TracTrix 5 Software Manual

TracTrix™ 5 Software ManualTrix Systems ABSodra Gubberogatan 8, 416-63 Gothenburg, SWEDEN Phone: +46-31 337 90 90Fax: +46-31 337 90 99 Email: support@trixsystems.seTrix Systems, Inc.68 Smith Street, Chelmsford, MA 01824-1711, USA Phone: +1-978-256-4445Fax: +1-978-256-9593 Email: support@Copyright Trix Systems Inc. and Trix Systems AB, 2005. All rights reserved. Manual Rev 5.3Legal Notice and DisclaimerNothing from this manual may be reproduced, transferred, copied or translated to any language, in any form or by any means for any purpose. Trix Systems does not make any guarantees, neither expressed nor suggested which includes all implied guarantees, that the program will work properly when operated in a careless way or if the system does not meet the system demands. Trix Systems disclaims any responsibility of direct or indirect damage that may be caused by loss of information, computer standstill or any other loss of data or any damage that may be caused by the program.Licenses and TrademarksTrix Systems, Trix RasterServer, Trix ImageMaker, Trix Organizer, Trix TracTrix and TracTrix are trade marks of Trix Systems AB and Trix Systems, Inc. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trade names referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.Trix Systems reserves the right to change and improve the product. All examples and symbols used in the manual are made up and Trix Systems disclaims all responsibility for any resemblance.CAUTIONSFile formats are not standards. Variations of individual file formats exist and formats continuously evolve. Any two files sharing a common file suffix or format may not contain identically structured data. Where the software described in this manual is used to open, display, print, create or otherwise manipulate or transfer files it is the user's sole responsibility to inspect the results in order to assure accuracy and fitness for purpose. Trix Systems cannot be held liable for any omissions, additions or changes in content. The existence of variations in any format means that different software applications and computer systems, regardless of vendor, may display or print the same file differently. We recommend that you establish and employ procedures to assure yourself that the information contained in your files is presented with the integrity and consistency necessary for your purposes.Other Trix softwareTo batch convert CAD files to rasters or PDF we offer Trix RasterServer. And to archive and manage your files for easy retrieval we offer Trix Organizer. We also have software to convert vector PDFs to DXF. Details of these and other Trix software can found at our Web site or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Tools menu in TracTrix.CONTENTSSection 1: Introduction (1)The difference between raster and vector files (1)Installation (2)Quick Starts (2)Section 2: Tutorials (4)Raster to Vector Conversion (4)Converting text to vector text (12)Converting color images (15)DWG/DXF/HPGL vector to raster conversion (17)Section 3: Reference (18)Definitions (18)Table of Functions and Icons (18)General functions (23)Raster specific functions (34)Vector specific functions (48)Advanced Functions (56)Scales and Scaling (57)Other topics (59)Appendices (63)Appendix A - Supported formats (63)Appendix B - Inch to mm conversion table for pen files (68)Appendix C: Troubleshooting (69)Index (71)Section 1: IntroductionTracTrix 5 provides the CAD user with a multipurpose application for•Converting raster images such as scans to editable CAD vectors•Converting DWG, DXF and HPGL files to PDF and raster images•Converting from one raster format to another•Viewing and marking up•Printing•Raster image editing•The manual is divided into 3 sections: Section 1 introduces the software and provides quick-start instructions; Section 2 provides Tutorials; Section 3 is the reference section which describes functions in more detail.The difference between raster and vector filesTracTrix handles and converts between two different types of image files. It is important to understand the difference because each type contains different information.The first type is the raster image, produced when you scan a document or when you take a ‘screen shot’ of a computer screen. It is usually a single layer of information stored in the computer file as rows of‘dots’.The second type is the vector image. This can be a DWG or DXF file created in a CAD application such as AutoCAD, or an HPGL file (usually with the extension .PLT) created by a plotter driver in a CAD application. Vector files can contain more information than raster files. There may be multiple layers and views in a single vector file. And vector files may use font descriptions stored elsewhere on your computer as TrueType or AutoCAD SHX fonts. One vector file may ‘call’ other vector files to display as part of the overall image. These are called external references or x-ref files.TracTrix enables you to simultaneously open raster and vector files, and toggle between them. It creates a perfect tracing environment, from prepping the raster image to precise vector editing for a near CAD-perfect file. The tools and functions available are many, yet all simple to use. The tools will differ according to the type of file that is open and active.InstallationThe zipped archive you received contains 4 files: TTV5US.exe, TSLM5US.exe,, TrixTracTrixManual.pdf (this manual), and TrixActivationManual.pdf.These instructions are for a single-user install. (If you have purchased a multi-user network license use the instructions in the manual TrixActivationManual.pdf instead.)1) Run TTV5US.exe to install your TracTrix software (you don't have to do this if you already have the demo installed).2) Run TSLM5US.exe to install the License Manager.3) Start the Trix Systems License Manager application and select the New License. Enter the serial number that was supplied to you.Follow the instructions on screen to register the software.You will then receive an email with your activation code. Be sure to complete the activation by then reopening the Trix Systems License Manager software, selecting 'Enter Activation Code' and entering the code.Quick StartsThese quick-starts do not serve as substitutes for the tutorials in the next section. We include them so you can quickly learn the basic processes.Raster to VectorTo start TracTrix, click on the TracTrix icon on your Desktop or use StartÆProgramsÆTracTrix 5. EXAMPLE 1: Converting a logoSelect FileÆOpen and select Logo.tif from the Examples folder installed in the TracTrix program directory.Click on the yellow Vectorize diamond .Select Logotype in the pull-down settings menu, then click onStart to the right of the settings panel.TracTrix creates blue vectors along the outline of the logo.Save the vectors using FileÆSave vectors as… to see howthey export to your CAD or NC application.EXAMPLE 2: Converting a planSelect FileÆOpen and select Plan1.tif from the Examples folder installed in the TracTrix program directory.Click on the Vectorization tool .Select Architecture in the pull-down settings menu. Click on Start. TracTrix creates blue vectors along the centerlines of the plan.Zoom in. The zoom-in magnifying glass tool may function differently from those you have previously used. In TracTrix you have control over exactly how much you zoom. Use the zoom by holding downthe left mouse button and dragging a rectangle around the area you wish to examine. When you release the button the selected rectangle is zoomed to full screen.Select a blue vector line by clicking once on it. Then right mouse click to see vector editing functions. After editing save the vectors using FileÆSave vectors as...to export them for use in your CAD application.DWG/DXF/HPGL to Raster ConversionThis is vector to raster conversion and enablesyou to produce highly legible raster and PDFfiles from DWG, DXf and HPGL (PLT) CADformats.Start TracTrix. Select FileÆOpen andnavigate to the Examples folder in theTracTrix 5 directory. Select hvac.dwg.When the image appears on screen select FileÆPrint.In the print dialog box that appears check the ‘To Raster’ radio button.Click Properties.Click on ‘…’ to adjust the path in the ‘File name:’ field.In the Size pull-down menu select ANSI D (34 x 22 in.). Click OK, then click Print.The DWG will be rasterized and saved to the path you specified.As the Open raster file box was checked the new raster will automatically open in a new tab in TracTrix.Section 2: TutorialsBefore you start: The first tutorial on Raster to Vector conversion is substantially longer than the seconf tutorial on Vector to Raster . We suggest you allow an hour to complete the Raster to Vector tutorial and ten minutes for the Vector to Raster tutorial.Tutorials are time-consuming because they cover a great deal of detail and require a fair amount of reading. Once you understand the conversion techniques described in these tutorials you will producefatser and better conversions.Raster to Vector ConversionYou should have TracTrix 5 installed and availablefor the tutorial.What comes out of your scanner?Imagine we’ve scanned this picture of a pair of bootsand we’re viewing it on our computer screen. We seecontinuous lines.But if we zoom-in on the tiny circled area on the trimat the top of the left-hand boot we’d see somethinglike this:The scanner has created the ‘lines’ usingindividual square dots. The dots are known aspixels when viewed on a computer screen. It’sconventional to refer to them as dots only in thecontext of scanner resolutions (as in dots perinch or dpi).Where black dots are clustered together we seelines. Where white dots are clustered togetherwe see nothing (although the white dots areactually there).Any file in which pictures are saved as asequence of black and white or different coloreddots is called a raster file . And any picture p way is called a raster image . Scanners create rasterimages and nothing else. They cannot create vectors. Thesame is true for digital cameras and 'paint' softwareprograms.resented thisRaster images are wonderful for viewing or printing. Thisis because our eyes and brain interpret what is a line andwhat is not. Unfortunately raster images are completelyuseless for any computer software which depends onvector descriptions of lines. CAD, CAM, numericalcontrol and GIS software can only do their job withvectors. So TracTrix software traces the little dots thatform the raster lines and automatically converts the linesinto vectors. In the illustration to the right you can see how TracTrix converts the raster image of the boots to vector lines.Instead of being made up of hundreds of little dots each line is now described by control points and mathematical coordinates, and descriptions of curves and lines. These are the vectors.A single control point on a vector line now represents the corner on the trim that we previously zoomed-in on.If we look at the vectors we’ve created on top of the original Array raster lines (as you can do in TracTrix) we see something likethis:The vector lines have been created along the dots that make upthe original raster lines. This is at the core of how TracTrixworks.Why have we devoted so much time to explaining what araster is and how it differs from a vector? Because to get thebest out of TracTrix it pays to start with a good quality scanand use TracTrix raster editing tools to optimize the rasterbefore it is converted to vectors. Understanding that a raster is made up of masses of little dots is key tothis process.Creating vectors from rastersWhat it takes for successful vectorizationThere are normally four distinct stages in raster to vector conversion:1) Scanning the image to be vectorized;2) Editing the raster image created by the scan;3) Conversion to vectors;4) Cleaning up the new vectors.Successful Vectorization Rule #1: Attention to the preparatory work saves on clean up later Scanning for best resultsYour scanner provides you with a variety of options. While these settings are quite independent ofTracTrix, your choices from these options can radically effect vectorizing performance. The two keyscanning options to consider before using TracTrix are resolution and bit depth.Resolution is usually set as a measure of dots per Array inch (or dpi). This is the number of raster dotsyour scanner will create for each inch of paper itscans. This is very important for accurate vectorcreation. In general, TracTrix prefers that the linesin the raster image are at least three pixels wide onscreen.By setting the scanner resolution high enough weensure that lines in the raster contain enoughpixels across their width. At the same time wedon't want to set resolution any higher thannecessary because this slows down the conversion process.To see the reason for the 3-pixel width requirement take a look at the picture to the right. It shows a raster image consisting of single pixel wide lines. Take a pencil and try to draw a centerline through the line of pixels.It's quite difficult to draw smooth curves through these pixels. And TracTrix experiences the same sort of difficultyThe illustration below shows the extreme right hand portion of the previous image, but this time scanned at four times the previous resolution. Looking across any line you'll see at least three pixels. It’s much easier to draw a continuous smooth line through the centerline of these pixel strings.Scans with lines at least three pixels wide provide betterinformation for TracTrix to calculate and create smoothervectors. You can ensure that your scans have 3-pixel wide linesby selecting a high enough resolution in your scanner’ssettings. Next we'll apply this rule to a real scan.Scanning directly into TracTrixYou can scan directly into TracTrix if you have a TWAINcompliant scanner installed.Open the Examples folder and open the tawademo.tif file. Then print it. Wewill be using the print as an example for scanning into TracTrix. (The image is shown on the next page of the manual.)If you do not have a scanner, you can simply open tawademo.tif in the TracTrix Examples folder to simulate a scan you’ve done.The thinnest line on this print appears to be between 0.010" and 0.020"(0.25mm - 0.5mm) wide. To scan this to create 3 pixels width in the rasterlines we need to set a scanner resolution of 400 dots per inch (dpi). Place the tawademo print in your scanner. Align the edges of the print along the edge of the scanner bed. (TracTrix can de-skew vectors, but lining up the print now will save youediting work later.) Scanner software is different for each make of scanner, so we cannot give you specific instructions. If you cannot locate the setting controls for your scanner’s software, refer to the manual that came with the scanner software.If it's not already open, start TracTrix using Start ÆPrograms ÆTracTrixfrom your Windows desktop menu bar. Select your TWAIN compliantscanner by using Select source under the File menu (you need only do thisthe first time you use the scanner with TracTrix).To begin scanning, select File ÆAcquire Image . Thiswill launch your scanner's control software.When the scanner software window appears set the resolution for the scan to the 400 dots per inch suggested for the tawademo print.Next set your scanner to scan the image as a black & white, 1-bit, image. We do this because tawademo is a black and white image--it contains no gray-scale tones or colors. Various terms are used to describe this setting control in different scanner software packages. Look for names that are synonymous with a 1-bit image such as 1 bit-depth , 1 bit color-depth , line art or monochrome .Check also that the scanner is set to scan at 100% scaling.If your scanner software supports a preview mode, click on this. The scanner will run and a preview image will appear on your screen. Examine the preview image. You may need to adjust your scanner's brightness control to make the lines on the image as bold, crisp and clear as possible.When you are satisfied with the appearance, click on the button that instructs your scanner to complete the scan (it may be labeled Final , Scan , or something of this sort.)The scanner will run again and the tawademo image will appear in the TracTrix window. By carefully choosing the scanner settings, you'll have the best possible raster image for vectorization in TracTrix. Successful Vectorization Rule #2: Good quality vectors start with good quality scans.Next—Raster EditingIf the TracTrix window containing the tawademo image isn't alreadymaximized, maximize it now. The image on your TracTrix screenshould then look like this.TracTrix provides a variety of raster editing tools. In this tutorial we will use the eraser tool and the pen tool. Start by selecting the Zoom Intool in the menu bar. Position the cursor close to the blob of dirtjust to the left of the word 'image'. Hold down the left mouse buttonand drag diagonally across the blob. When the dashed box surrounds the blob release the mouse. TracTrix zooms in on the blob. Now use the eraser to remove it.Click on the Raster Eraser tool icon . Click the right mouse buttonand select Properties . Set the eraser width to pixels and click on OK. Move the cursor over the blob. Hold down the left mouse button anddrag back and forth over the blob to erase it. Now select the Zoom outtool or use your mouse roller. TracTrix reverts back to displaying the entire image..tix files are used by TracTrix to store your work. Raster, vector and markup data are stored together in the tix file. These are known as hybrid files. Now save your work. Select Save Work from the File menu. You will beprompted to save the file with a name with the suffix .tix . Enter whatevername you want (for example, tawa.tix ).Now use theZoom in tool to zoom-in on the 'feathers' at the verytop of the image. The tips of the top two feathers are missing. Use the Raster pen tool to correct this error.Select the pen tool . The cursor changes to a pen. Click theright mouse button and select Properties. Set the pen width to 5pixels and click on OK.Use the pen tool to draw in the tips of the feathers. If you make mistakes use the eraser tool to correct them. Don't worry about being too exact. You should end up with something like this.Go to File Æ Save raster as…. Select CALS Type 1 from theSave as type menu. Enter tawademo.cal as the file name andclick on Save . You've now saved a copy of the raster file thatyou opened or scanned in, and the edits you made to it. In thisexercise, you chose the CALS format for convenience when we refer to the file later in the manual--any supported raster file format could have been chosen.You've now used the eraser to eliminate dirt and the pen to add missingdetail. The image is now ready for vectorization. But before we go on, takea moment to experiment with zooming in on the Precision of the rasterimage. Zoom down until you can see the individual pixels (at high levelsof zoom a grid will automatically appear so that you can see the individual pixels). TIP: Just because we’re using computers doesn’t mean we have to ignore pens, erasers, or white-out. If you see blemishes on prints, it’s often just as simple to make corrections on them before scanning.You should see that the edges of the raster lines are quite jaggy in many places when viewed asindividual pixels. Junctions between lines are often irregular. TracTrix can deal with most of this. By dealing with the major raster irregularities and omissions you'll assist TracTrix in its automatic conversion in the next stage.Successful Vectorization Rule #3:It's quicker to clean up problems in a raster before they become bigger problems as vectorsConverting the raster to vectorsYou and your designs are unique. No one else in the world will use TracTrix quite like you do.TracTrix has some easy-to-use settings so that you can adjust to control exactly how TracTrix converts your images to vectors. In this exercise we are going to vary these settings to see how TracTrix creates different results based on the settings you choose.Outline ConversionYou should have TracTrix open and your tawademo scan upon screen. (Open the tawademo.cal file if you are returningto the tutorial.) Click on the Vectorize icon to open theStart Vectorization window.When you first launch TracTrix the default setting is thebasic <TracTrix> setting. Additional pre-defined settings can befound by clicking on the v to the right of the word <TracTrix>.You’re going to start by vectorizing tawademo using the outlinesettings. Select Outline instead of <TracTrix>. Click on Adjust toopen the Trace Settings window.In the first box Trace Method is set to Outline vectorization. Thismeans TracTrix will create lines along the outside edges of theraster lines.Now click on the Adjustments tab. The new window containssettings for the Trace Parameters .The Precision parameter is set to 0.2mm. This tells TracTrix tofollow the raster lines so that the vectors created are never more than 0.2mmaway from the original raster. You may want to think of this as the settingfor the level of detail you want from TracTrix. If you prefer to work ininches go to ‘settings’ under ‘tools’ and change ‘units’ from mm to inches.For the tutorial we use metric units. After the tutorial, if you are working in imperial decimal units, you can change to this using the Tools →Settings menu.The Noise parameter tells TracTrix what size of speckle is to be ignored.Many raster images have very small areas of dirt on them where linesmay have been erased or dust particles appear as black specks. As we donot want these to appear as vectors we tell TracTrix to ignore them. Thecurrent setting is 0.2mm. This means TracTrix will ignore any group ofpixels less than 0.2mm across. The other settings enable even finertuning of TracTrix conversion. To keep this tutorial simple we'll skip these for now.We are sometimes asked why we wouldn’t want absolute precision. There are two primary reasons: The closer you follow your original jaggy raster, the more vector entities you will create, and this can create unmanageably large CAD files; Also, the raster lines are imperfect in the first place because of cumulative discrepancies from original drafting, paper stretch, and scanner wobble. There is no point in absolutely replicating an already somewhat imperfect original.Now let's see what happens when you convert the tawademo imageusing these settings. Close the windows. Check that the Outline setting isstill showing in the pull-down menu. Then click on Start . The cursorchanges to an hourglass. The progress of the vectorization is shown in the foot of the TracTrix window. In a few secondsvectorization is complete and blue vector lines appear overlaying the black of the tawademo raster scan.Now use the zoom tool to zoom in closely anywhere you choose on the image. You'll see how the blue vector lines smoothly flow around the jaggy edges of the underlying raster image, always keeping within the 0.2mm limit set in the Precision setting. You'll also see how TracTrix has handled intersections.To scroll about the drawing at the same zoomdepth select the Pan tool. The cursor changes to a hand. Holding the left mouse button down and moving the cursor moves the drawing. Nowclick on the Show Raster icon. This switchesoff the display of the raster. You can now seethe vector lines without the black raster lines underneath. To see the underlying raster againclick again on the Show Raster icon . Whenyou want to return to see the entire image, click on the Zoom all icon.TIP: When would you want outline vectorization rather than centerline? Typically you'd use this when you have a large filled raster area in silhouette, such as a logo, where you want to have vector definitions of the edges.Centerline ConversionNow we'll do the conversion again, but this time we'll create centerline vectors. We first have to delete the outline vectors we just created. Click the Vector Editing tool in the left-hand menu bar. (The icon then appears as a 'depressed' button.) Then go to the Edit menu above and click on Select all . Everyblue vector line on the screen will be highlighted with gray control points. Press the Delete key on your keyboard. All the vectors will disappear, leaving the original raster on screen.To create centerline vectors go back to the Vectorize icon. When the Start Vectorization window appears select the Mechanical setting from the pull-down menu. Click on Adjust . The setting forMaximum line thickness , which was previously grayed out, is now available. Increase this setting to its maximum, 2.0mm. In the Drawing Entities box select Beziers and lines.and straight lines and connect individual vector line segments together. Now click on the Adjustments tab to take a look at the other settings.Adjust the Precision to 0.14mm. Leave Noise set to 0.2mm.Return to the Settings Tab. Move your cursor to the Settings field andselect the text Mechanical. Delete it and key in 'Tawa demo'. Then click on Save . This creates apermanent record of the settings used for centerline conversion of the Tawa image and names it 'Tawa demo'. Click OK to close the Trace settings window.The words 'Tawa demo' should now appear in the box. This shows that the settings you just saved will be used for the vectorization. Click on Start . TracTrix will start converting the image to vectors. This time it will create the vectors following the centerlines of the original lines within the +/- 0.14mm set for Precision in the Trace parameters box . When the vectorization is complete the blue vector lines are displayed on screen. Use the Save tool to save your work. Name it tawademo.tix . This .tix file contains a copy of your original raster image and the vectors created from it.The .tix format is used only by TracTrix to save and store work. It cancontain raster only or hybrid raster with vector images.To meet your unique needs you should review settings before every new conversion. When you find a setting that optimizes conversion for a particular batch of prints or design task, save it so you can reuse it later by simply selecting the setting name in the settings menu. Exercise : In your own time we suggest you experiment with the effect ofchanging the Precision setting in the Trace parameters box. Start byzooming in on the vectors we've just created. Note how closely they followthe original center lines. Then delete all the vectors (see the instructionsearlier on how to do this). Change the Precision settings and vectorizeagain. Zoom in and examine the new vectors. You'll see howthis change in setting effects how closely TracTrix followsthe original. See the examples opposite.Although TracTrix settings are simple, it pays to think aboutthem before each vectorization. Once you haveexperimented a little with the effects of changing the settingsyou'll find it easy to establish the optimum settings.Successful Vectorization Rule #4:Careful selection of trace settings will optimize the type and quantity of vector entities you create.Editing the vectors you've createdTracTrix provides tools to edit the newly created vectors. Close whatever windows you have open in TracTrix and use FileÆOpen to open the tawademo.tix file in your Examples folder. Use the zoom tool to zoom in on the text in the lower right-hand corner of the image. You should see something like this:。