CAD innovate Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Just discovered some freeware people can use to change hard copy drawings into Autocad format. Go to wintopo and down load their software. It works perfectly and is free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph_map Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 It works perfectly and is free Perfectly is a "STRONG" word along with "FREE". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I'm from Connecticut by way of Missouri. Show me. Where do I send my hard copy and when can I expect the "perfect" results back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAD innovate Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 I'm really sorry you have had problems with wintopo, but I've used it and I can honestly say it is freeware and it is very easy to use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Anyone who needs a simple conversion just for the sake of being able to open a DWG file and print from AutoCAD would probably be satisfied. Anyone who actually had to edit the resultant drawing would most likely regret having used a conversion program in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAD innovate Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Wintopo works by converting pdf into dxf so you can then work on them using Autocad. First start up wintopo open image, press on button which looks like a hand. Image changes colour. Go to the button which says save vector as make sure your save type as box is clicked on dxf. This then saves your drawing. Open up your autocad.go to insert block find where you saved your vector drawing make sure the file type is on dxf and then insert drawing. It goes in as a block but you can then explode and use it like a normal drawing. Any problems let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAD innovate Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Its quite easy, if you dont like it dont use it. Stop complaining and let those who are more positive make up their own minds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I'm saying 99% of those programs are a waste of time. I've tried many and they all come up lacking. Maybe your standards are lower. I'll take quality over mere convenience any day of the week. "Use it as a normal drawing". You're kidding right? How many layers does the conversion create and what colors are assigned to the layers? How does Wintopo handle text, dimensions and hatch patterns? How does the conversion work with freehand lettering, pencil on paper, ink on mylar, pencil/ink on vellum? What about "dirty" drawings (i.e. - those with a lot of background scatter)? What about drawings that have been creased, folded, stained, and watermarked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuccaro Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Myself I used Wintopo in the past, and I also recommended it a few times in this forum. Yes, it converts the raster to vector. After that, the user must operate small corrections here and there... and there... and there... My honest conclusion: Wintopo does what is says, just the among of work to correct the results is comparable with the one needed to import the raster image and trace over it. It is a general conclusion for this kind of programs. I admit that I used it some time ago, maybe there are newer and better versions. And probable in the future these programs will became better, but for the moment I would not use the word "perfect". Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendean Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 This smells like an advertising campaign: wintopo freeware is a limited subset or a for-purchase product. Watch out patsies, free here comes with strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW210 Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 It converts everything to line work including text correct? I already looked at Wintopo and as already stated it is NOT FREE. I get the same results with GSVIEW/PStoEDIT and it is COMPLETELY FREE. The only COMPLAINT I have is you stating that it is FREE when it is not FREE. Be truthful in your advertising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Can you post an actual solution to someone's problem posted here? The best way to advertise your products is to actually help someone here on this forum with a solution to their problem. Then others will spread the word for you about your wonderful product (or "discovery"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cad64 Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 There is a freeware version, but the Pro version, which has all the advanced bells and whistles, is not free. I've never used this program, but I have used Adobe Illustrator to convert raster to vector and the results were not very good. Everything gets converted to individual line segments which means there's lots and lots of clean up to be done. Wintopo has been discussed many times here in the forum in many different threads, usually in response to someone asking a question about raster to vector conversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuccaro Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I used the free Wintopo. After entering the settings it says something like "the pro version is faster". Other than that, that's really free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I agree as well, WinTopo does work and it is free. I got the result I expected as I have used Raster-to-vector before. On a good bi-tonal image it worked great. On a scanned blueprint, well, I got what I expected. I still call raster-to-vector the "Holy Grail" of the CAD world. You can look forever but you'll never get the results you really expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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