Help needed please! - Rescale drawings on the PC

[Dickie255]

Hi

I'm trying to scratch build an APC. I've got 1/76 drawings of the vehicle and I need to get them to 1/144, so I need to reduce them by 50% (actually slightly smaller to 1/150 so as to fit with Pendraken figures). I've  scanned the 1/76 drawing and pasted into Microsoft office publisher.  I've gone to Format Picture and size then I reduced the picture by 50%. However, the resulting drawing and subsequent model appears way too small and not compatible with a 10mm figure.

Unfortunately, the printer I've got doesn't appear to have a reduce % facility which would make life easier! As I'm computer (maths) illiterate, I was wondering has anyone gone through this pain?     

[fred.]

This process can be quite tricky as there can be all sorts of rescaling going on. The biggest problem is software trying to be clever and doing auto resizing, when you want to control what is happening.

Things to check - what resolution did you scan at? Should be something like 72 or 300 dpi. This can really affect the final size depending on what the image editing software chooses to do.

Does publisher do some auto scaling to fit the image to the page?

A good test is to have a known length on the original and check what size it is on the image.

I do this using image editing software, and make sure that the document is set to the same dpi as the scan, and then do a resize. But results can be a bit variable.

[fred.]

Just thought of another approach. Measure something on the print out you have (this is the 50% size), work out how big it should it be and adjust the scaling in publisher based on the ratio of what you have and what it should be.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

This link might help (no I'm not on commission), got to the How to Print bit, it gives scaling info.

http://www.scalescenes.com/townscenes

IanS

[Leon]

This might be a bit random, but here's how I'd do it.

- Work out how long the vehicle should be in 1/150th, in cm first.

- In Publisher, draw a line on the page, right-click it, and go to 'Format AutoShape'.  Click the 'Size' tab at the top of the new window, and change the width settings to the correct length for the vehicle.  Your line will now be the same length as the vehicle plan should be.

- Now insert your 1/72 plans on to the page, and manually resize them by dragging the corner of the image in.  It should keep the vertical/horizontal ratio's correct, but if it doesn't, hold 'Ctrl' while doing it.  Match the original line to the side view of the APC, and you should be good to go.

Printing it once it's scaled is a different kettle of fish, and as Fred says, will depend on the resolution of the scan.  Let us know how you get on.

[Dickie255]

Hi Fred, Ian & Leon

Many thanks for the information and suggestions. They're really useful and something I would'nt have thought of. I'll have another go at the model this evening and let you know how I go on. Thanks again!

[O Dinas Powys]

I downloaded a free Paper Modelling Guide from DrivethruRPG ( http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=2985&products_id=93016&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2985 ) because I was interested in resizing some of the paper model I've been acquiring over the years.

There's a basic table on page 3 which is unfortunately only in mm's and railway scales.

The pdf is also available direct from the publisher at http://davesgames.net/ (top right of the page).

I was just about to post the above when I realised it wasn't directly relevant because you're dealing with scanned images rather than a commercial 30mm product.  

However, looking at the mentioned table it seems to me that if 1/76 is roughly 18mm/20mm and 1/144 is roughly 10mm you probably want to print it at about 55%.  It's to do with the ratios:

10mm:20mm = (34/65)x100 = ~52%
10mm:18mm = (34/60)x100 = ~56%

Insert some "gut feeling" and you get 55%.

Hope that helps,

Meirion

[Dickie255]

Thanks Merion. I think you're right about the gut feeling in rescaling and seeing what looks right. At the moment, I'm reminded of the story of Thomas Eddison and his quote of knowing a thousand ways of have not to make a light bulb!  The big problem of cutting a straight line in the plasticard with a scapel is part of the learning curve.   

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

More likley figngers

IanS