In a nutshell, BMP files are raster images, which cannot hold the information required for CAD design. Due to this, users would need to trace their BMP if they wanted their design in CAD format. DXF stores the design information in mathematical instructions called vectors, so that it can be easily scaled and edited. This wide support means that DXF is the lingua franca of the design and engineering industry-facilitating collaborative editing. You can view DXF files using a range of programs, including AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, and, of course, Scan2CAD.

It was created by Autodesk to serve as an exchange medium between different CAD programs.ĭXF is an open standard, and is supported by almost all CAD programs on the market. In this post, we’re discussing the BMP file format.ĭXF, or Drawing Exchange Format, is a vector graphics format primarily used in computer-aided design ( CAD). The term “raster images” refers to different file formats, such as JPG, GIF, PNG as well as BMP. That’s because these images are literally a map of bits. This compression can affect quality, but this loss of quality isn’t noticeable to most users.NB: The term “bitmap” can also refer to a raster image. Any image that uses pixels on a fixed grid to define an image can be called a bitmap. JPG is a ‘lossy’ format, meaning that it is compressed to save storage space and make it easier to share. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which is the name of the committee that standardised the format.

However, you can usually adjust settings to save into other formats if needed. Many cameras, smartphones, and basic photo or drawing programs will automatically save into JPG format. JPGs are 2D pixel-based ‘raster’ images, which makes them better for photographs or scans, rather than digital illustrations which are often better as ‘vector’ images. JPG is a universal format which can be opened by almost all image-viewing or -editing programs, by web browsers, and by certain other apps, and they’re supported by most devices. JPG, or JPEG, is one of the most widely used digital image formats.

Image to dxf converter