A question for the shipbuilders

[steve p]

hi guys,

What scale of drawings do you use for your models? If, as I imagine, you use drawings larger than A4, how do you get them into your computer?

Best wishes
Steve P

[SkippyBing]

Multiple scans and then stitch together, generally before cutting it up again to get the individual elevation and plan drawings as separate files. I think the Leander plans I got from Jecobin ended up as 8 A4 scans, that was a fun afternoon....

[steve p]

Cheers for the reply Skippy. I have been using your method when scanning large plans, but am not really happy with the end results. Scanning, and then stitching a plan distorts the image, on my computer, at least. i was wondering if anyone had tried an alternative approach? Maybe photographing the plan to get a background image is the way forward.

[sketchy74]

You could photograph it, that would be a little wobbly, best thing would be to put the camera on a tripod make sure its as central as possible, and zoom a little on to it avoid distortion from a wide angle lens.

Probably best sticking with Ol' Skip's method, it is a ball ache but worth the effort.

Good luck!

[SkippyBing]

I find it helps if each part of the scan has a distinct vertical or horizontal feature on it, that way you've got an accurate reference as each one will probably need some minor rotation to line up probably. You also have to overscan so there's a decent overlap to avoid the effect you get at the edge of the scan area. I've tried photographing maps and charts for various things and it's alright as long as you don't want too much detail.

[spatialpro]

Remember, you can also get large scans done at a High Street print shop. Also, if you work at the right place most large-ish companies have large format printers that also double as large-format scanners. Ask around...