Question:
How do I bring an image into OpenRoads SignCAD and vectorize it?
Answer:
You can import or copy/paste an image into OpenRoads SignCAD and vectorize it. It is important to use a high quality image in order to get good results when vectorizing the image. An Image can be thought of as a grid of colored dots that provide a nice picture, a vector graphic has regions defined by edge curves that can be cut in SignCAM.
1) To import a bitmap image into OpenRoads SignCAD, pick File>Import, set Files of type to Image files (*.bmp), select the image file and press Open.
NOTE: You can also paste an image into OpenRoads SignCAD from your clipboard instead of importing it. Open the image in another program on your computer, select it, pick Edit\Copy and then in OpenRoads SignCAD pick Edit\Paste.
2) Right click on the image in OpenRoads SignCAD and pick Edit Data from the floating menu.
3) In the Image dialog box, press the Filter button. If the results shown in the preview windows are not as expected, then press the Restart button, adjust the Threshold and press the Filter button again.
4) Set the desired Proximity Fit (Close is the default setting), press the Outline button and then OK.
5) The image is on the left and the vectorized graphic is shown on the right. Select and delete the image on the workspace. Save the file (File>Save As).
6) The graphic can be resized in the Graphic View and Edit. Right click on the graphic and pick Edit Data from the floating menu. In the Graphic dialog box, press the View and Edit button. In the Graphic View and Edit window, pick Manage>Scale. Set the Width or Height value and the other dimension will automatically adjust if the Scale Proportionally box is checked. Press OK.
7) To change the Fill Color, right click on the graphic, pick Fill Color from the floating menu and select a new color.
8) Pick File>Close and “Yes” to save changes. In the Graphic dialog box, add a Description if desired and press OK. Save the file (File>Save).
Here is a video that shows the workflow for vectorizing an image.