[sdiy] CAD conversion freeware proggies

[Darren Reid]

 At 10:07 PM 10/20/01 -0500, Rob B wrote:

> >panel..   I need to convert a bmp or jpeg or whatever into  some *decent*
> >vector format such as DXF..

<sputters>
DXF may be ubiquitous, thanks to Autocad; it is *not* a decent vector
format. There is no true DXF standard for how the lisp-like data structures
are to be parsed, and so every application does it differently.

When I used to run an animation house, the thing I dreaded most was a client
with a dxf they wanted animated. We bought every piece of conversion
software there was, and spent hours on the phone with the authors. I have
even edited the file BY HAND to get the data back out :/

Is there a good vector format for CAD drawings?

Anyway, sorry about the rant, but I still twitch when I see those three
letters :)

Has anyone tried using a vector illustration program to convert bitmap
files? They might have decent pixels->vectors conversion figured out, and
whatever file format they support natively is probably very "standardized",
ands thus easily convertable to something else in the vector realm.

-Darren


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