Tuesday, May 31, 2011

An Introduction to Paper to CAD Conversion

Have you ever heard about the term "paper to CAD", if not, then this article is a must read for you. I am writing this article to provide all the people like you with an introduction to what paper to CAD conversion is and how it is done.

Before I begin explaining in detail about paper to CAD conversion I will like to tell you that paper to CAD conversion is also known by lot of other synonyms like PDF to CAD conversion, PDF to DWG conversion, and scan to CAD etc.

What is "CAD"?

Since this article has been written for people who are completely new to the topic, I’ll first like to start with little details on “what is CAD”. CAD is an acronym or short form for Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting. However, for a layman CAD is basically thought to be just a computer drawing software used for making digital drawings.

CAD itself is not a software but a technology. Since the evolution of CAD many CAD softwares have been introduced. But the one which is widely used and is most famous is known as AutoCAD. AutoCAD has become an industry standard for CAD drawings. However since AutoCAD or other similar CAD software are very complex to use it requires special training before one can fully understand and utilize the advanced functionalities of the software. Apart from AutoCAD some other popular CAD softwares are Microstation and Vectorworks.

What is "Paper"?

By paper or paper drawings we mean to say that the drawings that are hand drawn on paper. Before the evolution and widespread use of CAD all drawings were hand drawn on paper. But ever since the use of CAD the scenario has completely changed, now all the drawings are made in digital format with the help of CAD software.

Paper drawings are also referred to as hard copy drawings.

What is paper to CAD?

There are basically two approaches that can be used for paper to CAD conversion. The first and the most basic approach is to manually redraw the paper drawings. This is done by trained CAD drafters.

The second approach is known as automatic conversion. This is done by scanning the paper drawings into image format, and then using a raster to vector conversion software to automatically convert the image files into CAD format. However this method is not 100% automated and the accuracy of the output varies from one software to the other.

What’s the need for paper to CAD?
There can be various different reasons why paper to CAD conversion is required. CAD format drawings are easier to store and edit and are not subject to wear and tear over time as is the case with the conventional paper drawings.

Author is an expert CAD conversion professional who has been doing PDF to DWG or PDF to CAD conversions since past several years.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6301514

1 comment:

  1. Nice posting. It will definitely help people to get an idea why they should use Auto Cad Services for digital drawings and vector works .

    ReplyDelete