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How do I convert a picture/document into a sketch?

evan_rosenauevan_rosenau Member Posts: 2 ✭
in Community Support
I was wondering when I import a picture how to change it into a sketch

Answers

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    mahirmahir Member, Developers Posts: 1,291 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    There is no automatic method in Onshape, barring an add-on that I'm not aware of, to automatically convert a picture to a sketch. You can insert a picture into a sketch and manually draw sketch geometry over it. See my example below.

    https://cad.onshape.com/documents/57acdfaae4b005c413ed9b6f/w/3fd585a46d3af1b3ba413c53/e/e5bdf34d7618a0c8cd011f19

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    brian_jordanbrian_jordan Member, Developers Posts: 139 ✭✭✭
    Similar to @mahir's example above this document has coasters and cutters designed using the imported jpeg shown in tab transformerface-2.jpg 
    https://cad.onshape.com/documents/24ebbb4af61fa4df9922bdc7/w/4c49a71723e8bf4c8446e57f/e/309093e0c22fd4eaaa5a8371

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    wayne_sauderwayne_sauder Member, csevp Posts: 478 PRO
    I don't have much experience but this site might be able to convert it before you import it if that would work. https://www.scan2cad.com/
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    Jake_RosenfeldJake_Rosenfeld Moderator, Onshape Employees, Developers Posts: 1,646
    Also if you are getting your picture from some kind of professional source, you may be able to get it as DXF or DWG, which will come into the sketch as sketch entities.
    Jake Rosenfeld - Modeling Team
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    david_desaulniersdavid_desaulniers Member Posts: 1 ✭
    I can import and get a picture in a new tab but cannot get it into my sketch, Nothing shows in pane when I open Insert in sketch mode.
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    bruce_williamsbruce_williams Member, Developers Posts: 842 PRO
    mmm -   Insert Image should work fine once you have Imported a picture file.  Best to make a seperate sketch for just your image.  Then make sure to Draw image rectangle after choosing image. 

    See help on Insert Image here.

    Another tip is to make your original image to the boundaries of the part.  Then sizing & positioning it during insert is easier.


    www.accuratepattern.com
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    john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,898 PRO
    What is the file type of the picture?
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    david_urufudavid_urufu Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    I know this is an old thread, but i was in the same situation and trying to make a sketch just using splines, dots, rectangles, lines etc. is very, very unacurate and tedious way how to do this. Use some online picture-to-dxf converter (like https://convertio.co/jpg-dxf/) and You're done in a few seconds - the quality of converted file depends on the quality of the picture. Then import the .dxf file into the sketch.
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    mahirmahir Member, Developers Posts: 1,291 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yep, In the years since this thread I would typically use Inkscape to autotrace and export a DXF. I'm sure there are plenty of similar options, but I usually have Inkscape installed anyway to do some light vector art editing.
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    eric_pestyeric_pesty Member Posts: 1,504 PRO
    I have tried some online tools in the past and found Inkscape did a much better job (and gives you some control to adjust the result)
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