From "raster" file to "vector" file lettering...

[paco]

I had this first project to cut lettering from a JPG file that the customer provide and I was wondering, after redrawing it over in CAD software (using bitmap background function), how would you go from a "raster" file type to vector drawing that could be use to CAM it? Would you choose to "trace" it? To do as I did? Or other option? The task was'nt so bad but a little long (1hours 1/2; to redraw it over in a CAD) Here a sample of the font so you could have a better idea...

4452.jpg
This is my redrawing; the original was more blur and colored... Simple but cannot find the font in default XP font??!! Not a suprise!
Just how long would you say it take to get a "vector" file from "raster" file about this type of font?

[phil_o]

I have had very good results with the following procedure. First; open the JPG in a paint program, then copy and paste it into Part Wizard. Next use the polyline tool to trace the shape. Then fine tune the tracing by converting the span to bezier with the node editing tool.

[artisan]

Programs like CorelDraw, with Corel Trace can convert your JPEG to a vector drawing in less than a minute. There are other raster to vector converters mentioned throughout the forum that you can uncover with the "Search" feature. Spending 1.5 hours on a project such as this is probably way too long....D

[paco]

Phil
I just can't view the past from clipboard in both PW1 and PW2???!!! Do you really use PW to "trace" by hand with polylines?! I'd use another CAD to do this... But I would be very happy to be able to do it in PW... Please, keep me inform.

Darrell
I plan to test tracing programs but wonder how good (accurate) they are... and how more time I will have to spend to get satisfied.

Is there any other way? (Not that thoses are'nt interesting but)... curious!

Thanks in advance!

[gerald_d]

Paco

We refuse to trace a font from a jpg unless it is only 4 letters or less. The customers normally know the name of the font that they used to make their design and we explain that they must give us the name of the TrueType font that is good enough for them - Or else they must go and look for someone else to do their cutting.

Life is too short to fool around with tracing fonts!

[paco]

Interesting point of view Gerald! But still, had you ever try to do it for customer in the past? From your post, I figure that you find out it was'nt profitable... or that you don't like spending time to do such project... What if customer don't know about original font?! My first idea was to put this thread in "buisness" section...

As for "software tracing"; I'd try my COREL 4 trace...
and did'nt manage to save time with the result... much nodes editing... less in "mouse tracing" but longer to trace...

[jim.frost@itron.com]

I'm still a beginner with much to learn but , for whatever it's worth, here's a process I have sucessfully used on text and lineart. So far nothing, except manual simplification, works well when the original has lots of line crossings.

Load the JPG into Photoshop (other higher end photo programs may have similar features). If JPG has jaggies, use the resize feature to resample to higher resolution, say 300 DPI. A slight gausian blur can help jaggies also. Select white space in the resulting text/art, then invert the selection Open a new blank layer, change the selection to a path, trace the path with a one pixel width, discard the original layer, and save the new layer as bitmap. Lots of words, a few mouse strokes. Use Corel trace on the bitmap, and the DXF result will need very little editing.

[gerald_d]

Paco, when we do sometimes trace logos, we use the mouse and AutoCad LT. Then we use Arcs and in particular, the Arc Continue. The Arc Continue is a very useful facility, because, with a single click, the next arc is drawn tangential to the previous arc, ending at the clicked point. Each arc segment becomes only one line of code in the .sbp.

[bjenkins]

Paco,

I learned about a trace program off this forum. It is called TraceArt. You can search for it easily or here is one link to it. You can download a fully functioning version and see what you think. If the objects are very complicated I find myself cleaning them up a bit.

http://www.freefirestudio.com/traceart.htm

[paco]

Here a screen shot of what I was face to...

4462.jpg
As said previously, "software tracing" was'nt really effective (not very much than "mouse tracing") but I did'nt test very long to get bored... but I do think that the process can be improved (more if one use a more recent software than COREL 4!!!
)
My main concern (I should have underlined it) is in what average time are you able to get to my first view. I've been doing it, for a first time, in about 1 1/2 hour... (I must admit that I already been using sometime thoses features about "tracing", but never seriously.)