From scanner to autocad? Can it be done?

What I am wanting to do is find a way to didgitize various parts made
out of brass. I want to scan them and somehow get the file into a form
to get into autocad. For simplicity, say I have a flat circle made of
brass. I want to put in the scanner and somehow get a file that will
go into the autocad program. There I could modify or correct it.
What were after is to take these parts which are reproductions of
parts off muzzleloaders from over 200 years ago and be able to get a
didgitized file to then use in a cad program on a CNC milling machine.
I have taken one course in autocad 10 years ago so I don't know
much. Just what direction to start.
What format would you save the scan in for example?
Thanks
Ken

 

What you're asking for is magic, or technology not of this era.
There's no way you are going to get where you want to go without
considerable careful measurement and drawing.
You'd better face it.
On the other hand why not try casting?

 

why would you need a miracle to do this?
all you need is an application within the program you use right now, (if
that
is possible by the way)
or a program that can do this.
I use autocad 2004tl with wiseimage, I scan drawings into tiff format, then
open them in autocad.
you can do just about everything with the drawing then, depends on how
skilled you are, but it works!!!

 

why would you need a miracle to do this?
all you need is an application within the program you use right now, (if
that
is possible by the way)
or a program that can do this.
I use autocad 2004tl with wiseimage, I scan drawings into tiff format, then
open them in autocad.
you can do just about everything with the drawing then, depends on how
skilled you are, but it works!!!

 

It is neither magic or futuristic technology. It can be done to extreme
precision with a CMM (coordinate measuring machine) that will interface
directly with CAM software to program your machine. There is also the older
method. 3D tracer mill. It will mill a part directly off your original. New
technology maybe. It's only been around since World War 2. The kind of parts
that we are talking about here would be easy enough to do manually in any
case. Talk to any good machine shop.

 

How about a 3D scanner?

 

having someone use their CMM costs way too much to do what I want to
do.
A tracer won't work because I need to get the thing in a cad program
to modify the things. The originals were hand made and for example are
often symetrical or should be. A cad program will let me correct these
unsemetrical parts of the parts. Then I can print out the corrected
picture, lay it out and make a new pattern with a bandsaw and die
filer. We are doing low quantities and till I got here were always
made by hand. I am working to build a cheap tracer or suplicator of
some kind.
I am a machinist, its the cad, computer stuff I don't know much
about.

 

wise image also works with the full autocad version, so you will also be
able to draw 3d.

 

Welp, yer screwed.

I remember back when I first learned AutoCad, I had a need for a
scanned map (for a non-profit organization) and hoped and prayed
that I could find someone to do it for free. If ya want that,
find someone who can do it and loves doing it as much as you
enjoy what you want to do.

Seems that you may have thought yerself into a box. Poke a hole
in the box.

 

Another word for "CMM".

 

It would seem the future is here....
but not within the OP's budget.

 

Hi Ken

Sounds like you just need a raster to vector converter, if you're just
wanting the 2D outline of the parts.

You can place the brass part on the scanner, or you could draw around the
part on a piece of paper and scan that. This would give you the raster
representation of the part. Then you need a tool like WinTopo Freeware to
convert it into an Autocad DXF. Then you can load it in Autocad and do any
tidying/correcting that you feel is necessary.

WinTopo is a free product. For a freeware it is surprisingly well designed
and easy to use. You can find a download site doing a google search, or just
guess at the www...

Save in TIF or PNG. Try to avoid JPG, as that makes it harder for the r2v by
kinda blurring the outline.

 

I worked with a bloke who was using photography to create 3D drawings of
very complex sites, like a wharf complete with pipwework & piling. You take
a couple of photos from different angles, having a couple of points on the
object marked for common reference. Then using a program which may have been
a plug-in (I think) for Microstation - yeah, wrong NG - you digitise the
common points off the pics on screen, along with all other points you can
see, and it builds the model for you.

 

That sounds like Realviz ImageModeler. I've never tried the software, but
have always wondered how well it works.

Michael (LS)

 

Yes that rings a bell. The office was using it in all manner of jobs,
complex wharf structure with no as-builts, to an internal pickup of a
museum. Hard to reconcile the cost for run of the mill jobs though. As
usual, the quality of the survey in collecting the common data points for
reference was the make-or-break.

 

Yeah, I do a lot of residential remodels and additions and have always
wondered how well this software worked. Using 3DViz I can "camera match" a
photo and add my model accurately to it, but boy would it be nice to be able
to actually convert the photo INTO a model. Accuracy of data points isn't a
problem for me since I have to measure everything in order to do the
construction drawings, I have more than enough reference points.

Now, the question is, how easy is the software to learn and is it a good
investment.....hmmmm.....

 

His choice, then, is to either steal plans for the stuff OR get
to know someone who has a CMM *real* well.

 

You can have the parts digitized (sonic or laser) by many service
bureaus or by buying the scanning device(s) for your own use. Many are
available from $2500 to several hundred thousand USD. The 3D (point
cloud) file can be saved as IGES and imported into most MCAD apps. Some
will be able to convert directly to solid models. Do some googling for
3D digitizers. -Bill