See Also: OCR settings

Scan2CAD recognizes text by means of technology called neural networks. Neural networks work in an analogous way to the human brain. They learn to recognize shapes and patterns from a range of examples.

There are two Character Set options – the Standard option and the User option.

The Standard Character Set

If the Standard option is selected, Scan2CAD uses a neural network that has been trained to recognize standard fonts. It may not recognize other fonts well and may also fail to recognize standard characters that are narrower or wider than normal or that are italicized. This is because a single neural network cannot be trained to recognize a wide range of fonts accurately – ideally you need one neural network for each font type.

The User Character Set

In Scan2CAD Pro:

If the User option is checked, you can choose which neural network you want Scan2CAD to use from the drop down list. The neural network you choose could be either of the following:

An alternative neural network supplied with Scan2CAD, for example Number.Net. Number.Net is a neural network that has been trained to recognize numbers and symbols only. If you have an image or an area of an image that contains numbers only, for example an area of dimensions, you should convert that image or image area using Number.Net. Because Number.Net only recognizes numbers, there is less likely to be confusion between similar numeric and non-numeric characters such as 8 and B.

A neural network you have trained yourself. If Scan2CAD cannot recognize the font on your images and you have a lot of images containing that font, you may be able to train your own neural network to recognize the font using the font training commands in the Train Menu.

In Scan2CAD Lite:

If the User option is checked, Scan2CAD will use a neural network called Number.Net. Number.Net is a neural network that has been trained to recognize numbers and symbols only. If you have a drawing or an area of a drawing that contains numbers only, for example an area of dimensions, you should convert that drawing or drawing area using Number.Net. Because Number.Net only recognizes numbers, there is less likely to be confusion between similar numeric and non-numeric characters such as 8 and B.

Select the Character Set

Select the Character Set in the OCR Settings dialog, which appears when you select OCR Menu > Settings.