Scan2CAD raster to vector conversion software

Scan2CAD - Automatic raster to vector conversion software.

Do you have drawings on paper that you want to get into CAD or cut in CNC?

Scan2CAD turns scanned technical drawings, schematics, maps, siteplans, artwork and CNC profiles, etc, into monochrome or colour DXF files for editing in CAD! Any CAD!

It's an affordable yet professional four-in-one solution for scanning, raster editing and tidy-up, vectorisation and DXF editing!

Affordable professional raster to vector conversion

Scan2CAD automatically converts scanned drawings into DXF files that can be edited in any PC CAD, CNC, GIS or mapping program. Test it FREE for 7 days without restriction!

FREE FULLY WORKING TRIAL!

Click here to download.

  • Unrestricted 7-day trial.
  • Convert any size of paper drawing into DXF.
  • Convert any number of scanned drawings during the trial.
  • Save the entire drawing as DXF - edit it in any PC CAD or CNC program.
  • After 7 days vector save, batch, command line and font training are disabled ...
  • ... BUT it continues to work as a FREE fully-working raster editor, INDEFINITELY!

It remains useful after your 7 day trial period has expired.

FREE Scanning and Raster Editing Software!

The expired trial allows ...

  • FREE Large format scanning
    You can use it to scan directly from the Colortrac SmartLF range and from Contex and Graphtec scanners via TWAIN/WIA.

  • FREE Raster editing and tidy-up
    It offers a wide range of raster editing, raster cleanup, colour reduction and tiling (stitching multiple A4 scans into A3 or larger images) functions!

Download a Scan2CAD PDF brochure

Click here to download a Scan2CAD brochure (PDF).

Scan2CAD in a nutshell!

  • Convert (vectorize) scanned drawings to CAD DXF.
  • Quick and easy editing in any PC CAD program, like AutoCAD, etc.
  • High quality vectorization - lines, arcs, circles, text, etc.
  • NO paper-size restrictions - converts ALL drawing sizes.
  • Scans via WIA/TWAIN interfaces / direct support for some scanners.
  • Opens standard raster file formats (TIFF, BMP, CALS, PNG, JPG, etc.).
  • Opens raster PDF files (Pro version only).
  • Opens monochrome (black/white), greyscale and colour raster files.
  • Includes raster editing and tidy-up tools.
  • On-the-fly raster editing of all or just part(s) of the image.
  • Default vectorisation settings for different drawing types.
  • Flexible customisation of vectorisation settings.
  • Converts and saves images to monochrome or colour DXF files.
  • Vectorisation of all or just part(s) of the image.
  • Includes SnapTidy tools for quick and easy DXF vector editing.
  • Affordable - from just US $298 or UK £175.08 (including VAT).
  • Optional printed manual and CD
  • FREE technical support.
  • Runs on any PC with Windows '98, NT4, 2000, XP or Vista.

Now in its seventh major release, Scan2CAD thrives through consistent software development. It is used by thousands of CAD, CNC and GIS professionals in over 80 countries worldwide.

Four reasons why Scan2CAD gives better CAD conversion results that save more time

Conversion results will vary from one raster to vector converter to another. The best converter is the one that saves you the most redrawing time.

Here are four reasons why Scan2CAD saves you more time.

1]. Scan2CAD recognises more drawing entities than other converters.

Depending on what you specify, Scan2CAD will make a drawing up with all or some of the following:

  • Continuous lines
  • Dashed and dashed-dot lines
  • Polylines
  • Arcs
  • Circles
  • Bezier curves (which can be exported as splines, polylines or arcs)
  • Lined hatch patterns
  • Arrows
  • Text (OCR)

By recognising all these drawing entities Scan2CAD saves you more time than converters that make drawings up out of hundreds of short lines or just lines and arcs, as many do.

2]. Scan2CAD resolves many difficult recogntion problems.

No raster to converter is capable of perfectly accurate results.

Perfection in raster to vector conversion is like a hole-in-one at golf - it's the perfect fluke! However, some converters are decidedly better than others.

Many programs are mere tracers. They produce results which take a long time to tidy up in CAD. "Vector spaghetti" accurately describes the quality of their output.

Scan2CAD recognises more drawing elements than rival programs - and recognises them more accurately. It produces straighter lines with neater joins and corners. Its tidier results require less redrawing. Scan2CAD will save you more time in the long run.

3]. Scan2CAD stays true to the original scanned image.

Scan2CAD works on the basis that for raster to vector conversion to be accurate it must mirror your paper drawing with precision.

After conversion some programs try to post-process the image. They try to rectify the conversion by straightening lines and rounding arcs. The result is that they produce vectors that are displaced from the underlying raster detail. Post-processed vectors seldom fit on top of the original drawing.

Scan2CAD stays does not post-process the converted image. It attempts give you an accurate and exact reproduction of what it "sees" - the original drawing's raster detail as a DXF file. It provides a closer fit!

4]. Scan2CAD works and converts relatively quickly.

Programs that are slower than Scan2CAD waste more of your time.

If they are slower and less accurate they will waste your time again when you do a second or a third conversion in order to improve on the first results.

In an independent test, (CAD&CG Magazine, Japan, Feb 2005), Scan2CAD vectorized a drawing in 7 seconds with more accuracy than a rival "professional" program that took 1.03 minutes.

Works with ALL CAD programs, paper sizes and scanners

Scan2CAD's vector output can be read by ALL PC CAD, CNC, GIS and similar programs that read industry standard DXF files. The majority of Scan2CAD users are AutoCAD® users. Scan2CAD supports all releases of AutoCAD.

Some converters charge more for versions that convert large drawings. Scan2CAD has absolutely NO restrictions based on paper sizes.

  • It works with ALL PC CAD and DXF-reading programs.
  • It converts ANY size of scanned paper drawing up to A0 / E-size - or larger.
  • It can be used with ALL makes and sizes of scanner that save standard raster files.
  • It can be used with ALL Twain-compliant scanners, like Graphtec and Contex.
  • It supports Colortrac SmartLF scanners directly.

Scan2CAD also allows users of small format scanners to scan large drawings as a series of tiles and to "stitch" them together.

Scan2CAD is a four-in-one conversion solution

Scan2CAD is a comprehensive raster to vector converter packed with practical tools to assist you through every step in the conversion process.

In any raster to vector conversion the four fundamental steps are:

  • Scan the drawing or load a previously scanned raster file.
  • Clean the raster image image before converting it.
  • Convert the scanned drawing from raster to vector.
  • Edit the vectors.

Some expensive programs sell the tools for each of these steps as separate modules. With Scan2CAD you get ALL these powerful and useful tools in one professional program.

1. Scan the drawing or load a previously scanned raster file

You can bring scanned images and raster files into Scan2CAD in three ways.

  • Scan directly from a TWAIN or WIA (TWAIN/WIA) compliant scanner.
  • Load standard raster file formats (TIFF, BMP, CALS, PNG, JPG, etc. - also raster PDF in Scan2CAD Pro).
  • Cut and Paste from another application.

If you have a TWAIN/WIA scanner - most desktop scanners are TWAIN/WIA-compliant - you can scan from inside Scan2CAD using its Acquire command to capture the image. TWAIN/WIA are standard image acquisition protocols for communication between software applications and scanners. Scan2CAD supports TWAIN/WIA fully.

Scan2CAD loads raster file formats, like BMP (bitmap), CALS, MIL, GP4, CG4, GIF, IMG, JPG, PCX, raster PDF (Scan2CAD Pro only), PNG and TIFF (various). Simply load these file formats into Scan2CAD. We recommend TIFF Group 4 because it is reliable and compressed to save space.

2. Clean the raster image image before converting it

Scan2CAD has tools for editing both black and white and colour raster images.

It takes only a few minutes - or less - to clean a raster image with Scan2CAD but it is time well spent. A cleaned raster image gives you a better, neater vectorization that is quicker to edit. It also gives you a sharper raster image to print out.

Among the handy things Scan2CAD does to tidy up dirty raster images are:

  • Draw and erase raster lines, arcs, circles, text, etc.
  • Automatically clean (despeckle) dirty images.
  • Manually block delete selected areas.
  • Automatically rotate skewed images.
  • Automatically smooth rough and jagged lines.
  • Automatically thicken/thin lines, etc.
  • Automatically fill lines that are full of holes.
  • Mirror, Crop, Cut, Paste, Move, etc.

Most usefully if you are scanning dirty drawings, it has on-the-fly adaptive thresholding.

3. Convert the scanned drawing from raster to vector

Scan2CAD gives good, automatic results from supplied general settings.

Simply select the default setting that best describes your type of drawing, then click on the VEC Icon to vectorize it. The default settings are:

  • Architectural
  • Electrical
  • Mechanical
  • CNC Profile
  • Site Plan
  • Contour Map
  • Sketch
  • Outline
  • User (save your own settings)

As a general rule, the default settings are suitable for most conversions and require little or no adjustment. However, you can adjust the controls at any time to improve the results. Among the options you can select are:

  • Choose which entities you want recognised.
  • Allow the vectors to follow the raster image more closely or more loosely.
  • Set a Gap-jump value to join breaks in lines.
  • Force slightly deviant angled lines back to true.
  • Remove unwanted short perpendicular "hairs".
  • And more ...

You can vectorize the whole image or select a part or parts of it to vectorize.

4. Edit the vectors in CAD - or Scan2CAD

Some tidying up of raster to vector conversion results is always necessary.

Most CAD users will want to edit the results in their CAD program. You can edit the vector file in your CAD program or in Scan2CAD which has special vector editing tools.

Scan2CAD saves a CAD-standard DXF file that can be read by any PC CAD program, including all versions of AutoCAD. The DXF file can be saved to the same size and scale as the original paper drawing. Once in your CAD program you can edit it in the normal way and save it in your program's native file format, like DWG if you are using AutoCAD.

Scan2CAD will export a DXF file that includes an attached raster file. You can open the DXF file in your CAD program and view and edit the vectors with the raster file underneath in a user-specified colour.

Scan2CAD includes its own SnapTidy vector editing tools. These are specially designed to make the editing of broken vectors quick and easy. With SnapTidy tools you can grab several disjointed and errant vectors within a defined box and snap them into alignment.

OCR text recognition and font training

If the text on your scanned drawing is clean and clear, Scan2CAD can convert it to editable vector text using OCR text recognition. OCR'd text can be edited in Scan2CAD or your CAD program, just like normal text.

The Regular version of Scan2CAD recognises basic fonts commonly found on drawings. The Pro version of Scan2CAD adds the ability to:

  • Extend text recognition to other fonts by training a "neural network".
  • Edit OCR'd text using a Text Editor with Spellchecker and Dictionary.
  • Customise the Dictionary with words unique to your drawings.

Flexible colour conversion with Scan2CAD Pro

The Pro version of Scan2CAD is fully colour-capable. It opens, edits and converts colour drawings, maps and artwork which it saves as colour DXF vectors.

The vectorization of colour images comprising 16.7 million colours is a more complicated process than the conversion of monochrome images made up of two colours, black and white.

Generally, the first thing to do in a colour conversion is reduce the number of colours, usually 16.7m down to something manageable, like 32, 16, 8 or 4. Scan2CAD Pro allows you to do the colour reduction manually or automatically. Once you have narrowed the colours down to the ones you want, you can vectorize them.

Among Scan2CAD Pro's colour tools are:

  • Colour palette dialog box.
  • Histogram to view dominant colours in the palette.
  • Sort colours by palette, hue and luminance.
  • Automatically reduce 16.7m colours to 256 or less.
  • Automatically or manually reduce colours from 256 to whatever you need.
  • Reduce off-white backgrounds to true white.
  • Select shades of the same raster colour and unify them as one colour.
  • Vectorize one, more or all the colours in a colour drawing.
  • Save up to 256 colours in a DXF file.
  • Save one layer for each vector colour.

Some converters create colour DXF files by vectorizing colour images as though they were black and white, then applying colour to the vectors afterwards. Scan2CAD Pro uses colour information while vectorizing to create a more accurate colour DXF file.

There are three versions of Scan2CAD

FREE FULLY WORKING TRIAL!

Click here to download the Scan2CAD trial now.

There are two "For Sale" versions of Scan2CAD.

Scan2CAD v7 Regular - US $298 or UK £175.08 (including VAT).

Scan2CAD v7 Pro - US $498 or UK £292.58 (including VAT).

The basic differences between Scan2CAD Regular and Pro are that Scan2CAD Pro supports raster PDF files, converts colour images into colour DXF, has a batch processing facilty to convert multiple drawings in one operation, command line support and more OCR (text recognition) capabilities.

For more information on the differences between the two versions click here.

There is NO difference in conversion quality between the Regular and Pro versions of Scan2CAD. They will both give you results that cannot be bettered at any price!

Buy Scan2CAD online now - and be using it within an hour

To buy Scan2CAD online, click here.

There are substantial discounts on two or more copies.

As soon as we receive your order we'll email you a registration key. You could be using Scan2CAD within the hour!

Alternatively, you can order Scan2CAD by phone, fax or post.

You can choose to buy Scan2CAD as a web download only or you can choose to receive a CD and printed manual. The only additional cost if you choose to receive a CD and manual is shipping and handling.

Technical support is free.

Join thousands of other Scan2CAD users worldwide

Scan2CAD has been chosen by thousands of CAD, CNC and GIS professionals in over 80 countries worldwide.

Users include architects, building service, electrical, civil, mechanical and structural engineers, CNC users, etc., as well as professional scanning bureaus and reprographics companies.

It is used in government departments and ministeries, by local authorities and municipalities, by town, state and county councils, fire departments, police and prison services, and by the estate offices of hospitals and educational instituitions.

It is used by the armed forces of several western countries. It has seen service in Bosnia with the British Army. It has been used to assist UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) in the rebuilding of maternity hospitals in Afghanistan. More recently UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Workers Agency) in Jordan ordered two copies.

Buy Scan2CAD and you're in the company of some of the biggest corporations and insitutions in the world - NASA, DaimlerChrysler, IBM, Raytheon, DuPont, Chevron, Caterpillar, the Smithsonian Institution, Universal Studios, Princeton University and the Metropolitan Opera to name but a few. The Boeing Aircraft Company is our second biggest US user.

In the UK Scan2CAD is widely used by energy supply companies. Fulcrum Connections, a gas supplier, has over 250 seats of Scan2CAD Pro. It is widely used in British government departments and local government. There are over 400 Scan2CAD installations in town and county councils, many of them multi-user.

Scan2CAD's price and performance also makes it popular with amateur enthusiasts, like model engineers who work on old planes, trains and automobiles or who restore the real thing. One of our recent jobs was to prepare scans of a WW1 British SE5a fighter plane for a Scan2CAD user. It's now flying in California.

There's no end to how you can use Scan2CAD to save redrawing time. Albert Paley, the renowned US metal sculptor used Scan2CAD to translate his paper patterns in DXF files for editing in CAD. The result is the acclaimed St Louis Zoo "Animals Always" sculpture, a classic of modern art!

Get a rapid payback on your investment

So, how much is your time worth?

What if Scan2CAD saved you one hour of re-drawing time a day? Or even just two hours a week? Now look at how little it costs - and do the sums!

What if Scan2CAD saved you five hours a week or 100 hours a year? It's perfectly possible that Scan2CAD can save this amount of time - and money! Scan2CAD's cost can be recovered on the first job.

Scan2CAD is as good as raster to vector conversion gets. Whatever your need, infrequent or everyday, one drawing or many, colour or black and white, Scan2CAD's advanced raster to vector conversion gives a rapid payback on your investment.