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VextraSoft

Vextractor. Raster to vector convertion sofrware.

Vextractor is a professional software for converting raster images to vector (vectorizer). Vextractor converts drawings, maps and other images, including photo, logos, black-and-white illustrations from raster to vector format. The program can save converted raster images to the following vector formats: DXF, WMF, EMF, EPS, AI or SVG. Files of these vector formats can be imported to popular vector graphics applications like AutoCAD, Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator, and many others. For the purpose of supporting GIS applications, the program allows saving images to the ArcInfo Shape and MapInfo MID/MIF formats. This software is a perfect replacement for the traditional tracing and digitizing. It can save lots of your time, for it is much quicker to use this program rather than do the tracing by hand or using a digitizer.

Why Do You Need Vextractor?

Chances are these days you can open raster files (e.g., BMP, TIFF, PNG, JPG) with your favorite CAD program - the majority of modern CAD programs can import and display raster images. However, as soon as you import your raster file in your CAD program, you will find out that all you can do with it is just view it and trace it over. You are unable to modify or edit the raster as easily as you can do vector data. That takes place because CAD software can only work with vector files. If you want to edit raster files in a CAD application you are to convert them to vector files first. That can be done with a raster to vector conversion program (vectorizer). Once your raster image is converted to the vector format, you will be able to import it in your CAD application and then edit it like any other drawings that you do with your CAD application.

The list below summarizes the conversion of hard-copy drawings to CAD drawings, using the raster to vector converter:

1. Create a raster file by scanning a hard-copy drawing with a scanner.

2. Use Vextractor to convert the raster file to the vector format.

3. Import the vector file to your CAD application.

4. Edit the drawing in your CAD application.

Vextractor can replace the traditional tracing and digitizing applications. It offers a simple and easy way to convert paper-based drawings to CAD drawings for further editing and use. Vextractor will save many hours of your time and free you from the boring and monotonous work.

Vextractor Usage Examples:

1. Suppose you have an archive of a great number of raster drawings, pictures or logos, which you can only view and print. The possibility to convert that data to the vector format would be very helpful for your work.

2. Desktop small-format (A4) scanners are very popular today. Multitudes of CAD professionals have the need for scanning drawings and then converting them for editing in CAD applications. Now you can convert hand-made machine-building, electro-technical or architecture drawings to your CAD application and save them to disk.

3. If you have a hardcopy or raster image (photo), and you want to engrave a 3D inscription, logo or image on the metal, wood or plastic. Now you can convert the raster file to the input format (usually, dxf) for a CNC cutting or router system.

Converting Raster Images to the Vector Format with Vextractor

If you want to check whether Vextractor will work for you - try it for converting your scanned images to the vector format. You can do that even with the demo version of Vextractor. It allows reading your raster files and converting them.

As soon as you see the conversion results, you will be able to tell, what is faster: edit the converted image in a vector editor or draw it by hand from a scratch. If you use Vextractor, it is normally quicker to vectorize a raster image and then edit the result than trace and digitize the entire drawing from the scratch. Quite often, the quality of the original hardcopy or raster is obviously insufficient for the precise conversion to the vector format. In such case, you can use the collection of special raster filters implemented in Vextractor for the preparation of raster images to vectorizing. With filters like median, despeckle, remove isolated spots or gaussian smoothing you can sufficiently improve the quality of the original image.

Sometimes, in spite of all efforts, the quality of the original scanned drawing makes the vectorizing and the further editing literally impossible. The automatic vectorizing is not perfect. That is true for all raster-to-vector conversion applications; not a single solution guarantees the 100% result. However, it does work and allows inputting a hard-copy drawing to CAD for the further quick and easy editing. It does not promise the irreproachable results at all times; nevertheless, it is a very useful tool for your work.

Vextractor's Advanced Features

The program has all tools necessary for viewing images: scaling, scrolling, and color selection. Vextractor features: TWAIN support for importing images from any scanner; automatic recognition of orthogonal lines, arcs, and circles; saving the original drawing's scale. Vextractor can convert halftone and color images to black-and-white images for further recognition; it can rotate and change the orientation of raster images.

Vextractor has a built-in vector editor, which can be used for the editing of vectorization results. The program can create curves using Bezier splines, which allow obtaining images smoother than the original raster. By picking specific optimal parameters, you can obtain an image of curves, which look greater than the original image.

The program also can be used for the digitizing of function graphs to be used in MS Excel and other mathematical applications. The special text format ASCII XYZ with a very simple structure is provided for importing to such applications.

GIS professionals can use Vextractor's functions for digitizing hardcopy maps. The vectorizer supports such GIS formats as ArcInfo shape files and MapInfo MID/MIF. Specially for GIS users, the program has the capability of georeferencing raster images by points with known coordinates. The referencing via GeoTIFF and ArcInfo/ArcView World-files is also supported.

Please read END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT for Vextractor

To install Vextractor to a PC:

Download the latest version of Vextractor.

Double-click the file and go through the installation process. You should now be able to run Vextractor by going to Start > Programs > Vextractor and clicking on the "Run Vextractor" icon.

How to uninstall Vextractor:

Click on Start > Programs > Vextractor -> Uninstall for delete the program form your PC.

More details about software uninstall procedure may be found in Software Uninstall Instructions

  • The program supports a multitude of raster graphic file formats, including BMP, GIF, TIFF/GEOTIFF, JPEG, PNG, PCX, TGA, WBMP, PPM, PBM, PGM.
  • Vextractor supports the following vector formats:
    • AutoCAD DXF and DXB
    • Windows Metafiles WMF and EMF
    • ArcView Shapefiles (SHP)
    • MapInfo MIF/MID
    • ASCII XYZ simple text format
    • Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG)
    • Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
    • Adobe Illustrator (AI)
    • ILDA Data Transfer Format for Laser Show
  • New: Now Vextractor have advanced algorithm for photo and photorealistic image vectorization.
  • User interface languages: English, German, Italian, Russian.
  • For design drawings the program applies recognition of various graphic elements of the image: circles, arcs, orthogonal lines, etc. Here, the program offers an opportunity to create a uniform grid, which can be put on the elements of your vectorized object.
  • Vextractor contains a built-in advanced vector graphic editor, which easily allows you to add some corrections to your built vectors.
  • Vextractor can be used for cartographic information recognition. The program supports such popular GIS formats as ESRI ArcView Shape and MapInfo MID/MIF. In order to uphold the highest standards in cartographic information processing, the program offers a coordinate binding system with an option, which allows users to save data binding coefficients to the format of GeoTIFF and world-files of ESRI ArcInfo system.
  • Vextractor contains features, which are first of all intended for CAD and GIS systems: an opportunity to set your own coordinate system for vector images and an opportunity to specify a desirable size of a chosen image (width and height). Also you can assign Z-values (elevation) for polylines.
  • Apart from that, the program is ready to help you with artistic and design work. Vextractor builds geometrics of raster images, which consist of Bezier splines. The program supports a series of vector formats, which can be imported into all popular packages of vector graphics: Encapsulated Post Script (EPS), Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG), Windows Metafile (WMF/EMF).
  • The program contains a variety of additional features, such as a support for TWAIN32-compatible devices, an original three-window interface and more.
  • Vextractor runs on MS Windows 32/64bit: XP/2003/Vista/Windows 7/8/8.1/10.
Latest News

27.04.2020
RasterSttich 4.00

The code for searching and matching reference points has been optimized.

14.08.2018
Vextractor 7.20

Arcs and circles recognition algorithm was speeded up.

27.04.2017
Vextractor 7.10

Some interface improvements.

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