Tracing 2D and converting into working format

[basgb@aol.com]

I've read a lot of posts about how to get the conversion done...Went out and bought Turbocad v7....It came with some software called Corel Trace OCR...I'm able to create and save and even move the file into Vector 9....However when the
file is highlighted it has a bazillion red arrows around it and it hasn't let me edit without locking up.....There has got to be an easier (and more efficient) way to get a trace scanned.....Comments and /or suggestions please.....I went out on the net to Wintopo and tried to download it but I have AOL and my downloads always are short a necessary .DLL file?!?!?The site mentioned that It wasn't AOL friendly......Any Turbocad users in the Nashville area??? (Vector 9 users??)
Thanks In Advance.....Gary B.

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Gary when you do a scan to vector with Wintopo save the file as a dxf, then open Turbocad and then open the file you saved, you will be able to edit it better then Vector.

Now what dll is it asking for?, what verison of windows are you using?.

Corel trace does not work all that well IMHO.

If you live in the U.S give me a call and I will call you back and walk you thru on how Turbocad will fit all your 2d needs.

You can get my number here.

http://www.rngengravers.com

Ron V

[swims@mindspring.com]

Corel significantly improved CorelTrace when they did the Version 9 upgrade. BTW The OCR stands for object character recognition. That's for those instances when someone wants to scan written copy and have the computer 'read' it as copy instead of as a bitmap image. OCR has a loooooong way to go before it works as advertised. Otherwise, ANY bitmap to vector utility you use will not give you a perfectly clean file that needs no editing, at least not yet. Adobe Streamline is the standard.

If you want to take .dxf files into Vector here's some tips:

Once you've opened the file in Vector, save it as a Vector .CCD file before you start editing it.

To make life simpler, make sure everything is selected in your drawing window and go to Change Attributes. In the box that shows line width, type in the value of 0 if it isn't already. On the bar of line colors on the left, select any color you like except red. It's very confusing to have a deselected line appear to be red, when that is the color it will be when it is selected.

Now, deselect everything by clicking in an open area. All the lines in your file should be the color you just selected. Next, Shift Select each line that you want to keep in your finished file (place your cursor over the line, hold down the shift key, and left click). These are your chains.

You may need to go back and forth between this instruction and the previous one to finish, but once you have all of your chains selected, got to Change Attributes again and click on the button that says Blank. Your lines should disappear from your drawing.

Now Edit Select (Shift + A), and select everything, ie. just hit OK. Any orphans, if there are any, will now be highlighted. Delete them. Go to Change Unblank. The lines you made disappear will be back.

These steps will help you get off to a good start.

The issue with your machine locking up though, may have to do with the relative muscle of your computer. Nearly all of my Vector related problems disappeared when I upgraded my machine. What are you using?

[basgb@aol.com]

Thanks folks...I'm using a PII 350 w/128 meg of ram....I've decreased the resolution in my original scan....Don't know how this will work, but it's worth a try......I've got to agree that at this point, IMHO, there is no tried and true way of converting...Seems to me that Cad should be further along on such an important issue....
However, i will keep reading and asking questions till i get a working method developed.....Kinda counter-productive to have a shopbot and not be able to cut precise parts from the drawing table to finish......Thanks Again....Gary B.

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Gary there is a way to scan and trace it the way you want, you just have to be willing to do it.
You will not find any program that will convert a scan to vector format that is going to be 100%.
Raster to Vector was made for draftsman for doing plans not for cutting on a cnc machine.

There is no picture or file that can not be traced to cut the way you want it.

I have shopbotters send me pictures and files all the time because they feel they can't do it, but if I can do it why can't they?.

There is no master program, just draw the file in the order you want to cut it and your done, it is that simple.

I have a shopbotter here that cam down from California for a week for me to teach him everything I know, he learned everything in 2 hours, he is now able to do anything at any time and knows the steps it takes.

You will find that not every shopbotter uses the same cad programs so you might have so you have to see why? Some use Turbocad-Coreldraw-Vector-Designcad.
Now Turbocad can do your tracing.
Coreldraw can do all your offsets.
Vector your tool path.

Turbocad cost $30
Coreldraw $50 on e-bay
Vector FREE with machine.

Now want a program that will do it all? good luck finding it, your learning curve will be long and the program will cost $$$$$$$.

Ron V

[Gerald D]

Hello Ron,

Our reason for asking for your help with raster to .dxf conversion is because we don't have e-bay and so Coreldraw costs near to $400 (that is two month's minimum wages for this part of the world!)

When we have to pay that kind of money, we want to be very sure that it is the right product and that we will be using it for more than 1 or 2 days a month!

[djhazeleger@mindspring.com]

Buy the upgrade version of Corel and save about half. Check out Corels websight as to competetive products it will upgrade to. Chances are if you've bought a pc or scanner in the past couple of years the packaged software qualifies. I bought the Corel 9 upgrade because I had a copy of photoshop packaged with a scanner. I decided to start fresh and reformated my harddrive and installed win 98. I installed Corel with no problems. One thing that puzzles me though is how it new I had photoshop as I forgot to open and install the disk.

[rgengrave@aol.com]

Gerald happy to help in anyway I can, as far as Raster to Vector I do all my work by hand or use 2 programs that are tops in my book...lol.

The Files I do for you only take 2 minutes to do or less, it depends on the pictures you send for converting.

In this last month there have been 20 or so shopbotters that wanted to know what the best program was for tracing, I would have to say Turbocad, Dan Hammerstron might know a way to do it in Coreldraw but I have had no luck with it.

Richard Sears just bought Turbocad and called me on how to use it, in 5 minutes he new what to do and now see's how simple it is.


Ron V