Very hard. One is a pixel format the other is a vector format.
How complex is the design? I have found that a lot of time you spend more time trying to find an automatic conversion program than it would take to make the 2-D outline for needed for the die.
"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."
Looslib, is correct. Do not waste your time i have been there and done that for logo work. Why would you have a engineering drawing as a JPEG anyway? Why not have the original cad data sent as a dxf? My only thought is that someone else did a quote and sent you a jpeg for quoting purposes and now you want to use it, but not the original creator of the file for a job.
I have the file and need to get a die made, a friend is a tool and die maker and asked for the dxf format. I just want to send him the dxf and save him some time
Thanks
At the risk of sounding pompous, I'd ask why your tool and die friend would even want a .dxf of a .jpg.
It's like the guys up above mentioned, the resolution/scale/clarity/continuity of the file would be horrendous, certainly not suitable for a CAD program. You might not be satisfied with the clarity of what you are trying to express after conversion. (This is spoken from experience.)
That, and most Windows computers have a suitable .jpg viewer built right in to the operating system.
The best answer to your question is just to redraw the thing in CAD as a 2D dxf.
I have converted bitmaps to vector files lots of times, some engineering sectors don't see why but there are some sectors that need to do this when pictorial artwork is the only source data and the end result will need to look right but not neccessarily conform to dimensions, toolmakers making tools for pots with decorative 3D images engraved in the tool, Routers cutting decorative designs on furniture, coin manufacturers and companies like Pitney Bowes who will put your artwork on their franking dies. I have used an Israeli vectorising package in the past but now I use the built in vectorising features in Mastercam.
There are several CAM software packages that will convert bitmaps to DXF. Some companies that do flame, plasma, or water jet cutting can do this. I looked at several software packages at IMTS, and even had one company do a test. I can’t remember exactly who did the test but the results were only fair. This link is for CAD/CAM software:
The problem with CAM bitmap conversions is that you must choose a resolution and round off spaces and gaps. Corel Draw will do a poor job of conversion, but it might be enough to get the idea across.
I have used Rast2Vec, (an add-on for Mastercam.)
It worked about as good as you would expect.
However,raster's and pixels will never have the Quailty you need for precision machining, except for artwork.
Take a bit map file,(which is a group of small squares),
then blow it up, and you will see what I mean.
Rast2Vect will try and trace along the jaged edges, and try
an make smooth edges, by using various techniques such as splines. Then there is scaling you must do as well.
Bill
I have used correl draw to do this. I believe there are also some shareware/freeware programs that will do this that you can get from download.com, but I have had more limited success with these programs.
