
Home Products Support Order Contact Site Map	Member Provanum Group

Choosing a scanner for use with CAD applications

The Jargon

If you have large engineering prints to convert from raster to vector you will have to use a large-format scanner. If your drawings are small, or you only need to capture detail from larger sheets you can use a desktop scanner.

In either case, the scanner will output a raster image made up of dots, or pixels as they are called when you view them on a computer screen. The purpose of raster to vector conversion software such as our TracTrix is to convert the dots to the mathematical vector descriptions that CAD and NC applications require.

Generally CAD and NC programs, such as AutoCAD or SolidWorks, cannot edit raster images, they simply display them as a non-editable layer.

Do you need to create PDF, TIFF or other raster images from CAD files?

You don't need to use a scanner. Trix RasterServer software automatically batch converts DWG, DXF and HPGL files direct to raster.

We know of cases where organizations were persuaded to purchase scanners costing tens of thousands of dollars when the work could have been done automatically, without a scanner, using RasterServer software.

Desktop Scanners:
These cost anything from under a 100 dollars to around 1,000 dollars and the majority are aimed at home or office use. Engineering drawings do not require the fanciest scanner. Unfortunately, in an attempt to make the software that drives the scanners 'idiot-proof', many vendors have made it quite difficult to customize settings so that engineering drawings can be scanned to best advantage.

Ideally your desktop scanning software should enable you

1) to easily change color depth to scan as a 1-bit monochrome image. This is sometimes known as a line-art setting.

and

2) to easily change the resolution of the image. You may need to scan a logo on a business card at 600 dpi to obtain sufficient detail but then change to only 200 dpi to scan a hand drawn engineering drawing.

So when you consider purchasing a desktop scanner, check that the software that is supplied with the scanner gives you the flexibility to effectively use it in an engineering environment and not just for scanning in photos.

Desktop Scanner Vendors

Canon Epson Hewlett Packard UMAX

Large Format Scanners

See our separate page for more information.

Contract Scanning and Vectorizing Services

If your need for scanning is only occasional, Trix Conversion Services converts prints to rasters or to CAD perfect DWG files. Just send us prints and we take care of the rest.

We also suggest you might investigate the availability of scanning services at local reprographics companies.

Copyright 2008, Trix Systems Inc. All rights reserved. The Trix Systems logo, Trix Systems, Trix DrawingCenter, TracTrix, Trix RasterServer and Trix Organizer are trademarks of Trix Systems AB. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Trix Systems is a member of the Provanum AB group of companies. Legal restrictions and terms of use apply to this website - see Legal Notice. Revised to 01/04/2008.