TOPIC:

Phase one of the DF-01 underguard design - a scan of the Manta Ray chassis...

@Eddrick, I am sorry for the late reply (I guess I didn't receive a topic update in my mail...). But it is really just laser cutting that could be done. I can indeed transform 3d drawings to 2d (by redrawing, but that won't be a problem). To just send out the profiles is possible of course.

@Edou, I think I will need to have the chassis here at home to be able to measure and draw. This is gonna be very hard this way I am afraid.

Oh, that was just an illustration... not meant as an actual template for the underguard yet.
I still have the scan in the original size which I will photoshop and put the dimensions on.

Scans of flat shapes COULD work, with the right software - there's a program out there called "Scan to CAD" which allows you to import pictures & converts them to CAD lines & circles. I've got a similar freeware program "PDF to DXF", which is supposed to covert pdf pictures to dxf lines & circles, but it's a bit pants (Couldn't even cope with scans of parts trees from Tamiya manuals). Biggest thing though, is you NEED some sort of scale to work to (eg scan it including a steel rule or something that you KNOW the dimensions of) or else it will just be a pretty picture & someone else will have no idea how big it is (My biggest gripe with decal scans - how do you know how big they are unless you have the originals?)

In Paint Shop Pro the print size is visible...
If the scan is not resized, it'll be printed in the original dimensions.
But I've also added the length and width of the decal scans that I have in the file title myself.

Hehe, off subject again.... I usually find Windows prints a 'resolution related' size print, which generally isn't anything like the size of the original. I usually use Greenstreet publisher (REALLY old, similar to Microsoft Publisher) to do the resizing, but recently I've discovered Arcsoft PhotoImpression (Yeah, REALLY old too...) does a really good job of upscaling to higher resolution - some of the decal scans I've come across aren't good enough resolution to be printed at full size & pixillate (Go fuzzy/blocky), so this has turned out to be the easy way to clean the images up (Over-upscale, then reduce the physical dimensions to give a crisper image)

I swear by PSP and Adobe for all image related ventures...
On topic again... I'll certainly have a look at the software you mentioned for creating a better technical drawing.

Okay guys, I've split the topic into the original message (in the Reference Sites section) and this one where we can go crazy and brainstorm about the possibilities of custom parts - and put that in the Technical department.
The first topic has been locked so monster_beetle can put updates and developments there...