Turn a scanned drawing into an editable CAD file

Why automatic converters struggle with scans

A converter can recognise visible shapes, but it does not understand which marks are walls, dimensions, symbols or scanning noise. Fold lines, shadows and low resolution can create thousands of broken or duplicate CAD entities. The result may open in AutoCAD but still be difficult to use.

What we check

• Page quality, orientation and usable reference dimensions
• Correct scale and proportions
• Continuous lines, arcs and polylines
• Readable text and dimensions
• A practical layer structure for further editing
• Unwanted scan artefacts and duplicate geometry

What you receive

The output is supplied as DWG or DXF, depending on your workflow. The amount of recoverable detail depends on the source. We never promise information that is not visible in the original scan; unclear areas are flagged instead of guessed.

Best files to upload

Use the original PDF rather than a screenshot. If possible, include one known measurement so the drawing can be scaled. For multi-page files, tell us which pages are required by replying to the project email.

Scan quality checklist

• Scan at 300 DPI or higher; low-resolution scans lose thin lines.
• Keep the sheet flat and straight to avoid skewed geometry.
• Include the full sheet with the title block and any scale bar.
• Prefer grayscale or black-and-white over a colour photo.
• A PDF exported from the original software always beats a rescan.

Automatic conversion or professional help?

The free fast conversion is a quick way to see whether a scan contains usable linework — how that tracing step works is explained in the vectorization guide. When the drawing must be accurate, layered and ready for continued engineering, choose the professional PDF to DWG conversion service or full manual CAD redrawing; both include human checks on scale, text and geometry.