Photo to 2D CAD conversion?

[dpb]

Recommendation re: subject line?

Want to do some remodel; thought if possible would like to start w/ import of a photo of existing elevation of the affected side; would make roof line angles, etc., simpler than trying to measure/estimate from 2nd floor, etc.

Knowing there's a number here who use digital tools extensively, I'd be interested in suggestions.

For starters, while am engineer, my forte/field _never_ had anything that required me to draw and my "career" in Eng'g Graphics has been limited to the mandatory course in freshman uni (which I managed to scrape by in but didn't enroll in the req'd 2nd semester because I heard rumors the NE department was going to reduce the reqm't from 2-2hr to one 3-hr course so figured they would let me get by w/ another technical elective when it came time to graduate :) ).

All as a way of saying I have essentially no current knowledge; I have a couple of _VERY_ old 2D CAD programs I did use "back when" if did absolutely have to produce a drawing for something...

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[Swingman]

Will cost you nothing to try:

[dpb]

...

Well, there's another problem -- being rural out of range of cable and nearest wireless tower, utub w/ dialup isn't much feasible... :(

It'd take all night (at least) to just update the version of Sketchup I did once download onto CD while still working in TN that did have broadband connection but that's >10 yr ago since returned to farm...

Tried an image to CAD converter but the particular one I chose to try at least didn't have flexibility to do much and it got excessively cornfoozed by the detail instead of being able to just pick out the major structure outlines that was hoping for...

Guess paper/pencil from print and some scaling will do...

Thanks for the (obvious to one who has the technology at hand) response anyway...

[Swingman]

Sorry to get your hopes up but it sounds like any modern solution with regard to software is going to present the same issues to you.

Too bad, the photo match feature in SU is designed to do exactly what you are looking for.

Can i, we, someone, perhaps send you a CD with the software on it?

[dpb]

Thanks for the offer, but first let me talk to elder son who's self-employed networking support type in Raleigh and see if I can talk him into doing same...

They keep talking of expanding broadband into the western 2-3rds of state area, but w/ current governor and the budget crunch there isn't going to be any State grant money in the foreseeable future nor much chances of the matching local/state monies for federal...

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[Lobby Dosser]

Take a 90 degree photo and get it printed to 8x10, then use tracing graph paper over the photo. Could also get multiple plain paper copies of the photo and do cut outs to help with the design process. If you take photos at

90 degrees from the center of all sides and paste the prints to cardboard, you can make a 3d scale model of your house. Be sure that all photos are taken from the Same distance and the camera is at the same height and the lens parallel to the ground. A tripod is helpful. Google 'cardboard modeling for more suggestions and ideas.

Good luck, LD

[Tim W]

I am just about to start doing the same thing but to draw some plans from a photograph of an old piece of furniture, not a building.

I am thinking it will be useful to have a digital image and be able to draw lines over it. Not to trace the whole image but to take off angles and to measure proportions correctly. I'll be using an old copy of Turbocad because that is what I have and that is what I used to use when I did that kind of work. I started looking at it in an old version of Paint Shop Pro with a free 'screen ruler' for measuring with and even that was pretty useful.

Good luck,

Tim W

[RicodJour]

Definitely have someone send you SketchUp on a CD. It's nifty. It's not a true CAD program, and I'm not sure of your CAD experience - you might have some un-learning to do, but it's fairly fast to get up and running and it's customizable. Check out Sketchy Physics as well. I think that will appeal to you, too.

I think it was the EU that just declared broadband access a human right, or something like that. Maybe you have an abuse of your civil rights lawsuit on your hands... ;)

R

[basilisk]

There is always satelitte isp, I have had Wildblue for about 2 yrs. It is horrendously expensive compared to cable or DSL, about $90 a month with all the taxes and fees for 17GB limit before hitting their fair access policy. It has been reliable, hasn't been off more than 5 hours in two years.

I used to keep an extra phone line and leave it dialled up 24/7, so going to wildblue didn't quite double my cost. :(

I expect that anyone that had become accustom to DSL or cable would be dissappointed with satelitte internet, personally not having been so spoiled, it has lived up to its claims.

basilisk

[kaylward]

Sounds like it would just be easier to measure the Rise/Run relationship and calculate your slope. Just take a level up to your attic from inside the house, tack a plumb line, set the level, then measure down and then accross. Once you establish this ratio it will be the same, unless you have a roof with dual pitches (check that too). Then it's just a matter of measuring the width of the house, and applying your ratio to the run distance. Hope this helps.

[Tim W]

[...]

Job done here. I too had to remind myself how to use an old copy of Turbocad v7 but it all came back to me. My procedure was as follows.

in Model Space import the bmp image and draw some lines over it tracing something you know the true dimension of. Use the scale factor to alter the size of the bitmap so that the contents of the image are 'actual size'. Measure other dimensions off the image as required. Easy.

I might post the results, but in another thread.

Tim W

[Seismo R. Malm]

Inkscape has got a vector tracing option. Works very well with drawings, not so well with photos.

seismo malm