creating a part using an image?

[tbombardo]

Hey guys,

sorry for all these questions, there just seems to be next to nothing as far as information on the internet goes about doing anything in this software...

Just wondering if its at all possible to somehow use a jpeg image as a template for creating a part...

I'm trying to re-create a rather complex/random hole pattern in a round sheet of metal. The part already exists but apparently we don't have a drawing file for it on-hand, so I what i've come up with as a solution would be to basically plot each hole as a point (around 100 total) on paper and figure coordinates for each hole in relation to a center point. and then re-plot them in cocreate.

The simplest solution would be to somehow use an image as a template (scaled to actual size) and put holes in the positions of holes in the image... probably a long shot, but just checking to see if that's at all possible

[Andy Poulsen]

Hey guys,

sorry for all these questions, there just seems to be next to nothing as far as information on the internet goes about doing anything in this software...

Just wondering if its at all possible to somehow use a jpeg image as a template for creating a part...

I'm trying to re-create a rather complex/random hole pattern in a round sheet of metal. The part already exists but apparently we don't have a drawing file for it on-hand, so I what i've come up with as a solution would be to basically plot each hole as a point (around 100 total) on paper and figure coordinates for each hole in relation to a center point. and then re-plot them in cocreate.

The simplest solution would be to somehow use an image as a template (scaled to actual size) and put holes in the positions of holes in the image... probably a long shot, but just checking to see if that's at all possibleWell, there are at least a couple of options that I can think of right off the top of my head...

One option is to get a jpg-to-dxf converter (I haven't used any, but a quick search shows a lot of results -- but I don't know which are good and which aren't). Then, import the resulting dxf file into Annotation. Modify it as needed, and then copy the desired contents onto a workplane in Modeling -- John Scheffel provides some very good information on how to do it in this thread (http://www.cocreateusers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6817).

Another (ugly and likely not very reliable!) solution is to use the image (in bmp format) as the background in your Modeling viewport, then create a workplane, and create the geometry on the workplane by overlaying it on the background image. Multiple possible problems with this approach, including: since the image scales to the viewport size, your aspect ratio will be messed up unless you're careful. It's also (obviously) not true size -- you'd need to scale everything afterward to get it right. So this approach is not ideal for many reasons. I mention it here, however, because I know someone who actually did something similar that way, and the results he got were good enough for what he needed.

So these are a couple of options, and some of the other folks on here will likely provide some other ideas that may be even better...

In any case, please keep us posted -- I'd love to know what you decide to do!

Good luck!

andy

[BMaverick]

Is your data actually in a jpg format or in a PDF?

If a PDF, it's possible that the image was created via a vector fromat and placed into the PDF. You can pull the vector image out and use it as DXF. CGM, WMF and other formats allow this.

PM me if this is the case and maybe I can extract the actual CAD data from the file to you and shoot it back.

There is a software out there called TraceArt. It will convert raster to vector data. You will need to play with the settings a little, but once it's locked in, you wouldn't need to mess withit anymore to do the conversions. It saves in DWG/DXF

[tbombardo]

no, its an actual JPEG. The idea was to take a picture of the existing design (approximately 15" diameter flat metal disc with holes arranged on it in a somewhat random pattern)
and use it as a template to create the part on top of that image. I would imagine that there's a cad file out there somewhere because this part has been produced in mass quantities for a product the company currently sells, I need to ask my boss if he can locate that possibly (i'm an intern here and just started 2 weeks ago)
but yeah, its just a jpeg image I took with my phone for now..

[jkramer]

Hi,

I have good experiences with IMG2CAD ( http://www.img2cad.com/ ).
It converts bitmpaps to - obviously - dxf.
In Annotation, you can open them with Load > File Type > Import 2D. If you save that import as Drawing (MI), you can open that MI in Modeling on a Workplane with Load > File Type > MI.
By experimenting with the settings of IMG2CAD, you can get good results. We use it a lot for logos etc.

Regards,
Jaap