DigiCad 3D 8.5 review

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An excellent tool for dealing with images, drawings, photographs of building facades and maps.

License: Trial
OS: Mac OS X
File size: 15203K
Developer: Interstudio
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Price: $162.00
Updated: 08 Dec 2006
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An excellent tool for dealing with images, drawings, photographs of building facades and maps. It operates either directly on raster images or by digitization.

It is used in photogrammetry, cartography and, increasingly in recent years, in architectural photogrammetry, for which it offers powerful, easy-to-use and exclusive instruments, like elimination of perspective distortion from flat and curved surfaces, elimination of optical deformation, mosaics, correction and geo-referencing of maps, straightening up curved surfaces, transparency control and others.

Elimination of perspective distortion
Based on four or five fixed points of reference, you can operate directly on the image or on elements drawn on the image.
In the first instance, you obtain a new image without perspective distortion and to scale. In the second case, if the original image is digitized, the Dynamic Attach feature allows you to view both the digitized drawing and the straightened drawing on screen at the same time. So you have total control and increased flexibility – you can check the accuracy of your data as you work.

Partial transformation
It is possible to transform just a part of an image, delimited by a polygon, drawn either on the original image or where it is to be transformed. This function, along with the new possibilities for transparency described below, enables you to select relevant details from the original images or photos – construction details, decoration, frescoes, special materials, damaged elements, etc.

Transparent imagesResulting images can be transparent or opaque. A transparent image can be superimposed on drawings or other images and is totally see-through. For example, you could superimpose a particular construction detail over a technical drawing or one map over another. An opaque image obviously covers whatever is beneath it.

Mosaics
Mosaic work is easy with DIGICAD 3D 7.1. You can join confining or superimposed images such as construction details within a building facade, or two maps scanned to different scales. The accuracy of the mosaic is guaranteed by the common origin of the fixed measurements, by the transparency of the images and by their delimitation.
DIGICAD 3D 7.0 can also join a number of images with missing parts.

Two-points transformation
Four attach points are not always necessary to transform an image. If a part of the original photo is perfectly rectangular, then the two extremes of the diagonal are sufficient as attach points.

Approximated transformation without measurements
Even without precise or detailed measurements, it is possible to make an attempt at transformation, using those elements held to be vertical or horizontal.

Straightening up curved surfaces
Even without precise or detailed
Elimination of optical deformation

Wide-angle, or other special lenses can cause serious optical deformation to images ; straight lines can become curves and a flat surface can take on the familiar 'barrel' or 'cushion' appearance.
DigiCad 3D can eliminate this type of deformation, by using the Mesh function.

Correction and georeferencing of maps
As with images, so maps can have perspective distortion eliminated , removing distortions on the support material or errors in copying, scanning and printing. DigiCad 3D allows one to work on maps joining and superimposing raster and vectorial maps and to define any kind of mapping coordinate references.

Digitalization
DigiCad 3D can digitize from graphic tablets, digitizers or directly on screen, from scanned images or digital photos. It is compatible with all major programs and has no problem in accepting drawings and photographs in any format and measuring 2D and 3D geometric values.

It is possible to use large format drawings, notwithstanding the size of your tablet, scanner or the image itself. You can also superimpose, join or modify portions of drawings using the automatic Re-attach procedures.
On technical and architectural drawings it is possible to insert reference markers and to block horizontal, vertical, perpendicular or parallel scrolling.

A special calculator computes from drawings and existing documents a varied and large amount of data, such as lengths, areas, barycenters, static moment, costs, volumes, coordinates, angles – data which can then be elaborated by mathematical or financial programs, spreadsheets, etc.

Textures
DIGICAD 3D is the ideal tool for creating textures from photos of facades or construction details, decorations, paintings and even whole facades for use on simplified 3D models. Textures selected for use on 3D elements with a rendering program must be completely flat.

Importing - Exporting
DIGICAD 3D has extremely flexible procedures for importing and exporting, which make it compatible with all other programs.
The digitized drawing or transformed image can be transferred to other applications using cut-and-paste, filed in GIF, JPEG, TIF, PICT, BTM, 3D DXF or DWG, ASCII XYZ, Minicad, Domus.Cad and others graphic formats.
You can import documents in XYZ-ASCII format and drawings in DWG, DXF, CXF, PICT, (Mac), BTM (Win) and WMF (Win).

Here are some key features of "DigiCad 3D":
Architectural elevations from photographs
Elimination of perspective distortion
Partial transformation
Mosaic work
Transparent images can be superimposed on technical drawings and bitmaps
Regular- or irregularly curved surfaces can be straightened out
Optical deformation caused by photo lenses can be eliminated
Approximate and precise transformation
Perspective and Linear Transformation
Ability to work with large format drawings
Automatic union of parts of drawings
Attach function for 2, 4, and 5 points
Direct transformation of photos or scanned images
Geo-reference
Elimination of map distortions
Creation of texture from photos
Snap and Block functions
Ability to move elements or groups of elements
Direct integration with Nonio C, and Domus. Cad
Import in PICT (Mac Os), BMP (Win), EWMF (WIN), DWG, DXF, XYZ and CXF formats
Export in PICT (Mac Os), , BMP (Win), EWMF (WIN), DWG, DXF XYZ, Domus.Cad and Minicad formats
Support of the most common tablet models and serial and ADB digitizers (Classic version).
Internal driver for direct plotting HP-GL/2 (Classic version)

What's new in this version:
Regular- or irregularly curved surfaces can be straightened out
Optical deformation caused by photo lenses can be eliminated
Photographic plans can be created, based on mathematical digital terrain models
Perspective and Linear Transformation
New User Interface
Many other

Limitations:
30 days trial

DigiCad 3D 8.5 keywords