GIS Conversion and Map Digitizing Services

GIS Conversion and Map Digitizing Services enable the preservation of historical maps, property maps, geologic maps and all other paper based map products.  GIS is defined as “a technology for managing geographical information.”   A GIS system consists of hardware programmed with suitable software (such as ArcInfo or AutoCAD Map) which allows users to manage and analyze space data and attributes (geographical information) following precise scientific formulas. 

There are two main types of GIS: Vector GIS, which uses lines in order to delimit geographical objects and Raster GIS, which uses a regular reticulum to document geographical elements in space. Vectorization helps to create maps out of satellite or aerial images. In the field of graphics, this process assists in resizing without any change in the shape of the graphic.

Experienced mapping services experts can help with your tiff conversion, gis conversion, cad conversion and raster to vector map conversion, as well as map scanning and digitizing.  Companies such as CAD CAM Services, Inc., use advanced R2V technology to convert maps and other graphics from raster to vector formats, providing easy archiving and quick access.  CAD CAM understands the importance of accuracy in map conversions and we are proud to boast that we are able to achieve a consistent +/- .005” accuracy in our GIS conversions. 

GIS conversion experts are also aware of the importance of accurate representation of contour lines, map attributes and layers.  CAD CAM follows “best practice” standards to ensure accurate, cost-effective map conversion work for all types of GIS projects, from cadastral and utility to the most sensitive defense agency maps and satellite imagery.   We use a combination of GIS products, including  AutoDesk, Bentley, ESRI, and Intergraph and we also employ our own Cad Perfect™ and Cad Perfect CAD conversions™ tools to ensure the most accurate map conversions possible.  Our GIS conversions look like exact copies of the originals, and they are a high-precision job – first with different applications and then hours of hand redrawing by our experienced professionals.

We deliver the converted data in whatever format our customers require, including:  AutoCAD Map, ArcGIS, MapInfo,MapGuide, Geodatabase Design and others as requested. 

We have extensive experience in map digitizing and GIS conversions, with customers ranging from the U.S. Department of Defense to small surveying companies and preservationists with one-of-a-kind historical map archives.  

GIS conversions and map digitizing services are available from CAD CAM Services 24 hours per day (3 shifts), we have the best delivery time in this industry — 48 hours! (normal orders).  CAD CAM Services offers you the “no hassle guarantee”. If you are not 100% satisfied with our CAD conversions, we will pay your money back. No hassles, no debates. 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed!

CAD CAM Services (CCS) has over 20 years experience in providing GIS Conversion Services,  CAD Drafting Services and raster to vector conversion, both on and off-site, including analyzing conversion needs and requirements.  CCS offers unique services such as translation of files created in one CAD system into files for a different CAD system and secure digital archiving of files.

Based in Dallas (Celina), Texas USA, CCS is a small, woman-owned business and is Dunn & Bradstreet rated.  CCS is one of only six (6) firms in the entire US that is qualified and certified for Department of Defense scanning and CAD conversion work. Our staff includes P.E. engineers, architects and CAD technicians with Autodesk, Microstation and Catia certifications.  For more information call toll free at 800-938-SCAN (7226).

Should You Outsource Your CAD Conversion Project?

The other day, I had someone ask me whether he should outsource his company’s cad conversion project, or do it in-house.

That was a really easy question to answer.  But first, I asked him some questions:

Do you have the scanning equipment in-house?  The answer was “No.”

“So,” I said,”If you do your project in-house, first you’ll have to make the capital investment to purchase the scanning equipment.”

He agreed that he’d have to do that.

Then, I asked if he had professionals in-house who were able to do the scanning and then work with the scanned files to clean them up and convert them into the CAD program he wants to use.   

Unfortunately, he didn’t, so, in addition to capital equipment expense, he’d also have to increase his overhead with one or two new employees. 

Well, it wasn’t long into this question and answer session, before he began to see the wisdom of outsourcing. 

Then he wanted to know how to pick a firm to do the outsourcing.  I recommended the following points: 

The firm you choose should be Experienced and Professional.  Cad / Cam Services has over 20 years experience in all phases of CAD outsourcing in the architectural, engineering and building industries.  

The work they do should be High Quality.  Cad / Cam Services work is so accurate that we are one of only six firms in the world that is qualified and certified for U.S. Department of Defense scanning and cad conversion work.  

You should check the turn-around time.  Do they offer Fast Service?  At Cad / Cam Services,  we offer 48 hour turnaround on small jobs (fewer than 5 drawings) and we’re equipped to handle rush jobs.  We’re fast on large jobs, too, and we’ll give you an estimated delivery date.

Find out if the conversion shop has job-size limitations.  For instance, with Cad / Cam Services, No job is to big or too small – we handle all jobs, from the largest to the smallest with the same attention to detail and accuracy. 

What’s it going to cost?  At Cad / Cam Services, we have Great Prices because when you deal with us, you’re dealing directly with the conversion shop that does the work, so there’s no middle-man price mark-up.

Finally, find out if they guarantee their work.  At Cad / Cam Services, we offer a No Hassle Guarantee – your work will be CAD Perfect, period. If you’re not completely satisfied, we’ll fix it within 24 hours at no additional cost. If you are not 100% satisfied with us, we will credit your account or refund your money. No hassles, no debate. 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed!

CAD Translations

What is a CAD translation, and how does that differ from Raster to Vector conversion? 

As discussed in our previous blog, raster to vector conversion means taking a scanned raster file, and changing it to a vector file.  However a CAD translation means taking a vector file that is in one format, usable in a particular CAD software application, and changing it, into another vector file that is in a different format, and understandable by a different software application.  In this regard it is similar to translating a document in one language, for instance German, into another language, for instance English. 

Doing CAD translations requires technicians who are fully trained in various sophisticated CAD software packages, and who are able to make the corrections that need to be made when going from one software package to another.  If we continue our analogy from the previous paragraph about translating from one language to another, we can compare to the fact that sometime a word in one language can have several different translations in another language, each with a slightly different meaning.  Only an expert linguist can choose the correct translation to convey the meaning intended in the original manuscript.   It is much the same with CAD translation…only a knowledgeable CAD technician can choose the right interpretation of the drawing in one CAD package to provide a reliable representation in another CAD package. 

We’ve done many successful CAD translations, for instance:

• Autodesk – AutoCAD (any release)
• Bentley – MicroStation Intergraph
• E.S.R.I. – ArcInfo
• IBM – Catia
• IBM – Cadam Pro E
• Computervision – CAD 4 & 5
• Unigraphic
• Autodesk – Step translations (Mechanical Desktop)
• Gerber
• Adobe – PDF
• In addition:  IGES, DXF, HP-GL2, HPGL

And, as we discussed in a previous blog, we support nearly any scanned raster file as well.  If you have specific questions about CAD translations, request information at our website www.cadcam.org

All About Raster to Vector Conversion

Hello out there.  It’s a new week, and we have the scanners warmed up, the technical guys and gals in front of their computers and we’re rolling.  I love coming to work!  Every day is different.  Every project brings new challenges. 

At the end of last week, I was talking to some folks about a CAD Conversion job they want done.  We were specifically discussing raster to vector conversion.  I thought that some of the questions that came up in our conversation would make for a good blog entry this week.  So…here goes…

What is raster to vector conversion?

According to Wikipedia, “vectorization refers to the process of converting raster graphics into vector graphics.”    In very simple terms, this means converting pixels, which are dots of color (raster) like this

 . . . . . . . . . . . into lines (vectors) like this __________.    When you enlarge a raster image, the dots or pixels begin to break apart, like this .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  and you lose the clarity of the image.  (Think about enlarging a photo taken with your digital camera.  On the other hand, a vector image can be enlarged indefinitely without loss of integrity, like this________________________ because it is made of lines, arcs, polygons, etc. 

Why is this concept important?

When you design in CAD, (Computer Aided Design) you have to work with lines, just like you would draw with a pencil, if you were designing on paper.   Here are some sample AutoCAD files. 

How do you convert from raster to vector?

This is where the “magic” comes in, better known as experience and know-how.  CadCam Services uses many different conversion methods. We use CAD conversion products from, GTX, Hitachi, I/Vector, and Softelec.   In addition we have quite a few routines and conversion programs we’ve written ourselves.  Unfortunately we have found that one R/V conversion product does not fit all. It is not uncommon with 100 drawings, that 30% are converted via one (1) method, the next 40% are converted via a different method, and the remaining are hand redrawn. Please do not be mislead with R/V software vendors promising ‘automatic raster to vector conversion’. Simply put, it is not true. These products are tools – and only tools. They all help in our conversion process, but they are not the cure-alls they claim to be. We spend hours, and hours inside of your drawings to get them to be 100% correct.   

Next week, we’ll talk about CAD Translations.

Converting Paper Drawings to CAD Files

We have lots of large format scanning and file conversion jobs going on in our cad conversion shop this week and as usual our scanning and raster to vector conversion experts are going full steam ahead.  One of our more interesting jobs this week is the scanning of hundreds of old construction drawings to bring into a CAD system for update.  It occurred to me that it would an interesting topic to discuss just how we here at Cad/Cam perform the scanning and cad conversion process.

Scanning

The process starts with a high quality scan. The only large format scanners we use to scan work for raster to vector jobs are 4-camera scanners. Image quality is everything here. If two lines are muddied up and appear as a single line how can our drafters know they should be separate? All of our R/V scanners sell for ~ $28-30,000. Once we have the best scanned raster image possible, we rectify the image to make sure it is aligned correctly, scaled correctly, and rectified to make sure it measures correctly on all axes points.

Cad Conversion

We use several different methods to convert drawings into CAD. Sometimes we use heads up digitizing, sometimes we use commercial R/V software, or sometimes we use our own custom written CAD conversion scripts and software. We use the method that provides the best end result CAD conversion for our customers.  We’ve spent years refining this process. Again, one process does not fit all. If you need 100 drawings converted, we might do 30 one way, 30 another, and 40 a third way. There is a learned art to this CAD conversion process. On large ongoing projects we even set up dedicated teams who work only on one project throughout the entire year.

Quality Control

All work is checked by a different member of our drafting department. Our staff shifts to keep the drafters and checkers fresh. All are experienced with a minimum of 3 years of CAD work.  We guarantee our work to be 100% correct, 100% of the time.  No exceptions.  No excuses.

Request Information about CAD Conversion

CAD CAM Services Releases Online R2V Web Edition – A CAD Conversion Software

CAD CAM Services, the largest dealer of large format scanning and CAD Conversion solutions in the USA has launched the Web version of its revolutionary CAD Conversion software – Online R2V. Online R2V’s Web Version, known as R2V 1.0 Web is an unparalleled vectorization system which enables you to upload different drawings and scanned images effortlessly for their digitization into Perfect CAD files.

CAD CAM Services enables you to upload R2V Web 1.0 directly from the Website to convert a large numbers of raster images to vector formats. In addition, R2V Web enables you to convert a variety of architectural, mechanical and technical scanned images, maps, archive drawings, schematic diagrams and photos from raster to vector formats.

While providing the most comprehensive raster to vector conversion service, R2V 1.0 Web version allows you to update, edit and convert drawings, scanned maps, sketches and other graphics in grayscale, color or monochrome automatically from raster to vector.

R2V 1.0 Web edition supports the following features:

* In-built archive within R2V Web 1.0 for storage of drawings
* Produces Perfect CAD files within 48 hours of uploading the scanned files
* Application can be downloaded anytime and from anywhere via the Web
* Unlimited number of raster files can be uploaded for autovectorization
* The conversion process is completely automated
* It allows indexing of images
* Involves no hidden costs

Facilitating a seamless blend of editing and conversion commands, R2V Web produces crisp and clean vector images by digitization and also traces bitmap images for converting them into vector format. CAD CAM’s R2V Web allows a number of different image formats to be downloaded and converted into vector files.

About Us:

Fully AS9100 and GSA certified, CAD CAM Services based in Dallas, provides CAD conversion and Scanning solutions worldwide. Established in 1986, CAD CAM Services has in-house technical staff and resources available to provide raster to vector conversion services to industries – small and large. Successfully serving the needs of various businesses for over 20 years, CAD CAM Services have established themselves as the major player in the Scanning and CAD Conversion industry, backed by extensive experience in providing high quality Computer Aided Design and drafting solutions for any engineering domain.

For more information on our R2V Web services contact us on 800-938-SCAN or visit our website www.online-r2v.com. Email us at sales@cadcam.org for any queries.

Raster to Vector Conversion – Cad Conversion Tools

The process of converting raster graphics to vector graphics is known as vectorization. Raster to vector refers to the technology used in this conversion process. Raster to Vector conversion also known as R2V is used extensively in commercial and industrial applications and converts technical drawings, maps and other graphics from raster to vector formats providing easy archiving and quick access. Mapping and GIS data conversion are highly dependent on this application apart from architectural, construction, engineering, electrical and house plans.

When used in photography, vectorization changes the appearance of the photograph to resemble a painting or drawing. In geographic information systems (GIS) vectorization helps to create maps out of satellite or aerial images. In the field of graphics, this process assists in resizing without any change in the shape of the graph.

Why Vector Images have an Upper Hand

Raster images tend to lose their picture quality when enlarged. This is where vector images come in. A vector image can be easily resized without losing detail. Raster images are made up of pixels while vector images are comprised of lines and curves.

Vector images can be enlarged with smooth curves eliminating any jaggedness and loss of quality. They can be printed at any resolution or size.

Files of converted vector formats are compatible with popular applications such as Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD, and many others. Once a raster image is converted to the vector format, it can be imported to a CAD application and further edited as per requirement. This is a simple method of converting paper-based drawings to CAD drawings for further editing and use.

The Raster to Vector Market Today

There are a number of converters in the market today that perform the task of converting raster images to vector. The raster to vector conversion application offered by Cad Cam services is way ahead of competition. Their Raster to Vector conversion (also known as R2V) provides a seamless blend of editing and conversion commands and converts architectural, mechanical and various technical drawings, maps, archive drawings, schematic diagrams photos and other types of line artwork from raster to different vector formats. Their raster to vector conversion services are used for logo vectorization, vector graphics, vector stencils, vector clipart and vector web icons.

Raster to Vector Conversion Services offered by CAD/CAM Services Inc.:

• Standalone Software – R2V 2.0 Desktop: Our easy-to-use standalone raster to vector product is a Windows-based application for raster-to-vector conversion making it easily accessible for end-users. R2V 2.0 Desktop can be downloaded directly from www.online-r2v.com to edit drawings without converting them to a CAD format. R2V Desktop, a completely automated application, can be used to update and convert graphic images to vector.

• Web Online Version – R2V 1.0 Web: The web version of Online-R2V can be used to upload scanned graphic images that can be easily converted to vector in just 48 hours. Our R2V Web requires no downloading! Simply upload the application through the Web and effortlessly convert raster images to vector. R2V Web enables unlimited number of raster files to be converted and allows updating, editing and digitizing scanned graphic images to vector automatically.

• Cad Perfect™ Services: Get clean, high quality and accurate Cad Perfect™ CAD files for only$125 per file! Within 48 hours of submitting scanned images, Perfect Cad files with real lines, arcs, circles and text as text, are delivered. Besides being a layered and easy-to-use process, CAD/CAM’s CAD Conversion process is a manual redrawing method.

For more information on raster to vector conversion log on to
www.online-r2v.com