and make them usable for modeling.

Video Tutorial: Converting an image for Revit

In this tutorial, we use Scan2CAD to convert an image for Revit.

If you’d prefer a deeper look into the process of converting images to Revit you can keep reading…

Image types for Revit

Let’s do a quick run-through of image types before we get into the details of image importing in Revit. There are raster images and vector images. We’ll be focusing on raster images in this blog since it’s by far the more complex image to convert and use on Revit.

Raster images, otherwise known as bitmap images, are files made of clustered, colored pixels. The typical raster file formats are the well-known JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP file formats. Vector files will have images that are made of formulas converted into images. PDF files can also have raster images but that file format is unique such that it can contain both raster and vector elements.

As opposed to pixels that will be restricted by the file’s resolution, vector images will have the same quality regardless of scale or zoom level. In fact, the standard CAD file formats such as DWG and DXF are all examples of vector files. As such, Revit can readily read and handle these CAD-standard vector file formats.

The goal of image conversion for Revit is to take any raster image and turn it into a vector file that can readily be used on Revit.

How do you import raster images into Revit?

As mentioned before, when importing images into Revit, you can choose either to convert the image into a Revit model manually or choose to use an automatic conversion program.

Option 1: Manual trace

Raster image in Revit Source

Manual tracing is the tried and true method of encoding a raster file or image scan into a CAD and modeling program. It can be fairly accurate and it lets users have an intimate understanding of the model they’re building. However, the process is undeniably tedious and could last from hours to days of work depending on the complexity of the original image.

1. Navigate to the view plane in the Revit file that you want to insert the image into, i.e. if you’re working with an image of a site plan, navigate to the floor plan or site plan view on the same reference plane as the image.

2. While on the Contextual bar for the Insert tab on the Ribbon bar, click on Image. A window will open up – navigate and select the image that you want to insert. Place the image on the view plane.

3. Work on checking the scale of the inserted image. Use a Model Line to trace over a part of the image with a known measurement; while using the Model Line tool, you’ll see the exact current measurement of the building element. With some quick math, you’ll find that the current scale of the image will be the known measurement divided by the current measurement. 

4. With the calculated scale value in mind, click on the image and locate and click on the Scale tool up in the Contextual bar. The button looks like a smaller black square inside a larger blue square. Set the Numerical scale at the number calculated from the last step.

5. From there, use the Revit tools you know and love to trace over now correctly-scaled image.

Option 2: Conversion software

Vector file in Revit Source

Revit isn’t a program that has a built-in raster-to-vector conversion tool. A great third-party option for this is Scan2CAD. Scan2CAD is a conversion program that readily deals with all standard raster and vector files and can produce all the industry-standard vector file formats at the user’s discretion. Automatic conversion software is the way to go if the tedium and labor of manual tracing can’t be afforded.

1. Open up the raster image to be converted on Scan2CAD. Make it suitable for conversion by cleaning it up with edits first. The Clean Image button at the top left has the Threshold option to turn the image black and white. Additionally, there are other tools in the Clean Image menu that can help with cleaning up the image.

2. For any other minor edits such as erasing leftover speckles or connecting disjointed lines, the editing tools at the left of the Scan2CAD interface are versatile and easy to use.

3. After the edits are made, the Convert Raster Image button next to the Clean Image button will open up a dialog box for vector conversion settings. Play around with the settings to your discretion and click on Run to generate a preview. Once the preview is satisfactory, click on OK to run the conversion.

4. At this point, the same editing tools to do minor edits to the initial raster image can also be used for the converted vector image.

5. The last step is to click on File > Save As > Vector. Find the destination folder you want to save the converted vector in, choose a name and file format (DWG and DXF work best for Revit), and save.

6. Follow all the steps detailed in the manual tracing method but choose Link CAD instead of Image under the Insert bar.

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, which method of image importing works best will depend on the users and the circumstances. But since conversion technology has become more and more advanced, accuracy has become less of an issue and automated conversion will almost always be the fastest and most efficient way to go about importing and converting images into Revit.

This is where Scan2CAD comes in – the program is perfect for handling any files and images you may want to use on Revit.

The typical CNC process Source

The allure of a computer doing the heavy-lifting when it comes to milling complex parts is enticing. But before diving into the world of CNC, designers have to first understand how to make the most of the machines. Hardware is one thing, but the factor that all CNC users will have complete control over is the quality of the designed parts for CNC cutting.

We’ll be taking a look at some quick tips and guidelines that you can follow to make sure that your design is optimized for CNC cutting. With these and proper research, you’ll be able to make the most out of CNC machines and automatic milling processes to maximize efficiency and ease-of-use.

Tip 1: Understand Your CNC’s limitations

CNC machines and their limits Source

CNC cutting is a robust process; it’s flexible and versatile enough to handle almost anything that you throw at it. But like with any process, it has its limitations. Not to mention that most personal-use commercial-grade CNC machines also don’t have the capabilities of factory-grade ones. So it’s important to understand what your machine can and can’t do to be able to use it effectively.

Firstly, consider the geometry and dimensions of your CNC tool. Most CNC machines will have cylindrical drills with a set cutting length. When using the CNC to mill out parts from your materials, you can’t disregard the effects of those tool geometries on the finished product. That is, expect your internal cut-out corners to have a radius that is equal to or larger than the radius of the CNC’s drill bit, and don’t expect the CNC machine to cut through any material thicker than its working cutting length.

Another important limitation to consider is the working range of your CNC mill. Most commercially-available CNC machines will be cutting from right above the plane of your chosen workpiece. You won’t be able to use the CNC machine to cut out parts that are on a vastly different angle, i.e. from the side. As such, it gets a bit more tricky to machine out any designs that are as wide as they are long.

Of course, this particular limitation can be somewhat mitigated by more higher-end machines. If you want to go all out, you can go ahead and get state-of-the-art 5-Axis CNC machines. But if you’re not ready to dish out that kind of money, just stick to making sure your design takes into consideration your chosen CNC machine’s limitations.

Tip 2: Design each part with the CNC in mind

CNC-machined parts Source

When designing the parts to be milled, it’s important to not just look at the designs in their entirety but to also pay close attention to the individual parts that make up the design. Keeping your CNC’s capabilities in mind will help you figure out what parts of your design might be unfeasible and require design edits.

In particular, pay attention to these parts of your design:

1. Holes and cavities – Make sure you set the radius of any pockets in your design to be at least three times the diameter of your CNC’s cutting tool to prevent going beyond the machine’s recommended cutting length.

2. Internal corners and edges – As mentioned in the CNC limits section, make sure to give ample allowance for any internal corners taking into consideration the diameter of your drill bit.  

3. Wall thickness – When designing your part, make sure that any walls are thick enough that there aren’t any substantial vibrations during the milling process. Thin walls make for excessive vibrations and that leads to inaccuracies in the resulting product. In general, metal can handle vibrations better than plastic so you should leave a bit more leeway when it comes to plastic materials.

Tip 3: Machine tolerance

CNC tolerance Source

When talking about a CNC machine’s tolerance, this refers to the amount of error or variation that is acceptable when milling out parts from materials. There are two types of CNC tolerances: general tolerance and part tolerance.

The first – general tolerance – refers to the overall machine tolerance for the designed parts in their entirety. This is usually plus or minus five-thousandths of an inch for metals and a hundredth of an inch for plastics. Different CNC companies have varying degrees of general tolerances that they use when clients don’t specify their own general tolerance.

Part tolerances refer to any element of the design that has to be more accurate than most of the other parts of the CNC design. More accurate designs usually mean a more meticulous prep time and a more involved CNC milling process. As such, more specific part tolerances will most likely result in longer processing times and, for any outsourced CNC work, heftier service fees.

Keeping machine tolerances in mind is useful when designing machine parts that need a high degree of precision.

Tip 4: Keep within size limitations

A medium-sized CNC Source

The overall size of your design is a big factor to consider when it comes to CNC. Needless to say, having design parts that are too big to fit into the machines you are planning to use is a no-go and will usually require you to break them down into smaller designed pieces that would fit together. But it’s also important to understand that you also can’t go too small with parts or the machines won’t be able to handle that amount of precision detailing.

It’s also useful to keep in mind the size of the materials you’re planning to use. You can’t, for example, plan to CNC machine a part that’s longer than the longest dimension of the metal or plastic material you’re planning to use. Which brings us to the next tip…

Tip 5: Consider your materials

CNC-machined materials Source

Choosing a material is a big factor when it comes to optimizing your CNC design. You have to consider characteristics such as weight, rigidity, thermal and chemical resistance, and density. Other things to consider are ease-of-use and cost.

In general, you’ll be working with three types of materials suitable for CNC machining – metals, plastics, and wood.

Metals are the industry standard for factory-grade industrially CNC-machined parts. Softer materials such as aluminum are favored but if metals with denser and heavier characteristics are made, steel is usually used.

Plastics are much more cost-effective than metals but do not nearly have the rigidity, weight, and structural integrity that metals do. In this manner, they are useful for parts that do not encounter too much stress or extreme wear and tear.

Wood materials are almost exclusively used for furniture or finishing fixtures. Out of the three, this is the most cost-effective and easiest to work with, but has its niche in the construction and furniture manufacturing industries.

Tip 6: General last-minute considerations

Lastly, you can easily check off the following with your CNC vector file before sending it off to the machine:

– Make sure the vector has single-line paths and that each line connects to the endpoint of the next line. Sometimes, it’s easy to overlook any endpoints that are close together but not actually touching. Check corners and curves.

– Try to minimize nodes and intersections when you can. Without compromising the quality of the design, less is more when it comes to CNC.

– Prioritize polylines over arcs or beziers as most CNC machines prefer to work with polylines.

Luckily, Scan2CAD has streamlined vector optimization with the following steps:

1. With your vector file opened on Scan2CAD, click on the Convert > Convert Vector Image.

2. In the dialog box that pops up, click on the ‘CNC Smoothing’ option under ‘Conversion options’.

3. The default settings of this options should be fine, but feel free to double-check by clicking on the ‘CNC Smoothing’ tab at the top of the dialog box. Here you’ll see the different settings for Lines, Arcs, and Beziers.

4. Click on Run to generate a preview using your settings and then click on OK to execute the optimizations once you find the preview to be acceptable.

5. Click on Export at the top-right of the interface. Name your optimized file and choose a file format from the options available.

Conclusion

In short, it pays to know all the particulars about the CNC machining process so you can plan your designs accordingly. Make sure you know your CNC machine or the company that you’re planning to outsource to, the material you’re planning to use, and the tolerances of the final product when compared to its intended use.

Although it might seem a little bit intimidating, keep in mind that designing your machined parts is a whole process. As long as you keep these tips and guidelines in mind when drafting out every individual element, you should be golden.

CATIA interface Source

Supported File Formats on CATIA

CATIA supports both raster and vector file formats. So, what are the types of images (image file formats) you can import into CATIA or convert for use on CATIA? What are the supported vector file formats on CATIA? What other file formats does CATIA support? Let’s find out.

Supported Raster Image Formats on CATIA

CATIA V5 and 3DExperience CATIA support a range of raster image formats, depending on the purpose for which you intend to use the images. Generally, CATIA supports the following image formats:

• PNG
• BMP and BMZ (compressed BMP file)
• TIFF (TIF and TIFF)
• JPG (JPEG and JPG)
• RGB
• PSD
• GIF
• DIB
• RLE

You can import images to support your drawing and modeling process via the Sketch Tracer app. Such images help you draw from an existing model or draft. While you can import PNG, BMP, TIFF, RGB, JPG, and PSD images into Sketch Tracer, you cannot directly modify all the file formats within the software environment. You can only manipulate the former five image formats. For PSD images, you must first create a specific object type in CATIA to modify it. To put it simply, you cannot directly modify PSD images.

If you want to import images for rendering and storytelling purposes, you can only insert JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, and RGB file formats. Similarly, CATIA’s Photo to Shape app supports JPEG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, PNG, and HDR images, while the Laboratory Informatics app only allows you to attach PNG and JPEG images. Lastly, the 2D Layout for 3D Design app supports DIB, RLE, and BMZ in addition to the other file formats listed above.

Supported Vector File Formats on CATIA

CATIA supports SVG image files, a vector image format, via the Sketch Tracer app. But like the PSD images, the software cannot directly modify SVG images. To do this, you must first create a specific object type in CATIA, which you can then modify. Through the 2D Layout for 3D Design app, the software also supports CGM, GL, GL2, HPGL2, and PS image/graphic file formats. CATIA also supports other vector file formats in addition to the aforementioned image/graphic file formats. These include native CATIA V5 files (CATPart and CATProduct), STEP, IGES, or 3DXML (the native 3DExperience file format).

In summary, CATIA supports the following vector file formats:

• SVG
• CGM
• GL
• GL2
• HPGL2
• PS
• CATPart
• CATProduct
• STEP
• IGES
• 3DXML

Other Supported File Formats on CATIA

Beyond vector and raster image and CAD formats, 3DExperience CATIA also supports other file formats. This is thanks to its connectors, which enable users to open documents and files created from external software. However, to open these files, you must first import them to the 3DExperience platform. The available connectors include Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office: Word, Microsoft Office: Excel, Microsoft Office: PowerPoint, and more. As a result, 3DExperience CATIA also supports PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, XML, HTML, XLS, XLSX, and PPT, among others.

Raster vs. Vector File Formats

An important distinction to get out of the way before delving into more specific topics is the difference between raster images and vector images. Any bitmap-based image that’s made of pixels and gets more “blurry” the lower the resolution or the more far in the zoom is a raster image. These include any JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, and TIFF images. Vector images, on the other hand, are images made of editable “vector” lines, instead of being made from pixels, and are made of specific mathematical instructions and data.

As a rule of thumb, vector files are easier to convert into usable files for any CAD software because more often than not, CAD files are vector files in and of themselves – this includes the files natively handled by CATIA. The processes to convert raster images into usable vector files for CATIA are slightly more complex to handle and will be the main points of discussion in this post. That said, you can also import/insert raster images directly into the CATIA environment and this article will also discuss ways to do this.

Vector and raster formats Source

Ways to Insert/Import Images into CATIA

CATIA, particularly 3DExperience CATIA, supports numerous ways of importing images into CATIA. This, of course, depends on your CATIA role, which, in turn, requires a particular set of CATIA app. Given that the software supports numerous roles, there are tens of apps on the CATIA/3DExperience platform. (Relatedly, your role(s) and the number of apps you require/need influence CATIA pricing.)

For instance, with the CATIA Laboratory Informatics apps, you can attach PNG and JPG files to text sections of experiments. However, such files cannot be edited as they are only meant to act as file attachments or reference documents. (Laboratory Informatics apps include tools that enable users to create a standardized approach to laboratory processes, such as the management of laboratory workflows and tasks, resources, recipes, and procedures.)

You can also import image files for the purpose of creating rendering and storytelling images. This is possible when using Rendering and Storytelling apps, which enable you to present and showcase your products as photorealistic rendering, for instance. Such images are meant to be referenced by one or more objects in an experience. However, you cannot import every image you have on your computer; the images you import using the Rendering and Storytelling apps must be associated with an engineering document.

3DExperience CATIA’s Photo to Shape app also lets you insert images into CATIA. This app is used to build 3D models of objects from 2D photographs. More specifically, it lets you draw 2D shapes based on the contours and hard points of photographs. It also enables you to create 3D shapes and extract textures from photographs for a realistic visualization. Without going into more details, the Natural Sketch app and the 2D Layout for 3D Design app also let you insert images into the CATIA workspace.

This article will, however, focus on inserting images into CATIA using the Sketch Tracer app. This app is used to import 2D images into a 3D scene and is available in both CATIA V5-6R and 3DExperience CATIA. It lets you convert 2D images into a 3D scene, using the image, which can be a picture or hand drawing, as the basis for a work area. The app also enables you to position the 3D model relative to the 2D image and trace the sketches, i.e., create geometric outlines directly over the sketches or the layout of objects in the image. In this regard, the Sketch Tracer app is an example of a manual raster-to-vector conversion tool.

What are Your Options When Inserting and Converting an Image for CATIA?

Option 1: Using a Built-in Conversion tool or a Third-Party App

Some software have built-in raster conversion tools that will automatically trace over any imported raster images with their vector tools. Unfortunately, CATIA is not one of those programs that have a built-in conversion tool. On the bright side, there are amazing third-party apps that can handle that conversion and output vector files that can be easily opened on CATIA.

One such program is our very own Scan2CAD. Scan2CAD can handle both raster and vector source files and is specifically designed to output the best quality vector files that can be used in all standard CAD and modeling programs. That includes CATIA. However, do note that while you can import DXF or DWG files in CATIA, you cannot directly manipulate them within the software environment. Instead, CATIA allows you to use them as sketches. The DXF or DWG files appear as sketches in the CATIA work area.

How to Convert an Image for CATIA Using Scan2CAD

Here are the steps to convert an image into a DWG or DXF file using Scan2CAD for easy manipulation on CATIA:

1. Open up the raster image you want to work with on Scan2CAD. The software can handle most standard raster and vector formats.

2. Clean up the raster image to make it suitable for conversion. You can go ahead and use the Clean Image button at the top left. You’ll want to use Threshold to turn it black and white, and depending on the image, you can play around with the different tools under the Clean Image menu.

3. Scan2CAD also has some nifty editing tools on the left side of the interface. For editing, the erase tool will be your best friend.

4. You can go ahead and click the Convert Raster Image button next to the Clean Image tool. Different types of drawings will work better with their own conversion settings, but the default settings are usually good for your typical technical drawings. You can cycle through the Vectorization presets to find the setting most suitable for your drawing.

5. You can also opt to use Vectorize and OCR to use the OCR function of Scan2CAD that aims to convert any raster text into TrueType text – text objects that are editable.

6. Click on Run to generate a preview and OK to finalize the conversion.

7. You can once again use the tools on the left to do some final edits on your converted vector file.

8. Click on File > Save As > Vector. Locate the location you want to save your new file in and pick the vector format you prefer (DWG and DXF work best for CATIA).

Option 2: Manually Drawing Over (Tracing) the Image

Before the advent of CAD, the main way to reproduce and edit any existing technical drawings was tracing over them with tracing paper. In the digital age, CAD users emulate that by overlaying vector lines over any source raster image they choose to use. As it was was before, the process can be painstaking and tedious but some users prefer using this tried and tested manual method over automatic conversion processes.

The main reason these users opt for manually tracing is the belief that a high degree of accuracy is not possible with conversion software. This stigma against automatic conversion is probably exacerbated by the results you can get from free automatic conversion software available online. However, dedicated apps used for conversion have the advantage of continually developing technologies used for CAD and can compete with almost any manual tracing when it comes to accuracy at a fraction of the time. This makes it a better option in the majority of cases.

However, they do have limitations when it comes to source images with low quality. Either the scan wasn’t done properly or the resolution is simply too low. In these cases, manually tracing will have to suffice when it comes to recreating these low-quality images.

Working with CATIA V5

In this case, if you’re dealing with a 3D object you need to model on CATIA the steps would be the following:

1. You’ll need to procure suitable images for tracing. If it’s a 3D model, try to get technical drawings of the top, front, and side views of the model. These will make tracing and modeling much easier in the long run.

2. Click on Start > Shape > Sketch Tracer. In the new window that opens up, choose the first view which you want to import a drawing in. For example, if you want to insert your front view image first, open up the Front View plane. You can access this by clicking on the View pop-up menu typically at the bottom of the screen that has a blue cube icon.

3. While on the plane you want to work on, click on Create an Immersive Sketch to the left of the viewing port. Locate and open the image you want to import.

4. Move and edit the green Model Axis tool that pops up over the inverted image. Use this to scale and size the imported image just right.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the views you have image references of.

6. At any point, you can open up the properties of these imported images to edit their Transparency or lack thereof to make things easier when you start tracing the images.

7. Once you have all your images all scaled and lined up with a transparency level you’re comfortable with, all that’s left is to use CATIA’s drafting and modeling tools to create your model.

Working with 3DExperience CATIA

To insert a single image, follow the procedure below:

1. Log in to the 3DExperience platform and launch the Sketch Tracer application by clicking the compass icon  at the top left section of the screen
2. Drag the image you want to use from its location on your computer to your CATIA work environment
   CATIA positions the image on the current drawing plane and resizes it to fit about 1/3 of the screen.
3. Edit the image as desired by modifying the resolution and opacity
4. Use the image as a drawing support for tracing or sketching

To insert multiple images for the various drawing planes, follow this procedure:

1. Log in to the 3DExperience platform and launch the Sketch Tracer application by clicking the compass icon  at the top left section of the screen
2. Tap Image Chooser on the Images section of the action bar at the bottom of the window
   This action displays a box representing the 2D canonical views
3. Select the image you want to use from your computer and drag it onto a plane of the box that corresponds to the view represented by the image, i.e., top, left, right, back, front, and bottom.
4. Repeat step 2 for all the other planes
   CATIA calculates the dimensions of the image as a ratio of the dimensions of the plane
5. Edit the image as desired by modifying the resolution and opacity
6. Use the image as a drawing support for tracing or sketching

Comparison of Automatic vs. Manual Conversion

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are there any specific settings I should be aware of when converting images for CATIA?
   If you are using Scan2CAD, save the converted file as a DWG or DXF file. However, do note that even if you use the automatic conversion approach, you will still have to use manual tracing after importing the converted file to CATIA. This is because CATIA does not natively support DXF or DWG files. That said, Scan2CAD comes in handy as it helps you clean the image.
2. Can CATIA handle colored raster images or does it only handle black and white?
   CATIA handles both colored and black-and-white raster images. When working with the 2D Layout for 3D Design app, 3DExperience CATIA automatically sets monochrome pictures to the CCITTG3 format, a lossless compressed data format. This conversion prevents data loss.
3. What’s the recommended image resolution for a quality conversion?
   To import and load images in the Image Board of CATIA’s Photo to Shape app, Dassault Systemes recommends that the images’ resolution should not exceed 24 MP. The recommended resolution is 8 MP. That said, Dassault Systemes does not have a blanket recommendation for the image resolution covering all its apps.
4. Are there size limitations for the image I can import into CATIA?
   The maximum size for an image file attachment (in CATIA’s Laboratory Informatics app) is 25 MB. CATIA also limits to 10 the number of files you can attach.
5. How does the quality of the original raster image affect the final vector output in CATIA?
   CATIA does not perform automatic conversion. Instead, it requires the user to trace the outline manually. And given that the human eye is better than automated tools at picking out geometric objects from dirty images (of course, up to a certain threshold), the quality of the original raster image does not significantly impact the final vector output.
6. Can I use both automatic conversion and manual tracing techniques on the same image in CATIA?
   Yes. This is especially so if you use Scan2CAD. CATIA does not support DXF or DWG files. Thus, you can use automatic conversion (Scan2CAD) to convert a raster image to a DXF or DWG file. Then, you will have to import the DXF or DWG file into CATIA to draw over/trace the layout of the drawing in the imported file.

Conclusion

CATIA is a wonderful piece of software that can be more easily used when using software such as Scan2CAD to streamline the process of conversion. Not only do the two programs work well individually, but they also work amazingly well when used in tandem.

Save time and effort by opting to use software specifically designed for CAD file conversions.

For regular readers of our blogs here at Scan2CAD, comparison blogs are a familiar thing. We’ve covered program comparisons between Draftsight, CATIA, Solidworks, and various Autodesk products. We take a look at the differences and the similarities between these pieces of software and figure out what kind of CAD work goes well with each of them. Our aim with all of these articles is to make it easier for CAD users to choose the right program for them.

If you’ve clicked on the link to this blog, it might be safe to assume that you’ve at least narrowed your choices to one of two programs – AutoCAD and Fusion360. Today we’ll be looking at both programs individually and then figure out what they have in common as well as how they differ from one another.

AutoCAD and Fusion 360 are only two of many Autodesk programs Source

AutoCAD

AutoCAD interface Source

History

AutoCAD is Autodesk’s flagship product and is also the first CAD program ever developed for PCs that became so ubiquitously used worldwide. From its conception in 1982 to today, its core function hasn’t changed much – to produce high-quality technical drawings in 2D and in 3D.

Initially, AutoCAD was designed for mechanical engineering and manufacturing professionals. As it proved to be a quintessential boon to drafters, Autodesk has expanded its demographic range to include architects, various other engineers, and construction professionals. Even video game developers, animators, and hobbyists rely on AutoCAD.

AutoCAD is considered to be the foremost CAD program in the AEC fields. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone in the industry who isn’t at least familiar with AutoCAD.

What it does

AutoCAD is computer-aided design software – or CAD – that helps professionals in the AEC and manufacturing industries produce both 2D and 3D technical drawings and models. As the program became the standard for CAD, what AutoCAD does in essence is to digitize the drafting process.

Users can conceptualize, draft, and make detailed annotations on 2D vector geometry, 3D solids and surfaces, and edit mesh objects with AutoCAD. AutoCAD users can also do higher-level drafting work such as detailed comparisons of different drawing files or versions of the same drawing file, the creation of repeatable and editable blocks, as well as the production of drawing schedules. And to take it a step further, there are various add-ons that you could install to help automate or streamline any niche tasks you have in your drafting workflow.

More recent versions of AutoCAD have included mobile and web app options, as well as the option to save files onto the cloud. This makes it possible to access AutoCAD files from almost any device and is perfect for any CAD professional who is constantly on the go.

The developers have created specialized toolsets that are industry-specific and make it easier for their target market to use their particular version of AutoCAD to its fullest potential. Here are some of their featured toolsets:

– Architecture: This toolset adds specialized automation tools for the efficient production of architectural drawings, documentation, and schedules. This is perfect for architects and architectural professionals.

– Electrical: Features included in this toolset are the streamlined creation of schematic diagrams and a library of standard electrical symbols. This is mainly geared towards electrical engineers and professionals.

– Mechanical: This is similar to the electrical toolset but has features that include mechanical parts and components. As the name implies, mechanical engineers will benefit most from this

– MEP: This is a bit of a mix of the architectural, electrical, and mechanical toolsets with added functionality for plumbing systems. This is mainly geared towards the design and management of building systems.

– Map 3D: With this toolset, AutoCAD users can seamlessly read and edit GIS topology for the purposes of design and planning as well as geo-data management.

– Plant 3D: More geared towards the manufacturing industry, this toolset helps users create drawings and schematics for plant design.

– Raster Design: The main use of this toolset is to convert raster images into DWG objects. This is similar to what Scan2CAD is able to do, albeit not as robust since it can only produce AutoCAD-specific DWG objects.

Fusion 360

Fusion 360 interface Source

Fusion 360 – another well-known Autodesk product – was released back in 2012 when Autodesk decided to get into the cloud-based software bandwagon although its journey started way before then. On February 4, 2009, Autodesk developed its then newest program, Inventor Fusion. This program was then integrated into already existing programs in 2011. Because of this, Autodesk would then release a program later that year that focused on product lifecycle management – PLM 360. Moving that a step forward, the company then created software that could run simulation testing on the cloud called Simulation 360. Taking in and combining all of the software integrations and developments that it’s been through in the past three years, Autodesk finally launched the final Fusion 360 program in November 2012.

What  it does

Fusion 360 is Autodesk’s primary cloud-based CAD program for the AEC and product manufacturing industries. Its various functionalities include the following: 3D modeling, simulation and renders, and accurate simulation and data management. Being a cloud-based program, it also does well with collaboration and documentation.

Fusion 360 is also exceptional when it comes to preparing models for 3D printing, machining, and prototyping. 

The main users will find Fusion 360 useful with the following functionalities:

– 3D design and modeling: The program can handle surface modeling, mesh modeling, parametric modeling all other of the major modeling standards. Users will be able to work with independent components or with assemblies depending on the complexity of the project.

– Electronics: This is where Fusion 360 is said to shine – the program can handle different tools for the design and manufacture of printed circuit boards.

– Simulation: Fusion 360’s simulation features include nonlinear stress, modal frequency, buckling, and static stress.

– Visualization: If photo-realistic renders are what you’re looking for, Fusion 360 has you covered in that department. It can also handle details 2D drafts and documents.

– Collaboration: Due to its cloud-based nature, Fusion 360 makes it easy for teams of different people to collaborate and share their work real-time. This makes for a fast and easy way to reach project deadlines.

– Data management: Fusion 360 makes it easy to handle data and metadata about projects and their corresponding files. Not to mention, all the data about your files are securely kept in the cloud.

– Manufacturing and machining: With all its tools, Fusion 360 is great for aspiring 3D printers and machinists. Any model made in the program can easily be exported as any of the standard file formats used by CNC machines or 3D printers.

AutoCAD vs. Fusion 360

Here are some clearer differences between AutoCAD and Fusion 360 tabulated:

Conclusion

In short, if you’re looking for a no-fuss way to produce architectural and engineering drawings and plans, you can’t get much better than AutoCAD. If you’re an engineer or machinist more inclined to using 3D models, simulation tools, and realistic visualization, you’ll want to try out Fusion 360.

Today though, let’s not stray too far from the base drafting software. We’ll take a look at AutoCAD’s convenient online, browser-based version, the AutoCAD web app. As the name suggests, it’s an online-based CAD application that users can access by simply connecting to their internet and opening up the app on their browser. We’ll be browsing through the AutoCAD web app’s specific specs and see how it stacks up to its desktop app version as well as other browser-based CAD and modeling programs.

What is a web app?

The convenience of the web app lies in the user being able to use the power and precision of the AutoCAD program on any web browser. Although it doesn’t have all of the desktop app’s tools, it has all the key elements needed for quick or minor drafting such as:

1. AutoCAD graphics and functionality – The web app boasts a streamlined UI, polar tracking, object snaps, and snap overrides.

2. Cloud storage support – AutoCAD has its own cloud storage available that is linked to the user’s Autodesk account. It is also possible to link standard storage providers such as Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Additionally, X-refs in the same folder as the parent file will resolve within the drawing file.

3. Core AutoCAD commands – Standard annotation commands are available like REVCLOUD, MLEADER, and DIM. And of course, all the commonly-used 2D drafting commands are also usable such as PLINE, MOVE, OFFSET, MIRROR, and ROTATE.

4. Blocks – It is possible to insert existing blocks in the file from the blocks tab. You can also choose to create new blocks or edit old blocks with the command line.

5. Command Line – Similar to the desktop app, the web app gives you the freedom to choose between choosing commands in the side panel or entering commands through the command line.

AutoCAD has a few nifty guides to help guide new users in utilizing the web app.

AutoCAD web app vs. AutoCAD desktop app

To compare the AutoCAD web app and the AutoCAD desktop app, we’ll be looking at three factors for judgment – functionality, price, and convenience.

Functionality

Autodesk markets the AutoCAD web app as a lightweight, convenient way to access your AutoCAD cloud files if you need to do a last-minute check or minor edit. It has all of the key workflows of AutoCAD’s desktop app such as PLINE,OFFSET, TRIM, MTEXT, and DIM. As detailed previously, it has all the major functionality of the desktop app but is mainly to be used for quick, lightweight tasks.

Price

A subscription to the AutoCAD web app is automatically included in any AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription, so the web app doesn’t technically have an independent price. All you need to do is access the AutoCAD web app website and sign in with your Autodesk account. There is a free-to-use version available for those without an Autodesk subscription or account, but it can only handle opening and viewing DWG files, not editing or reformatting it.

Convenience

Autodesk regularly mentions the caveat that the majority of your drafting’s heavy lifting will be done on the desktop app. However, the web app is useful for those “forgetting if you left the oven on” moments when you need to check on AutoCAD files without a machine that has the program installed. Being able to check, download, and even edit your files from the ease and comfort of your home computer’s internet browser beats having to lug your workstation from the office to your home.

Other similar CAD web apps

It certainly seems that online CAD and modeling software is the direction the market is going with a bunch of other CAD and modeling programs with a similar web-based application model. Here are a bunch of notable ones:

1. SketchUp Free – Another Scan2CAD blog staple, SketchUp is one of the best apps when it comes to intuitive UI’s, easy workflows, and flexible functionalities. SketchUp Free is a free-to-use version that is entirely web-based.

2. Fusion 360 – Fusion 360 is another Autodesk product that focuses on product design and development. It also handles 3D modeling just a little bit better than AutoCAD. Like AutoCAD, it also has a web that serves as an extension of the desktop app.

3. OnShape – OnShape is unique in this list as solely web-based. It’s a CAD system that relies on the software as a services model or SAAS. This just basically means that its a subscription-based software utilizes cloud computing on internet-based servers and can be accessed via mobile and browser apps.

When to use the AutoCAD web app

AutoCAD actually has an article written on when they think users should use the AutoCAD web app. They’ve developed the app with these users in mind:

– those who have their main work machine in the office but need to do some quick, final edits on their home computer,

– professional who need to set up an onsite office with access to their AutoCAD files and drawings but don’t want to bring their workstation,

– users who use mobile workstations to bring to technical meetings.

In short, it’s not a total replacement for the AutoCAD desktop app – most of your major drafting and editing will be done on the main program. But if you’re looking for a lightweight, convenient solution, the AutoCAD web app is a perfect tool to have handy.

First off, let’s go into detail about what a web app actually is. We’ve established that a web app – short for web application – is a piece of software that runs on standard internet browsers and uses internet technology to conduct tasks and processes over the internet. Compared to desktop applications that need to be downloaded, installed, and then run by your computer, web apps actually use cloud technology to “outsource” a program’s processes so that there is no need to go through downloading and installing a program.

Imagine the difference between opening up a video file on your desktop’s multimedia player and watching a video stream on the internet. Here’s what a typical web application flow looks like:

1. The user makes a request to the web app’s server over the internet, either through their internet browser or, like in the case of the AutoCAD web app, through the application’s user interface.

2. The web application server performs the task that was requested.

3. The web application server sends the results back to the user and displays that on the browser or web app’s user interface.

Let’s take, for example, a common task on AutoCAD – opening a DWG file: The user looks through the files to find the one they want to work on and click on the file therefor “requesting” it from the server. The web app server looks through its cloud data to find the file requested. After finding it, it sends over the file and displays it on the AutoCAD web app’s user interface for the user to work on.

Some details about the AutoCAD web app

The convenience of the web app lies in the user being able to use the power and precision of the AutoCAD program on any web browser. Although it doesn’t have all of the desktop app’s tools, it has all the key elements needed for quick or minor drafting such as:

1. AutoCAD graphics and functionality – The web app boasts a streamlined UI, polar tracking, object snaps, and snap overrides.

2. Cloud storage support – AutoCAD has its own cloud storage available that is linked to the user’s Autodesk account. It is also possible to link standard storage providers such as Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Additionally, X-refs in the same folder as the parent file will resolve within the drawing file.

3. Core AutoCAD commands – Standard annotation commands are available like REVCLOUD, MLEADER, and DIM. And of course, all the commonly-used 2D drafting commands are also usable such as PLINE, MOVE, OFFSET, MIRROR, and ROTATE.

4. Blocks – It is possible to insert existing blocks in the file from the blocks tab. You can also choose to create new blocks or edit old blocks with the command line.

5. Command Line – Similar to the desktop app, the web app gives you the freedom to choose between choosing commands in the side panel or entering commands through the command line.

AutoCAD has a few nifty guides to help guide new users in utilizing the web app.

AutoCAD web app vs. AutoCAD desktop app

To compare the AutoCAD web app and the AutoCAD desktop app, we’ll be looking at three factors for judgment – functionality, price, and convenience.

Functionality

Autodesk markets the AutoCAD web app as a lightweight, convenient way to access your AutoCAD cloud files if you need to do a last-minute check or minor edit. It has all of the key workflows of AutoCAD’s desktop app such as PLINE,OFFSET, TRIM, MTEXT, and DIM. As detailed previously, it has all the major functionality of the desktop app but is mainly to be used for quick, lightweight tasks.

Price

A subscription to the AutoCAD web app is automatically included in any AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription, so the web app doesn’t technically have an independent price. All you need to do is access the AutoCAD web app website and sign in with your Autodesk account. There is a free-to-use version available for those without an Autodesk subscription or account, but it can only handle opening and viewing DWG files, not editing or reformatting it.

Convenience

Autodesk regularly mentions the caveat that the majority of your drafting’s heavy lifting will be done on the desktop app. However, the web app is useful for those “forgetting if you left the oven on” moments when you need to check on AutoCAD files without a machine that has the program installed. Being able to check, download, and even edit your files from the ease and comfort of your home computer’s internet browser beats having to lug your workstation from the office to your home.

Other similar CAD web apps

It certainly seems that online CAD and modeling software is the direction the market is going with a bunch of other CAD and modeling programs with a similar web-based application model. Here are a bunch of notable ones:

1. SketchUp Free – Another Scan2CAD blog staple, SketchUp is one of the best apps when it comes to intuitive UI’s, easy workflows, and flexible functionalities. SketchUp Free is a free-to-use version that is entirely web-based.

2. Fusion 360 – Fusion 360 is another Autodesk product that focuses on product design and development. It also handles 3D modeling just a little bit better than AutoCAD. Like AutoCAD, it also has a web that serves as an extension of the desktop app.

3. OnShape – OnShape is unique in this list as solely web-based. It’s a CAD system that relies on the software as a services model or SAAS. This just basically means that its a subscription-based software utilizes cloud computing on internet-based servers and can be accessed via mobile and browser apps.

When to use the AutoCAD web app

AutoCAD actually has an article written on when they think users should use the AutoCAD web app. They’ve developed the app with these users in mind:

– those who have their main work machine in the office but need to do some quick, final edits on their home computer,

– professional who need to set up an onsite office with access to their AutoCAD files and drawings but don’t want to bring their workstation,

– users who use mobile workstations to bring to technical meetings.

In short, it’s not a total replacement for the AutoCAD desktop app – most of your major drafting and editing will be done on the main program. But if you’re looking for a lightweight, convenient solution, the AutoCAD web app is a perfect tool to have handy.

If you’re looking to get into laser cutting, you’ll have to first learn about how to convert your image files into vector designs that all standard CNC laser programs can handle. Luckily, Scan2CAD is made for just that purpose. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at how to use the program to convert your images into laser-ready files.

The Basics of Image Conversion

Raster to vector conversion Source

When working with any CNC laser cutting machine, it’s standard to use vector file formats such as DXF, DWG, and g-code. Typically, the only way to convert raster images into these types of vector formats is to open them up on CAD software and then trace over them with digital drafting tools. The process can be long and arduous, so automatic conversion software like Scan2CAD comes in really handy in these situations. Scan2CAD can condense hours of tracework into mere seconds by using automatic tracing algorithms to translate raster lines into vector elements. The program can handle a wide range of formats, both as input and output. It can handle such raster format standards such as JPG, TIFF, PNG, BMP, and GIF. It can even handle vector-to-vector conversion, for those times when you need to convert, for example, DWG files into g-code, or vector PDF into editable DXF files.

Short Demonstration of Scan2CAD’s Raster-to-Vector Conversion

In this animation, we convert a raster image of a wrench into a vector file of its outline using Scan2CAD.

How do I Convert my Image into a Vector File for Laser Cutting?

Video Tutorial

In the following video we convert an image to DXF or G-code for laser cutting. You can try the conversion yourself with the Scan2CAD free trial.

Step-by-Step Guide: Tutorial Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of the steps we went through in the video.

1. Load up your raster image onto Scan2CAD

Boot up Scan2CAD and click on ‘File’ > ‘Open’. Navigate to your raster file and click on ‘Open’.

2. Clean up your raster image

With any conversion software, your output is only as good as your initial image. So it’s good practice to make sure your initial raster image is as clean and as clear as possible. Click on ‘Clean image’  on the upper left of the Scan2CAD interface. In the dialog window that opens, click on ‘Threshold’ under ‘Color Reduction’ to turn it into a completely Black & White image. Additionally, the different options under ‘Clean Image’ are also useful in making your raster image as suitable as it can be for conversion. Once you’re happy with the preview image to the left, click on ‘OK’ to execute the edits.

Convert Raster Image Window on Scan2CAD

3. Convert the raster image

Click on ‘Convert raster image’ right next to the ‘Clean image’ button from the previous step. For most images, you’ll want to stick with the ‘Outline’ vectorization method; it has a handy vector definition slider that you can tweak to get the right amount of smoothing for your output vector. You can also opt to use the ‘CNC Profile’ vectorization preset under the ‘Technical’ vectorization method option, and it has a lot more fine-tuning settings that you can tweak. Click on ‘Run’ to generate a preview and when you’re happy with that, click on ‘OK’.

Clean Raster Image Window on Scan2CAD

4. Save the converted image

Most of the work is done at this point and all that’s left is to save the newly-converted vector file. While on the ‘Vector’ tab, click on ‘File’ > ‘Save as’ > ‘Vector’. Navigate to where you want to save the file, give it a name, and choose the file format you want to save it as (DXF, DWG, or g-code). In this case, you should choose DXF for reasons we have discussed below. Then click on ‘Save’. 

Alternatively, you can click on ‘Export,’ which opens the Windows File Explorer. Navigate where you want to save the file, key in the name, choose g-code as the file type, and then click on ‘Save.’

Scan2CAD’s Export Button for Saving Vector Files

Now that you have a DXF file, it is time to use it as a template that you can send to your laser cutter for it to engrave or cut. Here’s what to do:

1. Connect your computer to a laser machine

2. Open the converted DXF file on Inkscape
A freeware, Inkscape is a popular vector graphics editor that offers numerous functionalities.

3. Set your document area to match the size of your laser cutter’s workspace

You can do this by clicking on ‘File’ > ‘Document Properties’ > Set the width and height under the ‘Custom Size’ section of the window that pops up.

Custom Document Property Settings on Inkscape (source)

4. Determine the sections of the drawings you want to be cut or etched

Typically, and as the name suggests, a laser cut cuts through the material while an etch shaves off some material from the surface. When it comes to laser cutting, there are two categories of etching: vector and raster etching. The former approach involves engraving a file along a linear path. The latter approach simply engraves a material similar to how a conventional printer would – a normal printer prints all the pixels that constitute an image. This means the raster etching shaves off the material as a block rather than linearly.

Upon making the determination, assign colors to each of these sections. For example, many laser machine software associates red with a vector cut, blue with vector etching, and black with a raster etching.

5. Set the stroke width

To do this, head to the the Stroke Style tab on Inkscape and set the width to 0.01 mm.

6. Send the vector file to your laser machine software

On Inkscape, click on ‘File’> ‘Print’> Select the name of the software under the ‘Select Printer’ section.

7. Configure the software based on your cutting needs

Some of the settings you should tweak include speed, power, and frequency. These settings depend on the material you are using as well as the type of cut or etch.

8. Prepare your laser machine

There are several preparatory steps you should take before using your laser machine. These include:

1. 1. Select a suitable material. Acrylic, wood, and foam can be etched and cut, while glass can only be etched.
   2. Ensure the material size suffices.
   3. Set the lens height.
   4. Set up the fume extractor to evacuate the fumes released by the cutting process from the laser cutter

9. Perform a test cut

This step applies if you have not used your laser cutter for a while. It enables you to determine whether the machine is operating at optimum.

10. Start laser cutting and etching

Some Conversion Tips

Image resolutions Source

All in all, the process in Scan2CAD takes less than a minute. Do keep in mind, though, that with any conversion process, there are several best practices that result in the best possible vector file. These include:

1. Quality of the image/input file
2. Clean-up of the input file
3. Post-processing (after conversion)

1. Quality of Input File

The most significant factor that determines the quality of the output will always be the quality of the initial image – garbage in, garbage out. So it is imperative to choose the most suitable version of the image for conversion. 

2. Clean-up of Input File

Some files may still contain blemishes regardless of the effort you put into choosing a quality image. This is particularly evident with scanned images. Fortunately, Scan2CAD has a few clean-up tools that enhance the quality of the image. These tools include Remove Speckles & Holes, Thicken Lines, and Smooth. Only when you are satisfied with the quality can you embark on vectoring the image. 

3. Post-Processing

Once you are done with the clean-up and conversion, all that is left is post-processing work to get the best possible output for laser cutting. The post-processing is unique for different images and laser-cutting programs. In most cases, you’ll want to do the last edits on your preferred CAD software or your laser cutting software if it has editing capabilities. For minor fixes, Scan2CAD has some editing tools to the left of its interface. You can add a few lines or erase any parts of the image you don’t want included in your final output.

What Kind of Images are Suitable for Conversion on Scan2CAD?

1. High-resolution images. With lower quality images, you’ll be seeing a lot of jagged, pixelated edges and you’ll want to avoid those as much as you can when doing automatic tracing. The software is designed to accurately depict the source image, so if your original raster file has jagged edges, chances are, the output vector file will have those as well. On the other hand, you don’t want to go too high-quality with your images, since that usually leads to unnecessarily long conversion times. 
2. Minimal shades and shadows. Having too many high-contrast shadows in the image will obscure some of its details. For laser cutting projects where accuracy and precision are important, you’ll want Scan2CAD to pick up as much detail as it can from the original image.
3. Image formats with lossless compression. JPEGs and GIFs are pretty standard formats for image, but the reason they’re so popular is their portability. What they sacrifice in return for their small file size is their lack of detail and quality. Try to shoot for image formats such as TIFF, PNG, or BMP – file types that use lossless compression and have higher image quality that other standard formats.
4. Clean, crips images. Image noise in the form of speckles or holes in the raster file will also be picked up by Scan2CAD and converted into vector elements. Use images with as little noise as possible and make sure to utilize Scan2CAD’s ‘Clean image’ tool to edit out any unwanted parts of the image.
5. Monochromatic raster images. If you have colored or grayscale images, Scan2CAD’s ‘Clean image’ dialog box has a handy ‘Threshold’ tool to turn them completely black and white. This is the most suitable type of image to convert.

We have a detailed guide on ideal scanner settings that you could follow to get just the right amount of detail in your source image.

Conclusion

Scan2CAD is a versatile and powerful conversion software that allows you to convert raster images to vector files that can be fed into laser machines’ software. In this article, we have covered how to convert raster images to DXF. You can then use Inkscape to edit the DXF file to ensure it can be used as a template for cutting or etching different types of materials. 

Although Windows PCs are still the standard for most CAD users, it is undeniable that a big chunk of offices and homes use MacOS. So it’s understandable how some might find it intimidating to start using CAD software when there are plenty of these types of programs that are straight up incompatible with MacOS. The industry is changing and developing, however, and we see more and more support for MacOS CAD programs. If you’re a Mac user and are thinking about venturing into the world of Computer Aided Design, we’ve compiled all the information about the topic to help you figure out the best way to move forward.

Best Mac Computers for CAD

Apple’s Lineup of Mac Computers/Products (source)

Let’s take a look at some of the Apple machines that are out there.

1. MacBook Pro

Previously, there were three variants of the MacBook Pro, distinguishable by the size of the display: the smaller 13-inch, the intermediate 14.2-inch, and the larger 16.2-inch. But Apple has since done away with the 13-inch MacBook Pro and refreshed the two remaining variants with new Apple Silicon chips.

If you’re looking to purchase the 14.2-inch model, you can configure it with a 10-core M4 (with integrated 10-core GPU), a 12-core or 14-core M4 Pro (with integrated 16-core or 20-core GPU), or a 14-core or 16-core M4 Max (with integrated 32-core or 40-core GPU). The larger 16.2-inch model is powered by the M2 Pro or M2 Max chips.

Apple states that the M4’s 10-core CPU is up to 1.8x faster than M1, while its 10-core GPU is up to 2x faster than M1. But it may not be sufficient to handle more demanding workloads during rendering, for instance; which is why you can configure your MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro or M4 Max chips.

The MacBook Pro with M4 and M4 Pro can support two external displays on top of the built-in display, while the MacBook Pro with M4 Max can support up to four. This support is thanks to the computer’s three Thunderbolt 4 or 5 ports as well as a HDMI port. But you can still make do with the built-in Liquid Retina XDR display that offers 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and up to 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR content. This means the display is bright enough to enable you to work outside.

Another feature that boosts off-site work is the battery life. The M4 family of chips delivers high power efficiency and promises up to 24 hours of battery life, according to Apple. So, you can comfortably work off-site without worrying about disruptions that come with a short battery life.

2. iMac

The latest release of the 24-inch iMac was unveiled in 2024. Like the previous-generation M1-powered iMac (released in 2021), the latest release sports a modern, refreshing, and svelte shape that resulted from a complete design overhaul. It nonetheless continues Apple’s tradition of the ‘all-in-one’ computer that combines the display and computing power in the same chassis and cover.

Under the hood, the 24-inch computer is powered by an 8-core or 10-core CPU and an integrated 8-core or 10-core GPU, depending on how you configure it. You can also configure the computer with 16GB, 24GB, or 32GB of unified memory (RAM) and up to 2TB of SSD storage.

Compared to the iMac with M1, the 2024 iMac with M4 is up to 1.7 times faster for daily productivity and 2.1x faster for demanding workflows like CAD design and photo editing. This is a considerable improvement over even the early-generation Intel-powered 21.5-inch iMac, considering the iMac with M1 itself boasted up to 85% faster CPU performanceand up to 2x faster GPU performance than the 21.5-inch iMac. Combined, its features and extra performance make the 2024 iMac ideal for intense workloads, including CAD software-based rendering and design.

While the keyboard and mouse are not built into the chassis, Apple sells the Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard with every iMac purchase. In addition, you can choose to purchase the Magic Trackpad as an extra. Unfortunately, this option will require you to fork out $50 more. Other extras include buying a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad ($80).

3. Mac Mini

Described as the “best portable workstation Mac” by a renowned tech YouTuber, the latest Mac Mini does pack a punch within a small form factor. It’s also affordable, with the base version coming in at $599.00. The new Mac Mini, unveiled in 2024, is powered by the M4 or M4 Pro. It is “more mighty, more mini,” claimed Apple. It’s less than half the size of the previous model, measuring just five by five inches.

Yet, the Mac Mini with M4 delivers up to 2.2x faster GPU performance and up to 1.8x faster CPU performance over the previous generation M1-powered model. The Mac Mini with M4 Pro boasts up to 2x GPU performance over the M4’s GPU and has what Apple claims to be the “world’s fastest CPU core with lightning-fast single-threaded performance.” Accordingly, the Mac Mini with M4 Pro is ideal for running CAD software applications like AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Inventor, just to mention a few, which are single-threaded applications.

The Mac Mini sports various ports, including two front-facing USB-C ports and a headphone jack. It also features three Thunderbolt 4 or 5 ports, an Ethernet port, and an HDMI port on the back. Through these ports, the Mac Mini with M4 can support up to two 6K displays and up to one 5K display. The Mac Mini with M4 Pro can support up to three 6K displays. You nonetheless have to purchase these displays as well as other peripherals (a mouse and a keyboard) separately.

4. Mac Studio

The latest iteration of the Mac Studio, unveiled in June 2023, features the M2 Max and the M2 Ultra chips. (According to Apple, M2 Ultra delivers twice the capabilities and performance of the M2 Max.) The 2023 Mac Studio replaced the previous-generation Mac Studio, which was powered by the M1 Max and the M1 Ultra. Apple claims the 2023 Mac Studio delivers “a huge boost in performance and enhanced connectivity in its stunningly compact design.”

The company further claims that the M2 Ultra-powered 2023 Mac Studio is up to 3x faster than the M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio. The M2 Max-powered Mac Studio is up to 50% faster than the previous-generation Mac Studio with M1 Max.

In terms of connectivity, the 2023 Mac Studio features a higher-bandwidth HDMI, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, four Thunderbolt 4 powers, a 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and an SD card slot. In addition to these built-in ports, you can configure your Mac Studio with up to 8TB SSD storage and up to 96GB of unified memory (for the Mac Studio with M2 Max) or up to 192GB of unified memory (for the Max Studio with M2 Ultra).

Apple also introduced the Studio Display, designed to act as the Mac Studio’s display. You can choose between a Studio Display with a tilt-adjustable stand or a Studio Display with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand.

5. Mac Pro

The Mac Pro is the most expensive device in the Mac lineup. With a starting price of $6,999.00, this workstation is designed for professionals and business owners. After all, this price tag is difficult to justify if there isn’t a direct return on investment. And that can only happen if used in a business or work setting.

Until June 2023, the Mac Pro was the only remnant of the previous Intel-powered dispensation. While the company had refreshed the other products by powering them with its M-series chips, the Mac Pro still sported an Intel Xeon W processor and AMD Radeon Pro GPU. However, Apple unveiled the Mac Pro, featuring the M2 Ultra. This unveiling completed the Mac transition to Apple silicon. According to the company, the M2 Ultra-powered Mac Pro is up to 3x faster than the Intel-based model.

The computer can be configured with unified memory of up to 192GB and 800GB/s of bandwidth, enabling it to accomplish things that weren’t possible before. The high RAM allows the computer to handle large CAD files and render complex scenes with a lot of geometry and textures.

The 2023 Mac Pro boasts unmatched connectivity with eight built-in Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, three USB-A ports, 2 HDMI ports, a headphone jack, and two 10Gb Ethernet ports. It also features seven PCIe expansion slots, allowing users to customize the computer with digital signal processing (DSP) cards and serial digital interface (SDI) I/O cards.

Apple notes that the Mac Pro delivers groundbreaking performance and takes “the most demanding workflows to the next level.” In this regard, this computer can be useful for designers who work on complex design projects and need high computing power to process their designs without crashing or disruptions.

It is worth bearing in mind that you also have to purchase a display, mouse, and keyboard alongside your Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. You can opt for the peripheral devices Apple sells, including the Apple Studio Display. Alternatively, you can consider looking at the best mouse for CAD, the best display for CAD, and the best keyboard for CAD.

Considerations when Choosing Mac Products for CAD

If you are considering buying an Mac product, it is important to take several factors into account. These include:

1. Price
2. Upgradability
3. CAD software that can run on MacOS
4. Portability 

1. Price

The price of Mac products dictate the features of the device. Looking at the different Mac products, we can segment them into  mid-range, high-end, and budget buy categories. However, we have not discussed in our list Apple’s budget laptop, the MacBook Air, as it does not have active cooling for the powerful M1 or M2 chip. So using it for intensive workloads as is the case when using CAD software will likely make it overheat. Generally, however, and looking at the hardware requirements of different CAD software, the different Mac products in our list are pretty capable of running CAD applications. 

2. Upgradability

The biggest con that Apple’s computers have is their upgradability. Apple prides itself on its great design, but almost doesn’t trust its consumers to have the know-how to tailor-fit their personal machines to their own needs. Upgrades and modifications made after the sale are almost needlessly difficult for most MacOS computers. So be sure to do your research and figure out what technical specifications best suit your CAD needs before you buy a Mac, because you’re more or less stuck with your choices until you purchase a new machine.

3. Portability

As an engineer, designer, or architect, you will agree with me that your work may require you to leave your office in order to conduct some field work. This is where portability comes in handy. You can more easily and conveniently carry a MacBook laptop as opposed to the bulky Mac Pro or other Mac devices that need to be plugged in to function.

4. CAD software that can run on MacOS

Also, seeing as most software developers consider the PC to be the default machine for CAD users, there are a few programs out there that just straight up don’t have a Mac port. Autodesk’s Inventor, for example, can only run on Windows. The issue is compounded by the migration towards Apple SOC. The worsened situation stems from the fact that you can no longer partition the SSD to also run Windows, a workaround you could previously use.

That said, let’s take a look at some CAD software that you can run on you Mac.

CAD Software for Mac

1. Autodesk Product Collection

Autodesk doesn’t offer just a single piece of software; it actually has a whole suite of different design programs for CAD users with different needs and drafting requirements. It’s first on the list since it has one of the most widely-used set of CAD products in the market.

AutoCAD is a clear-cut CAD program that can handle most standard vector file formats and is primarily used for 2D technical drawings but can also handle 3D information. For those in the building and construction industry, Autodesk’s Revit is a solid BIM program that can fit most if not all design and drafting needs. Do note that Autodesk is primarily PC-based, so there are also a bunch of programs that you won’t be able to use on your Mac by default. Other Autodesk products that are available for Mac include Inventor and Civil3D.

Autodesk AutoCAD on Mac (source)

2. SketchUp

SketchUp is a modeling program catered to be an intuitive 3D solution for most design, manufacturing, and product-making necessities. It makes it to this list because it’s one of the most intuitive pieces of software out there and is great for beginners just getting into CAD and 3D modeling. SketchUp has three plans available: SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, SketchUp Pro. The SketchUp Free and SketchUp Shop offerings are both web-based, with Free being unpaid and Shop having unlimited cloud storage and access to all uploaded models on SketchUp Warehouse. SketchUp Pro is usable as a stand-alone desktop app and has all the features available for the software.

3. ArchiCAD

ArchiCAD is an architectural design suite that was actually originally designed for the Apple Macintosh back in 1982 by Hungarian company Graphisoft. It’s supposedly the first example of Building Information Modeling or BIM. It was also one of the first CAD programs that were readily available and usable at a commercial level, being usable on personal computers.

ArchiCAD offers a bunch of different packages that offer both 2D drafting and 3D modeling capabilities as well as all functionality that comes with BIM technology. With its variety of tools and technical settings, it may not have the easiest learning curve. But any ArchiCAD veteran will tell you just how useful the programs are and make it worth the time spent mastering it.

4. Vectorworks

Vectorworks is a flexible and versatile desktop app that offers 2D drafting, 3D modeling, BIM capabilities, and photo-realistic visual rendering in a neat, intuitive package. We talk about Vectorworks a lot in our blogs and as it is also available for the Mac, it’s only right we include it on this list. Mainly used in European markets and now owned by German company Nemetschek, Vectorworks was originally developed back in 1985, just three after the launch of AutoCAD. It has three main software packages: Vectorworks Architect, Vectorworks Landmark, Vectorworks Spotlight, and Vectorworks Fundamentals.

5. Free Software (Freeware)

If you find the prospect of paid CAD software a bit too daunting as a beginner, you’ll be glad to find that there are plenty of free-to-use CAD programs out there for the Mac.

1. LibreCAD is an open-source option that offers high-end features such as snap-to-grid functionality, layers, text, dimensioning, and many more.
2. FreeCAD is another interesting pick since it’s a fully-realized 3D parametric modeling program for mechanical engineers and product designers.
3. Blender is also an amazingly intuitive open-source 3D modeling program that focuses on the detailed and artistic side of 3D rendering and modeling.

There are a bunch more free programs out there including limited or trial versions of the paid programs we’ve listed here.

6. Scan2CAD

For more advanced CAD users who have set up a workflow of translating sketches or scanned copies of drawings or plans into workable vector CAD files, Scan2CAD is the perfect conversion solution. The program is primarily used to convert both raster and vector files into CAD-standard vector formats that CAD and modeling programs will be able to recognize and edit.

Some CAD software will have their own raster-to-vector conversion functionality, but none have as much control and precision over the conversion settings than Scan2CAD does. Its main purpose is to cut down the time needed to translate source materials into workable, draftable vector lines and it does its job extremely well.

For a detailed discussion, check out our comprehensive article on the 14 top CAD packages for Mac.

Conclusion

Asking if MacOS computers are good for CAD programs is a bit vague. Like most other technical queries, it all boils down to two things – what specific technical specifications do you already have or are planning to get and what are your needs as a CAD-user? In the end, as long as you do your research, be wise about what your machine can and can’t do, and try to be ingenious about finding workarounds for certain roadblocks, any MacOS machine can handle what you need.

That said, the various Mac products in our list are perfectly capable of running CAD software. To summarize their value proposition, we have made the following list:

• Best budget Mac product for CAD: Mac Mini
• Best mid-range Mac product for CAD: Mac Studio
• Best high-end Mac product for CAD: Mac Pro
• Best portable Mac product for CAD: MacBook Pro
• Best all-in-one Mac product for CAD: 24-inch iMac

Most CAD drafting and modelling workflows will include some variation of getting source materials, translating those reference materials into workable drafts and models, and refining the initial drafts into finalized technical drawings. Before CAD drafters can even start working on reference-based drafts comes the tedious task of converting raster images into editable vector files.

There is always the time-tested manual trace method where you import the reference images and use them as an underlay to trace overusing your preferred CAD software’s sketch tools. There are also automatic ways of tracing, such as using raster-to-vector conversion software like Scan2CAD.

In this article, we’ll be discussing some lesser-known raster and vector file types as well as how to convert them to become usable and editable files on CAD programs. Specifically, we’ll be learning how to convert TIFF images into DGN.

TIFF

TIFF raster image file format Source

The TIFF was developed back in 1986 by Aldus, a company that would eventually be absorbed into Adobe. Properly known as the Tagged Image File Format,  it was designed to support scanned images, whether they be in color or in gray-scale, and their import into layout programs. It’s not as suited to handling content meant for the web seeing as the internet wasn’t as prominent back when the format was invented. It’s still a fairly common variable-resolution raster file type although not as common as JPEG, GIF, BMP, and PNG.

Here are a few facts about TIFF:

– TIFF files are typically very high quality. You’ll see a lot of conversion programs recommending that you scan your documents in TIFF for the best results. TIFF files are staples for most image processing programs.

– Due to their high quality, TIFF images are also typically larger in size than their JPEG and BMP counterparts. They can, however, be easily compressed if needed.

– Although usually easily handled by most programs, TIFF also allows different applications to add their own extensions to its images. Most extensions will be handled by most applications however, so this isn’t anything to worry about too much except during very niche situations.

– The baseline TIFF images include black and white, gray-scale, palette, and RGB, the typical color modes for most printed media. Common extensions added onto TIFF images also allow it to handle CMYK images.

DGN

Typical DGN file Source

The DGN file format – which stands for Design – is a term for CAD file formats that run on CAD programs developed by Bentley Systems, Interactive Graphics Design System (IGDS), and Microstation. Like other CAD file formats, DGN files are used in the creation of digital drafts for engineering projects, architectural designs, infrastructure and civil works, plant design, and shipbuilding. It’s a competing format to the more common DWG, a CAD file format by Autodesk.

Here is some information on DGN:

• Intergraph developed the Intergraph Standard File Formats specification (ISFF) back in the 1980s. This type of DGN file is known as Intergraph DGN or sometimes as V7 DGN.
• Bentley Systems then created the V8 DGN format when the company updated the ISFF DGN format back in 2000 and created a version that has all the capabilities of DGN up to that point with a modified internal data structure.
• It wasn’t until 2008 that Autodesk and Bentley Systems contracted to exchange software libraries to improve interoperability between the DWG and DGN formats. 

TIFF and DGN compared to other formats

The TIFF file type is recommended for specific scenarios – mainly when a user needs a lot of good image quality and also has the computer space to handle large images. If you’re working with technical drawings that need a high degree of accuracy, there aren’t a lot of better options out there.

To be short, when you’re looking to scan a hard copy of a drawing to use as a source image for raster-to-vector conversion, always try to stick to TIFF.

As for DGN, although it saw some use back in the ‘80s until the later 2000s, the DGN file format has seen less and less use in today’s AEC CAD landscape. Although most programs will, by default, be able to handle DGN files, it is almost always recommended to convert any DGN files you have into the more common DWG and DXF file formats. And even when you’re using software that specifically uses DGN files, this software will, by CAD standards, also be able to handle DWG and DXF files.

In conclusion, when trying to convert TIFF to DGN, you’re best off trying to convert TIFF images into DWG or DXF files.

Raster to Vector Conversion

When we’re talking about raster files, we’re referring to image files that have resolutions and are defined by pixels. TIFF files are examples of raster images. Vector files are files that contain editable and readable geometric data, such as DGN files and DWG or DXG files.

The files that you work with on CAD programs are vector files so you’ll be looking to convert most reference raster images into vector formats for an easier time to import and edit them on your software.

One method of doing so would be to manually trace over the raster image using your program’s sketch tools. Simply import the raster image and then use it as an underlay while you use the drafting tools to sketch over and recreate the raster image underneath.

This usually takes time and effort to do and when you’re working in high-stakes, deadline-based industries such as architecture, engineering, and construction, these two things are commodities. So alternatively, you can try to convert these raster images into vector files automatically.

There are plenty of CAD programs out there that have functions for that, but it’s not always the easiest to finetune or edit. The best option for automatic conversions will always be third-party conversion software like Scan2CAD.

Converting TIFF to CAD with Scan2CAD

1. Pick your source image. With any conversion process, the number one factor that determines the success of the conversion process is the quality of the source image. TIFF files are recommended for the amount of detail and clarity in each image, so keep that in mind when checking your scanner settings.
2. Clean up the image. You can click on the Clean image button at the top left of the page and edit some settings to make sure your raster image is as clean as possible for the conversion process. Make sure to turn the image black and white if you can and erase any speckles or holes you might find.
3. Edit the conversion settings and run the conversion. Click on Convert image button next to Clean image and edit the conversion settings there. We have a bunch of tutorials on this topic so feel free to peruse the site for our guides and videos. Click on Run to generate a preview of your chosen conversion settings and click on OK when you’re happy with the preview.
4. Do any final minor edits. Although Scan2CAD is mainly for raster-to-vector conversion, it does have some minor raster and vector editing tools. If you see some stray vector lines that you want to erase or some text that didn’t convert properly, you can use this step to make your final minor changes.
5. Save the image and do any last major edits on your preferred CAD software. Scan2CAD won’t work as an alternative to dedicated CAD editing programs, so for any large or complex edits, you’ll have to work on your own CAD program. Just save the file you’ve converted by clicking on File > Save as… > Vector and picking out a name and file destination.

Here’s a video of the process

As a response, several CAD companies are handling the situation as best as they can and are facilitating fast-tracked distributions of their remote and cloud-based licenses. In this article, we’re listing some guides to avail of the more prominent home-use software licenses available out there.

But first, let’s get some preliminary factors out of the way first. Before we can think about securing licenses for our work-from-home setups, we need to first consider the following:

1. VPN – a VPN, abbreviated from Virtual Private Network, is a way to essentially turn your projected IP address online into that of a secure server. It basically makes your computer think that it’s in a different location. It’s useful for privacy issues and for remaining anonymous online, but it’s also utilized in allowing IP-based software licenses normally used on work desktops to run on home-based machines for remote working setups. There are plenty of resources that can help you figure out the best VPN service for you.

2. License types – Each CAD program has a different set of licenses depending on their intended market, but what you should really worry about are the more restrictive proprietary licenses. We’ll be listing down the license types that permit users to work at home during the COVID-19 lockdown, but if you’re looking for a more permissive solution, there are a bunch of free-to-use CAD software that you can download and use for the time being.

3. Hardware – Home-use software licenses are moot when the computer you’re working on can’t handle the programs you want to use. Always be sure to check the program’s minimum requirements and if they have “light” versions that you can use in case your home desktop or laptop just won’t cut it.

Autodesk

Autodesk company logo Source

Autodesk has one of the more extensive online resource centers even among the companies we’ll be listing down today, so it would be relatively easy to handle the intricacies of securing a home-use license.

Autodesk has something called ‘home use rights’ that lets users install Autodesk products at home for business, personal, educational, and training purposes. Autodesk has an extensive list of the products that are eligible for home use, but all you need to know is that in general, network-only products as well as educational and NFR (Not For Resale) products don’t have home use rights.

Multi-user access vs. Single-user access

If your product runs on a network license with multi-user access or a maintenance plan, you have to request a license from the server. Otherwise, you’ll have to borrow an Autodesk license. Note that only the administrators on eligible accounts can request licenses and they can only request one home-use license per subscription regardless of the number of users who are sharing that subscription.

On the other hand, products with single-user access don’t need a home-use license to be installed on any home-based work setup. It’s simply a matter of installing the software on the home computer and using the subscription’s existing serial number to activate and sign in into the user’s Autodesk account. Only one instance of the software can be running at any given time, so try to keep that in mind when using the product.

Solidworks

Dassault Systèmes’ Solidworks Source

Dassault Systèmes is working with their resellers to make sure their users would still effectively be able to use Solidworks even despite office closures due to COVID-19. This becomes especially easy with the company’s 3DEXPERIENCE platform that makes use of cloud collaboration to run their products.

To figure out how to let Solidworks run from your home computer, the first step would be to find out what license type your software subscription has. Run the software and access the main menu. From there, click on ‘Help’ > ‘About Solidworks’ > ‘Show Serial Number to see your serial number. If your serial number starts with 0000, 0001, 9000 or 9001, this indicates that you have a commercial standalone license. If it starts with 0010 or 9010, you have a SolidNetwork License (SNL). Acquiring a home-use license for these two license types are slightly different.

Standalone vs. SolidNetwork License

For standalone licenses, there are two options:

1. First, you can go through a method called ‘Deactivation’ and then reactivate the license on your home computer.

2. The other option is to use ‘Online Licensing’ which would require a user to go through user login rather than associating their license to a specific machine.

For an SNL, there are two options:

1. You could ask your IT department to setup VPN connection that you can check out your license through. This will let you access your office license from home but will slightly be slower during launch since it’s going through a VPN connection.

2. You could ask to borrow a Solidworks license for 30 days. You could also opt for other term licensing options if you need to use the program for more than 30 days.

ArchiCAD

Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD Source

ArchiCAD’s answers to the work-from-home setup are various options for acquiring temporary licenses that let users access their products from home.

In addition to that, Graphisoft has also released an informative video to help their users adjust to remote working, ensure continued work efficiency, and discuss software solutions for better online collaboration:

Emergency licenses and BIMCloud

Graphisoft offers temporary 30-day ArchiCAD emergency licenses to assist users who need to work from home. Emergency licenses are eligible to any user who has an active license for ArchiCAD 17 or newer, and ARCHIPLUS membership, a stable internet connection, and an emergency license activation code.

Alternatively, ArchiCAD has BIMCloud, a cloud-based software solution to facilitate remote team collaboration among ArchiCAD users. Temporary free 60-day BIMCloud emergency licenses are available on Graphisoft’s website.

Vectorworks

Vectorworks logo Source

Vectorworks has really focused on free online courses and training to assist any users who might find it difficult to adjust to the status quo brought about by the pandemic. They’ve compiled most of their resources online and are constantly updating these as new information becomes available.

E Series licenses and free courses

Vectorworks has given every user one additional E Series license activation to help their customers work from home better. They’ve also mentioned that users can contact their local Vectorworks’ partner or reseller for help and for access to a temporary 30-day license.

Additionally, all of Vectorworks’ Core & Intermediate Concepts courses, which are normally only reserved for Service Select members, are now being offered for free. You can even avail of free Vectorworks virtual training until June 30.

SolidWorks is a powerful 2D and 3D CAD program that has seen extensive use with digital drafters all around the globe. In 2016, Dassault Systèmes reported 2.3 million active users in more than 230,000 companies and 80 different countries and that number has just continued to grow.

A lot of its popularity comes from its intuitively easy interface and program workflow. It employs a “top-down” approach in design – the user starts with a 2D sketch oriented on a starting plane and then proceeds to sculpt a 3D model out of the initial 2D geometry. The program’s list of 2D and 3D sketch tools is extensive, with CAD standards such as lines, splines, arcs, and circles and all the typical 3D modeling tools as well.

Thinking and designing in 2D first before working on the 3D model helps drafters think about precise measurements and proportions more easily and more thoroughly. Ideally, users will have editable CAD files to work with when converting 2D into 3D but most drafters will understand the frustration of how, at times, all you have to work with as reference are client-sent PDF files.

PDF files are created for the compact sharing of documents and drawings. It’s a file format that mostly only Adobe programs can readily edit. As such, PDF files are not easily editable in-program within SolidWorks and that difficulty only gets worse when you consider how a lot of PDF files contain raster images rather than vector information. So what are our options and how do we proceed?

Let’s take a look at how PDF to 3D SolidWorks model processes work and what our best course of action can be.

The basic SolidWorks work interface Source

Supported File Formats on SolidWorks

SolidWorks can handle importing most of the common image file formats as follows:

As extensive as the list may be, PDF is not one of the native file types that SolidWorks can handle. There are, however, some workarounds which we’ll get into shortly.

Clarity is the number one factor in considering reference images to use. This determines how accurate our final product will be and how easily we are able to achieve our end goals. A 3D model made from pixelated, askew, poorly-scaled 2D reference files will most certainly be subpar for most professional settings. So the first step is making sure we have the best possible starting point with the best possible version of the reference image.

Once you have a clear image, the most straight-forward way of converting it into editable SolidWorks elements is to simply trace over it. For simpler images, SolidWorks even has an automatic tracing function that aims to trace over the sold lines of the image. Do note that this may not be the most ideal solution since the automatic tracing leaves some to be desired when it comes to clean, accurate output. So if you do want to use Solidworks’ automatic tracing, keep in mind that it’s only suitable for simple line images with plenty of room for inaccuracies.

With more complex technical drawings, users will typically use Solidworks’ 2D CAD tools to trace over the lines in the image, similar to how manual drafters would replicate drawings by using tracing paper and manual drafting tools.

Although this method is accurate and is limited only by the user’s comprehension of the original image, it is not the fastest method and certainly not the easiest to do. Luckily, there are various third-party programs such as Scan2CAD that specialize in raster-to-vector conversion and can do so with much better results that any CAD program’s automatic tracing functions. These programs can convert your raster PDF’s into readily editable vector files that you can plop into SolidWorks and work with without having to do a lick of digital trace-over.

Raster vs. Vector

We’ve been covering a lot of ground on how importing images into SolidWorks works so far and a lot has been mentioned about raster and vector images. Let’s take a quick refresher on what the differences between the two image types are.

Raster images, also known as bitmap images, consist of clustered colored pixels that form a coherent image. Most of the more well-known image file types are raster formats such as .jpeg, .png, and even .gif. Raster images are static, uneditable image types with quality that depends on the file size and number of pixels in the image.

Vector images, on the other hand, are made of formulas and data that are then digitally converted into images. A vector image of an arc, for instance, is actually a file containing data that dictates the arc’s radius, line length, color, thickness, etc. Editability is this file type’s strong suit since it isn’t constrained by pixel number or quality and can be readily opened and changed by any vector-editing program.

PDF files are tricky to work with since they can contain both raster and vector information. It’s easy to understand why we would prefer vector PDFs to raster PDFs but what do we do when the file has both? We’ll cover what to do in that situation and more in this article.

SolidWorks auto-trace Source

When all is said and done, uploading a PDF image to trace and model in SolidWorks is a straight-forward and simple process. It might require some workarounds since the program can’t natively handle PDF files, but the process as a whole is easy to understand. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Take a screenshot to use as a SolidWorks reference.

The first thing you’ll want to do is get a workable file format out of the PDF you want to use as a reference image. Both modern Macs and PCs have built-in screenshot tools you’ll want to take advantage of. Even if your machine doesn’t have that, there are plenty of free screen capture programs you can download and use.

Take a screenshot of the part of the PDF you want to use as a SolidWorks reference and save it in a file format that the software can handle. From this point on, you won’t have to worry about the PDF anymore and just use the saved screenshot as your image reference.

2. On SolidWorks, figure out the plane you want to be sketching in.

If the image is a top-down view, choose the Top plane. If it’s a sideways view, choose either the Right or Left planes. Alternatively, choose the Front plane if it’s a front view. Next, click on the plane on the left side of the screen and create a sketch.

3. Import the reference image into SolidWorks

Under SolidWork’s Tool menu, choose Sketch Tools and then click on Sketch Picture. On the dialog box that pops up, browse for your reference image (saved screenshot) and open it up on your chosen plane.

4. Resize and crop the reference photo before you commence sketching

It’s always best to do this at the beginning so you don’t have to go through the trouble of correcting your sketch size later on. But if you feel that the image requires additional modifications, you can do that at this stage.

5. Trace over the outline of the design/drawing in the imported image.

From here on out, it’s just a matter of tracing over the image with SolidWorks’ sketch tools. Next, use the corresponding trace to create a 3D model. It’s a simple process but becomes tedious if the reference image in question is large enough or complex enough as a reference drawing.

How to Convert a PDF to SolidWorks Using Scan2CAD

If you ever find yourself in need of a conversion program for PDF files, a quick Google search will net you with pages upon pages of results for online conversion tools. Unfortunately, with almost all of these results, the quality of the output you’re getting is just downright subpar. If you’re lucky enough to find one that produces something decent, you’ll probably be dealing with watermarks or partial conversions. Another issue to consider is the sheer amount of privacy risks you’re taking with uploading or emailing your PDF documents for conversion.

If you’re dealing with a low-risk, one-time conversion, this might be good enough for you. But for anything more, your best option would have to be specialized desktop programs such as Scan2CAD. 

About Scan2CAD

Programs like Scan2CAD will usually require a purchase or subscription. But if you’re dealing with repeated PDF conversions for work, the program will eventually pay for itself. Scan2CAD specifically even has a 14-day free trial period for you to try and see if the program is worth the payment. There simply isn’t a better solution if you’re looking for a reliable, consistent, quality conversion program.

Step-by-Step Guide

Now, Let’s get into the step-by-step process of using Scan2CAD to convert your PDFs into usable file formats for SolidWorks.

Step 1: Import PDF File into Scan2CAD

Open up the reference PDF file you want to use on Scan2CAD. A dialog box will open that will display both the raster and vector elements in the document. Unfortunately, if the document has both elements and you need both the raster and vector elements as references, you’ll have to convert and save both individually.

Step 2: Clean Image (Applies to Raster PDFs Only)

For raster data: Using the Clean image option, turn the raster image monochromatic and clean it up until you’re satisfied.

For vector data: Skip to the latter part of step 3 below.

Step 3: Convert Raster PDF to Vector Format

Proceed to convert the raster image into vector data. Next, save it as a usable vector file that you can then edit on SolidWorks.

For vector data: Simply open up the vector data and then save it as a workable file type.

We have plenty of information on these processes in the form of tutorials and articles if you want to learn more about how to use Scan2CAD to convert raster images and PDFs to vector formats for subsequent use on various CAD software. The articles cover software such as Revit, Vectorworks, CATIA, AutoCAD, and SketchUp, just to mention a few. You can also check out our YouTube videos for more.

Step 4: Import Vector File into SolidWorks

Open up the now workable vector file and use that as an editable reference on SolidWorks.

Here’s a quick video to detail that process:

Autodesk is mostly known for its architecture and engineering products – AutoCAD and Revit being the most popular – and its media and entertainment software used for movies and video games. The company has a lot more programs under its belt with Autodesk Inventor being one of them. Inventor is a 3D CAD program geared towards and designed for mechanical design, visualization, simulation, and digital prototyping.

Within its interface, users can work both in integrated 2D and 3D views to accurately design and test a product idea before actually building it. As with most Autodesk-backed big-name software, Inventor boasts a fully parametric modeling toolset that can handle direct edits and freeform 3D modeling. It can handle and export all the standard Autodesk file formats.

Autodesk Inventor also uses Autodesk’s own geometric modeling kernel – ShapeManager. With this, it makes for tough competition for its industry rivals Solidworks, Autodesk Inventor, and Solid Edge.

Video tutorial: Converting PDF for Inventor

Without further ado, let’s see how we can convert a PDF to AutoDesk Inventor using Scan2CAD. 

Before importing into Inventor

Autodesk Inventor’s user interface Source

Autodesk Inventor users are familiar with its typical workflow – sketch out product details in 2D on their corresponding planes and then extrude and refine the details into a 3D model. With the first part of this process, it is not uncommon for users to import external reference files of 2D sketches and schematics and use those as jump-off points in Inventor. These reference image files will contain important product measurements and data and would have been made in other CAD software and exported as vector or raster files.

Before we get into the details of importing an image into Inventor, let’s take a look at some qualities that a source image has to have to be suitable for use in Autodesk Inventor.

1. Clarity

With any conversion process, the biggest factor in determining the quality of the output is the quality of the source image. We need PDF files to have clear, defined lines for conversion; any blurry areas or gradients won’t be converted well when put through the process. For images that you want to use as references for an Autodesk Inventor model, aim for clear, crisp lines and information. This is a non-issue for vector type PDF files, but be more aware of a raster PDF’s clarity if you have to use one.

2. Resolution

The resolution of an image refers to the number of pixels is has. The bigger the image, the greater the number of pixels, the better the resolution. In general, images with larger resolutions have cleaner, clearer, and crisper details than those with poor resolutions. With scanned images, we ideally want something between 300 to 500 DPI.

3. Colors

When using images as references for 3D models, you would want to do away with as much unnecessary information as possible. Being clear and concise is key in getting good results. So when it comes to colors, less is more. You ideally want to have something black and white, but monotone images work well too.

Importing an image into Autodesk Inventor

Here’s the step-by-step process of importing your image into Autodesk Inventor:

1. Look for an image to import and then do one of the following:
2. In an active part sketch, click Create 2D Sketch on the ribbon 3D Model tab. Click on the planar face or work plane on which you want to insert the image. On the ribbon Sketch tab’s Insert panel, click on Image.
3. In a drawing sketch, just click on Insert and then Insert Image. Click on the drawing sketch afterward.
4. After going through the previous step, you’re going to see a dialogue box pop up. Look through your files and folders, navigate to the image file that you’re hoping to import, and then click Open.
5. Click in the graphics window to place down your imported image. Note that the cursor will be at the upper left corner of the image.
6. At this point, you can continue to insert images or right-click and select Done if you’ve finished importing.
7. Readjust your image according to your preferences. You can click on it to move it vertically or horizontally, pivot the image by clicking on the corners, and even resize the image while maintaining its aspect ratio by clicking on its edges.
8. At this point, you can do bigger edits to the image such as change the image boundary of the imported file and changing its transparency.

We found an informative video tutorial to help give you a more visual guide of what the process is like:

Autodesk Inventor doesn’t have automatic raster-to-vector conversion tools. But it’s not all lost since there is third-party software that would do the job such as Scan2CAD. Other than that, the only other way around it is manually tracing the reference image over with your CAD software’s sketch tools. This is where image quality comes in and why it’s so crucial to the conversion process.

Manually tracing imported PDF files can be a little tedious, so if you’re looking to use the automatic tracing options discussed earlier, Scan2CAD is one of the best solutions out there. Here’s a basic idea of how the workflow might work: You take your raster image and open it up on Scan2CAD, the software convert the image into a workable vector file in the program, and then you open that file on Inventor.

Raster vs. Vector

Raster and Vector Files. Source seekacreative.co.nz

Most PDF files can handle either raster images, vector images, or a mix of both. Let’s discuss the differences between raster and vector and what this could mean when trying to import PDF files into Inventor.

Raster images are made up of pixels and can be considered a “map” of colored “bits” (hence the alternate name for raster images – bitmap images). Typical raster file types include JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP. PDFs can contain these types of files and these are the types of PDFs that might need a bit more work when it comes to importing its data into Inventor.

Vector images are made of editable geometry such as lines, arcs, and circles as opposed to pixels. The 2D files produce on CAD software are actually examples of vector formats. These include DWG, DXF, and G-Code files just to name a few.

Vector files are generally easier to work with than raster files when we’re talking about importing PDF’s and placing them onto Autodesk Inventor to work and edit with.

In both cases, however, it would still be easier to first convert these PDF’s into an editable file format that can readily by worked on in Inventor, and that’s where Scan2CAD comes in.

Importing a PDF into Autodesk Inventor

Importing a PDF file into Inventor Source 

1. Click on PDF Import. You’ll find that in the Import panel under the Insert tab.
2. In the dialog box that follows, locate and open the PDF file you want to work with.
3. A new dialog box will open up and you can figure out some settings before opening up the PDF and its data on Inventor:
4. Choose the page you want to import in the case of PDF files with multiple pages.
5. Specify the PDF’s insertion point on the screen (the default being 0,0).
6. Set the PDF’s scale and rotation.
7. Set what Inventor should do with geometry, fills, raster images, and text objects.
8. Set what to do with imported objects in terms of layers.
9. When all the settings are finalized, click OK.

Convert PDFs to Inventor with Scan2CAD

1. Open up the image file or PDF that you want to convert and use as a reference on Inventor on Scan2CAD.
2. You’ll find yourself dealing with one of three types of PDFs: one with all vector elements, one with all raster elements, and one with a mix of both raster and vector elements.
3. For vector PDFs, it’s as simple as opening up the file on Scan2CAD and then skipping to the last step of these instructions.
4. For raster PDFs, you’ll have to make the raster elements suitable for conversion by cleaning them up and turning them black and white.
5. For mixed PDFs, you’ll have to convert and save the raster and vector parts of the PDF separately.
6. When you’ve sufficiently cleaned up your raster image, the next step would be to proceed with the actual conversion of the image. In general, you’ll want to go with the “Technical” Vectorization Preset for most of the drawings you’ll be using as references on Inventor, the exceptions being more free-form shapes such as customized logos. 
7. When you’re done tweaking the settings of the conversion, click on ‘Run’ to execute the process and to see a preview of the converted file. Keep changing the settings if you’re not happy with the preview, each time clicking on ‘Run’ to see the changes on the file. When you’re happy with the preview, click on ‘OK’ to move on to the next step.
8. You can cycle through the original raster tab with your unconverted image, the newly converted vector file tab, and the tab that shows both so you can see how closely your converted image matches up with the original. Press ‘H’ to highlight the vector lines to have a clearer view of the superposition. If you’re happy, you can save the raster tab and choose between DXF or DWG if you’re looking to import into Creo.
9. To import into an Inventor file, do one of the following:
10. To import to a new file, select Import CAD Formats in the Open sub-menu under the File drop-down menu. Alternatively, you could go into the Get Started tab and click on Import CAD Formats in the Launch panel.
11. To import into a part file, select Import in the Insert panel within the Manage tab. Alternatively, in the 3D Model tab, click on Import in the Create panel.
12. To import into an assembly, select Place Imported CAD in the Component panel under the Assemble tab.
13. You can also just drag and drop the file into Inventor.

We have a bunch of tutorials on our site that teaches new users how to use Scan2CAD to convert any and all raster images. You can check out our video tutorials to learn a little bit more about how to use our program.