Converting an image to a CAD drawing.

Quazzie

Can anyone recommend some free software that can be used to convert a silhouette image into a CAD (dwg,dxf) file.

Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated.

aquascrotum

You want to insert the image into a CAD file, or actually be able to convert and treat lines and shapes etc on the image as CAD objects?

I once had some free software that would translate a linework image into CAD lines but that was as far as it went.

Quazzie

Basically I want to put in a silhouette image in jpeg or bmp format and do a conversion so that it gives a dxf vector line output of the outside of the silhouette.

aquascrotum

http://www.img2cad.com/

This could be the ticket, though you'll likely have a fair bit of cleaning up to do when its finished if my experience is anything to go by.

a5y

I haven't used SolidWorks since '09, but I remember thinking that inserting jpegs in onto plans barely saved any effort in my opinion.

Also, I doubt you'll find any software that automates much of the dimensioning to streamline the process. That has "mass produced" "catastrophic failure" and "lawsuit disputing liability" all over it.

In any case the auto dimension tools I've seen on CAD programmes have always flinged so much stuff everywhere they ended up looking as much like Jackson Pollock paintings as tech graphics.

mjsmyth

Check out the free version of Wintopo.

http://wintopo.com/