Viper x Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Never tried this. I have an A2 site plan I need to turn into a VW CAD drawing, how can I do this ? Also I only have an A4 scanner Thanks Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Can you pencil in some registration marks and cut or fold to scan in several segments? Scan as pdf or images, then import/drag to VW. Your scan will not yield snap points because you start with raster/image. You have to trace, probably best on a new layer. Or take it to a scanning service for a full size scan. Some can translate to dwg or other format for import to VW. Scale is always suspect, so compare imported drawing to the call outs on the paper. If not too complicated, you can also just take measurements off the paper and create a new drawing. Or if you are not too picky about the details and lens distortion, pin the paper to a flat surface and take a digital photo of it. Import, rotate and rescale. Then trace if need vectors -B Quote Link to comment
Jonathan Pickup Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 You can scan the plan in chunks. OPen the files in photoshop, and use the photomerge command to join the parts together. You will have to move the parts to get them in the right order. save the photmerge, import in to Vectorworks, scale to suit. Quote Link to comment
Ozzie Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 What Benson has said is the best way Over here I can get A1 scans done for $2.00 AU and they are emailed straight to me Often I have used 'registration marks' folded and scanned Photoshop is really just doing the same thing anyway - if you have it or wish to pay for it A lot of things out there just cost and I find best to learn how do do things without the cost Quote Link to comment
Viper x Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Ozzie, a print shop will scan the paper drawing and convert it to a DWG and e-mail it to me for less than $10 ? Quote Link to comment
Ozzie Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 No - I use a company here to scan it from a paper copy - eastern suburbs of Melbourne and I did not mention dwg if is scanned it will become a raster you will have to scan whatever, import and trace over it If the A2 site plan was drawn in cad and they saved it from their cad software as a Pdf probably you could import it and snap to it or Ungroup it etc = some tricks there but not if it is printed and scanned can you get it emailed to you from whoever drew it - assuming that is - cad saved/exported as a Pdf? Quote Link to comment
Viper x Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 It looks hand drawn unfortunately, bugger. Quote Link to comment
Ozzie Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 so just scan it in and trace away Photoshop - forget it silly idea Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Many services scan and convert to vectors. Or you can scan yourself and email for covert to vector. Rates vary. There is also desktop software for converting your homemade scans to vector, some at prox 100 US$. I have not tried any. Some have free trial versions. -B Quote Link to comment
Viper x Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 OK thanks for the replys. I am new to this so..................... I can get the drawing scanned as a pdf and then e-mailed. I can import the pdf into a new file Fine so far. I need to use this architectual pdf "base" plan as a base for a landscape drawing. What is the best method. I am guessing I should save the pdf base as one layer and then create my landscape works on another layer. yes ? Also : 1. I am assuming VW cant convert the pdf to a dwg ? 2. I cannot manipulate the pdf in any way can I, ie remove certain line work etc ? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment
Horst M. Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) Hello, If you get your pdf File from a Scan, you have "only" a Bitmap PixelFile, and you can use the imported pdf just as an Image. You can not even snap to Verticies on the drawing, because there is no posibilty for Vectorworks to analyse the bitmap, and for example figure out if the Pixel belongs to a Text or a Line or whatever. If you have a pdf File that was exported from a CAD Program, then VW can snap to Points and so on. That's a briliant feature (I guess since VW2008) to scale Plans precisely, and measure and so on. If you use the pdf image in VW as a Base, and draw your stuff on top of it, and export everythink to .dwg, then the pdf page will be a image File in NNN.dwg Folder, that VW produces. The pdf Image is just refenced in the dwg File, and not incorporated like VW does. This can cause some trouble with Autocad Users who open the dwg File, because as far as I know, they have to tell AutoCAD where the imagefile that belongs to the reference is located... If I have to base drawings on a pdf, I put the imported page on its own Class, redraw everythink I need, and make it invisible. Horst M. Edited February 10, 2010 by Horst M. Quote Link to comment
Yoginathaswami Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Did you try the Modify>"Trace Bitmap" option in VW? For something simple this works. Quote Link to comment
Viper x Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Did you try the Modify>"Trace Bitmap" option in VW? For something simple this works. I import the PDF > I select all > I hit "Trace as a bitmap" > and a box comes up saying you must select image first. ?? The pdf is highlighted when I select it so why is it saying "I must select image first" ?? Thanks Quote Link to comment
Ray Libby Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 A PDF is not an image. Try ungrouping the PDF. Quote Link to comment
Ozzie Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Viper - I am in Melbourne if you want to ring me send me a PM and I will give you my number Quote Link to comment
Yoginathaswami Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 If you have simple application similar to Preview for Mac in your Windows, you could save it as JPEG and run the command again. This is assuming the image is clean. I noticed if it is a grayscale this command don't do well. Again it has to be a simple, clear and clean lines or else you'll be wasting a lot of time. Quote Link to comment
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