CAD DIGITIZING: SCANS, SKETCHES AND PDF TO CAD EXPLAINED
CAD digitizing makes the development of architectural and design projects faster and easier. It is essential to update old drawings for reconstruction and renovation as well as simultaneously working in 2D and 3D formats for the designing process of new construction.
Contents:
- Scans to CAD drawings
- Sketches and manual drawings to CAD
- PDF to CAD, and why the free converter disappoints
- CAD 2D to 3D
- 3D to 2D
- CAD digitizing FAQ
Here is our recent case. An architect received a task to rebuild an old family mansion. There are only drawings made in previous century at her disposal and they look indecipherable and even smeared at some parts. She tried to make scans of paper drafts but the overall quality is still very low. Moreover, the building is really old, so it is necessary to confirm the safety and serviceability of its structure to begin the construction process. To get such legal confirmation, BIM constructions built based on such old paper drawings are the most effective proof. So where can the Architect get all necessary files for further work?
A checks for picking a drafting company provides different types of digitizing in both 2D and 3D formats – even the most outworn manual drafts can be turned into clear digital versions. Learn key options of CAD digitizing for any required formats as a result.
#1. Scans to CAD Drawings
Architects and Designers often have only scans of old drawings, which are almost impossible to work with. It happens in cases of renovation or reconstruction of old buildings, where the goal is usually a set of as-built drawings, and the only possible thing to do with well-worn paper drafts is to scan them into digital form. But what’s next? Even on scans, they look blurry, unclear and very possibly have some errors. To update such scans or at least get a clearer version of them, one needs to convert them into CAD, which is what our CAD conversion services handle by hand rather than with tracing software. Nowadays, most of the drafting companies offer CAD digitizing services that convert scans that are mostly in PDF to CAD formats, such as DWG and DXF. This move allows making any changes of drawings in CAD software as well as updating and improving their overall quality. Note that automatic converters can only trace lines. They do not check dimensions or fix errors, so professional studios redraw scans manually to keep the geometry accurate.
#2. Sketches/Manual Drawings to CAD
Sketched or freehand drawings can also be converted to CAD with the help of digitizing. Usually, Architects and Designers finish work drafts in 2D graphic software so the files are in JPG, JPEG, or, less commonly, other formats of imagery. Such pictures can be easily converted to the most common CAD formats. After the digitizing process, the result files Architects and Designers get are DWG, DXF, and less often DGN. Later, these files can be installed to other CAD software compatible with these formats, and not only 2D programs but 3D as well.
Want to know more about CAD services our studio provides? Check out this archive with projects examples and learn more.
PDF to CAD, and Why the Free Converter Disappoints
This is the request we get most often, and it usually arrives after somebody has already tried an online converter.
What happens next depends entirely on which kind of PDF you have. A vector PDF, exported straight out of AutoCAD or Revit, still holds real lines. A converter can pull those out and you get geometry, which is a genuinely useful head start. A scanned PDF holds a photograph of a drawing. There are no lines in it at all, only pixels arranged to look like lines, and no software can extract what was never there.
Even with a good vector PDF, three things break:
- Layers are gone. Walls, dimensions and text all land in one heap.
- Text is not text. It comes through as loose line segments, so you cannot search it or fix a typo.
- The scale is whatever the plot settings were. A wall that should read 3600 mm measures 3583, and nobody notices until the joiner cuts it.
That last one is the expensive failure. A drawing that looks correct and measures wrong is worse than an obvious mess, because it gets used.
So the honest rule is this. Vector PDF plus a tidy original equals converter output plus an hour of cleanup. Scanned drawing, a mix of eras, or anything somebody will build from equals a redraw by a person, tracing over the scan and checking dimensions against each other as they go. That redraw is what our CAD conversion services do, by hand, at $20 per hour.
#3. CAD 2D to 3D
Many CAD 2D programs are combined with 3D software, as they are closely interconnected. Some developers even release both kinds of tools that complement each other. For example, Autodesk has several 2D and 3D CAD programs with different strong features, like AutoCAD for 2D drawings and Revit for 3D and BIM, and how BIM changed architecture is a story of its own.. Whether flat drawings are on the way out is a separate argument, and we took a side in the myth of 2D being replaced by 3D. Having 2D drafts, CAD digitizing service allows loading them into a 3D program and building a 3D model or BIM object based on the original drafts. It is especially important for Architects as they have to obtain a legal confirmation of the sturdiness of the construction as permission to begin the building process.
#4. 3D to 2D
Sometimes, it is necessary to make CAD digitizing in the reverse order – from a 3D or BIM object to a 2D drawing. To do this, Architects and Designers need to send CAD studio files with a model of a building, room, or furniture. The most widespread formats of the references are STL, 3DS, MAX, OBJ. After digitizing 3D to 2D, the result comes out in the standard CAD formats, and which one you ask for matters more than it sounds, as we set out in the guide to CAD file formats. DWG and DXF. This type of digitizing services saves a lot of time while making the development of a project much more automated and effective.
Architects and Designers are often faced with the need to change and combine the formats of their project files during the development process. CAD digitizing solves this problem quickly and efficiently. In particular, the digitization of outdated drafts for a flawless result is a vital step for the reconstruction or repair of old premises. Obtaining accurate CAD drawings based on sketches provides the necessary material for the beginning of the construction work. Finally, BIM models of buildings based on technical drafts are required to get a legal confirmation of the safety of a construction that allows starting the implementation stage.
Wonder how much high-quality drafting services cost? Check out the examples of our real projects with pricing.
Want to get all the necessary CAD versions of your project materials? Use CAD services of our company and get high-quality digitization for any type of drafts.
Catherine Paul
Content Writer, Editor at ArchiCGI
Catherine is a content writer and editor. In her articles, she explains how CGI is transforming the world of architecture and design. Outside of office, she enjoys yoga, travelling, and watching horrors.
CAD Digitizing FAQ
Can you convert a PDF to CAD?
Yes, and the method depends on the file. A vector PDF exported from CAD still contains real lines, so we start from those and clean up. A scanned PDF contains pixels and nothing else, so it gets redrawn by hand over the image. Either way you get a layered DWG with editable text and a scale you can measure against.
Why does my PDF to DWG conversion look wrong?
Three usual reasons. Layers do not survive, so everything lands in one heap. Text arrives as line segments instead of text. And the scale follows the original plot settings rather than reality, which is the one that costs money, because a drawing that measures wrong still gets built from.
Can you convert a scanned drawing to CAD?
That is most of what we do. Old paper sets, photographed sketches, faded blueprints. No converter can help there, since there is no vector data to extract, so a drafter traces the geometry and checks the dimensions against each other as they go.
How much does PDF to CAD conversion cost?
$20 per hour. A single clean sheet is usually an hour or two. A set of scanned drawings with faded dimensions takes longer, so send a sample sheet and we will estimate the whole batch from it before you commit.
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