Overview
Extracting bounding dimensions from technical drawings is a complex task. While a naïve approach might simply look for the largest dimensions on the drawing, real-world scenarios require a deeper understanding of how dimensions are structured.
WERK24's API simplifies this process by analyzing technical drawings and returning well-structured bounding dimensions, which can be directly used in your application.
Key Features:
- Extracts enclosing cuboid (width × height × depth)
- Extracts enclosing cylinder (diameter × depth)
- Handles complex dimensioning scenarios
Challenges in Extracting External Dimensions
Extracting external dimensions is not straightforward because:
- Dimension Summation – Sometimes the width or height is split across multiple dimensions, requiring summation.
- Hidden External Features – Some parts contain radii or overhanging edges that extend beyond the main structure.
- Rotational Ambiguity – A lathe part may only be illustrated in one view, making it difficult to determine whether it’s flat or cylindrical.
WERK24's External Dimension Extraction
WERK24 processes technical drawings and returns two different bounding volumes, depending on the part’s geometry:
- Enclosing Cuboid → Best for prismatic parts (width × height × depth).
- Enclosing Cylinder → Best for lathe and rotational parts (diameter × depth).
Enclosing Cuboid
The enclosing cuboid is the smallest box that fully contains the part in three dimensions:
- Width
- Height
- Depth
Front View Assumption
WERK24 assumes the width and height come from the front view. This means the resulting cuboid may not be the absolute smallest possible volume, as a different orientation could yield a smaller bounding box.
Enclosing Cylinder
Enclosing Cylinder For lathe and lathe-mill parts, an enclosing cylinder provides a more accurate representation of the part’s external dimensions. It is defined by:
- Diameter
- Depth
Orientation Adjustment
The system reorients the part to ensure that the diameter measurement reflects the dimension with the highest cylindricity. As a result, the enclosing cylinder’s orientation may differ from the enclosing cuboid’s orientation.
Aluminum Profiles
The diameter of the enclosing cylinder also represents the enclosing circle for aluminum profiles.