DISCUS Basic Recently Asked Questions
At DISCUS Support, we pride ourselves on our ability to answer your questions right away and our commitment to help you reach your DISCUS potential. Review some of our more common recent questions and our answers.
November Recently Asked Questions
Previous Recently Asked Questions
- Why am I getting “No OCR Result” when using the OCR Add-on with some prints?
- Is there a way to move or resize the Characteristic Properties window so that it does not cover up the drawing?
- On certain drawings, why are the images very small and almost unreadable?
- What can I do to improve the accuracy of the OCR results when using the DISCUS OCR add-on?
- What kind of training documentation and help material is available to assist me in learning DISCUS and answering questions that arise?
- Is there a way to turn off the colored rectangles when I export my ballooned drawing?
- Can OCR/RADAR(TM) automatically make drawing single values tolerance requirements instead of single value requirements?
- My special Customer Profile does not seem to work with DISCUS Basic 2.1, what do I need to do?
- I’ve moved (or renamed) my drawing/print file and now DISCUS displays a TDP Errors window when I open the TDP. How do I fix this?
- What is the OCR Add-on for DISCUS and how can I try it?
- Can I remove grid markers "G" & "I", for example?
- When I open a TDP, the drawing does not display. What should I do?
- When I view my drawing in DISCUS, it is very faint. Can I darken it?
How do I remove a document file from a TDP?
I accidentally added the wrong file to my TDP. Is there a way to remove this?
Yes, click File and select TDP Documents (or press CTRL + T). The TDP Documents window gives you a listing of all of the files that you’ve opened up inside the Drawing and/or Spec panel that have been associated with the DISCUS TDP. The number in parenthesis represents the number of characteristics that have been identified from the document file. To remove one of these files right click on the filename and select Remove. Note: if there are characteristics affiliated with the file (the number in parenthesis will be nonzero) you will not be able to remove the file until all of the characteristics connected to it are deleted.
Why are some balloons red and others green?
Why are some balloons “incomplete” and others “complete”?
The default controls in DISCUS set “complete” balloons to green and “incomplete” balloons as red. Complete balloons contain requirements that are ready to be exported into an inspection sheet or uploaded into Net-inspect. Incomplete ones will result in errors when an export is attempted. This is all determined by validators. Validators authenticate the kind of data associated with a characteristic. This is done to ensure that characteristic data is formatted as desired prior to export. In order to apply a validator, click on Tools and then Validator and select the appropriate one to apply (if you mouse over a validator name it will display the details of the validator). Once the validator is set, balloons will be considered complete if they contain valid requirement information to satisfy the conditions of the validator and incomplete if they fail to do so. In the lower left portion of the DISCUS window is a tally of the complete (valid) and incomplete (invalid) characteristics.
Why am I getting “No OCR Result” when using the OCR Add-on with some prints?
I’m using OCR on a PDF drawing and I keep getting “No OCR Result”. Is OCR broken? Why am I getting this result?
No the OCR feature is not broken, in fact it is functioning as it supposed to. Certain images may be of poor quality or unrecognizable by the OCR engine. When this happens DISCUS alerts you by displaying “No OCR Result” in order to prompt you to take steps to improve the quality and/or the size of the image. A common reason for getting no OCR result is because the image is too small to be read by the OCR engine. If this happens trying using the scale adjust feature to increase the size of the image. In order to change the individual size of an image requirement open the Characteristic Properties window for that characteristic number and click the Scale button and then use the slider to adjust the scale of that image. To make this change globally for all images click the Drawing menu option, mouse over Snap Requirement-Image Options and select Adjust Snap Rectangle Scale. Then use the slider to change the scale of the image up or down to increase or decrease, respectively, the size of the image. For other tips on how to improve the quality of an image for use with OCR see recently asked question – What can I do to improve the accuracy of the OCR results when using the DISCUS OCR add-on?
Is there a way to move or resize the Characteristic Properties window so that it does not cover up the drawing?
When working in the Characteristic Properties window I cannot see the drawing image because the properties window blocks it. Is there a way to move or resize the Characteristic Properties window so that it does not cover up the drawing?
When the Next or Previous button is clicked inside the Characteristic Properties window the Drawing panel is refreshed and updated with a current view of the selected balloon and surrounding area. Since it can be helpful to view the specific feature on the drawing as well as the surrounding area, it is possible to resize and move the Characteristic Properties window so that the Drawing panel is not obscured. In fact, it can be shrunk down and then relocated to the Spec panel (when not used) so that the user may work within the Characteristic Properties window and still see a zoomed in portion of the drawing.
On certain drawings, why are the images very small and almost unreadable?
I really like the image requirement capability of DISCUS. It’s a fast, accurate way to create snapshots of the drawing requirements and it exports beautifully to Excel but, sometimes, on certain drawings the images are very small and almost unreadable. Why is this happening and is there a way to improve the image size?
The most common reason for this is a large engineering drawing (i.e. a “D” or “E” sized print) that was created as a PDF but not at true size. Sometimes these larger prints are saved all the way down as an “A” sized image (8.5’’ x 11’’). In fact, a size “E” drawing that is created as a PDF file at “A” size is actually reduced 4 times in scale! As a result, this reduction affects the true size of the image in the electronic file and consequently produces a small image requirement when identified in DISCUS.
However there is a way with DISCUS v 2.2 to increase the size while maintaining the clarity and sharpness of the image. To do this click the Drawing menu option, mouse over Snap Requirement-Image Options and select Adjust Snap Rectangle Scale. Then use the slider to change the scale of the image up or down to increase or decrease, respectively, the size of the image. This is a global change so it will affect all images. In order to change the individual size of an image requirement open the Characteristic Properties window for that characteristic number and click the Scale button and then use the slider to adjust the scale of that image by itself.
Remember, changes to the scale size of an image requirement affect the output when exported to Excel, so even when prints are created as PDFs but not at true size they can still be used successfully with DISCUS. Additionally, increasing the scale of certain images can improve the OCR result when using the DISCUS OCR add-on.
What can I do to improve the accuracy of the OCR results when using the DISCUS OCR add-on?
One important thing to keep in mind when using any OCR application is that the accuracy of the results is heavily dependent on the input file being used. There is a common saying with OCR – “garbage in, garbage out” which simply means that electronic files of poor image quality are generally not good candidates for OCR and can produce unsatisfactory results. Having said that here are some general tips to increase your return when using OCR:
- PDF text – also sometimes referred to as searchable text is data in the PDF file that can be extracted directly by DISCUS and doesn’t rely on the OCR engine to read / interpret / guess on the information of the file. Files with searchable text are preferred because the data is there and readily accessible and is not simply just dots and pixels on the electronic image. As a result, the accuracy of the extraction of searchable text is superior than with pure raster images. If possible, create drawings with PDF text embedded in them or request them from your customer. It may be possible to acquire files in this format, especially if a PDF file is being created directly from a CAD program. A drawing produced from a scanner off of a hard copy will generally not produce PDF text but instead with create a raster file without this rich data.
- DPI – dots per inch. Increasing the DPI of the native file when it was produced from a scanned image can improve the overall quality of the image. To increase the resolution within DISCUS access the OCR Settings window and change the Image Resolution setting. The default is 200 dpi.
- Contrast adjust – the contrast adjust feature in DISCUS can be used to lighten or darken the image. Click View and select Adjust Contrast and then use the slider to darken or lighten the image by moving the scale up or down, respectively.
- Scale adjust – adjusting the scale to resize the image can improve the OCR result. Typically, it is required to increase the size of an image. To do this globally for all images click the Drawing menu option, mouse over Snap Requirement-Image Options and select Adjust Snap Rectangle Scale. Then use the slider to change the scale of the image up or down to increase or decrease, respectively, the size of the image. In order to change the individual size of an image requirement open the Characteristic Properties window for that characteristic number and click the Scale button and then use the slider to adjust the scale of that image by itself.
- Create “tight” image rectangles – a “tight” snap rectangle is one whose rectangular borders are close around the requirement being identified. In this way it is positioned to tightly encompass the annotation within it. The reason for doing this is that it helps reduce the “noise” of the drawing such as witness lines, leader lines or other annotations that can “confuse” the OCR engine. For example, creating a snap rectangle around a dimension but also catching some of the witness lines or leaders lines of the annotation may produce a “—“ or other character that could potentially confuse the OCR engine and pattern recognition software. If this occurs, DISCUS may not be able to identify the item as a numeric dimension and instead may create it as a note. Therefore, it is recommended to draw tight rectangles around the item that is being ballooned. Often times to assist in this it is convenient to use a balloon size that is close to the size of the text from the annotations, especially when using the “drop & drag” method for creating balloons and image requirements.
Keep in mind, however, that there is more to DISCUS than just the OCR add-on. Many customers were using DISCUS with great benefit before we even made the OCR add-on available. So, even if your drawings are of poor image quality, DISCUS can still be useful in your characteristic identification and inspection sheet setup processes.
What kind of training documentation and help material is available to assist me in learning DISCUS and answering questions that arise?
There is an interactive help guide which is built into the DISCUS software. Simply click Help and select DISCUS Help or click the F1 key on your keyboard to launch the help guide. It comes equipped with a quick start tutorial that will assist you in getting “up and running” with the software in just a few minutes. The tutorial has active hyperlinks which will connect you to other areas of the guide where more detailed information is available. There is also an index, a search feature and even a favorites section that allows you to bookmark your favorite topics. Don’t like looking at help pages on the computer screen? If so, feel free to print some or all of the help pages.
Is there a way to turn off the colored rectangles when I export my ballooned drawing?
When I export my ballooned drawing to PDF the colored rectangles appear all over the drawing and they cover up items I’ve ballooned. Is there a way to disable this feature so that the snap rectangles are hidden from view and do not appear in the PDF export?
Yes. This is happening because the Fill Snap Rectangle option is selected. This feature transparently shades the rectangle the same color as the balloon. If the option is enabled the colored rectangles will appear on the PDF ballooned drawing after the export process. To disable this click Drawing, mouse over Snap Requirement-Image Options and then click Fill Snap Rectangle. This will toggle this feature on and off. Once it is off you can export to PDF and the colored rectangles will not appear in the ballooned PDF file.
Can OCR/RADAR(TM) automatically make drawing single values tolerance requirements instead of single value requirements?
I’m using the OCR add-on feature for DISCUS and whenever I balloon an untoleranced dimension DISCUS creates it as a “Single Value” with no tolerance. In reality this dimension has a tolerance which is standard, defined in either the title block or by a note. I’ve set up my default tolerance values in the Default Precision & Tolerance window but why are these values not being applied?
There is an option in the OCR Settings window called “Set Single Values to Tolerances”. When this option is checked DISCUS's RADAR(TM) will create the dimension as a “Tolerance” data type and will apply the standard, “block” tolerances defined in the Default Precision & Tolerance window.
My special Customer Profile does not seem to work with DISCUS Basic 2.1, what do I need to do?
DISCUS Basic 2.1 requires a new format for some of the data within the customer specific Customer Profiles. We have updated all the special Customer Profiles we have distributed to date. Let us know which Customer Profiles you have and we’ll send you the updated versions.
I’ve moved (or renamed) my drawing/print file and now DISCUS displays a TDP Errors window when I open the TDP. How do I fix this?
DISCUS remembers the file locations and names of all the drawing, prints, spec, etc used in the Technical Data Package (TDP) that you used to make your inspection sheet. When one of these files is renamed or moved, it is no longer named or located where DISCUS remembered it, so DISCUS is letting you know about and update DISCUS’s memory. To fix this situation, click on the error message row in the TDP Errors window. This will display the Resolve Missing File window that has resolution options Ignore, Remove From TDP, Locate and Cancel. You usually want to select Locate, which brings up a folder/file locator window. Now, simply navigate to the new location of the file and/or the file with the new name, and select it. DISCUS now knows the new location or name of the file.
What is the OCR Add-on for DISCUS and how can I try it?
This add-on works with DISCUS Basic and enables the extraction of text from your image drawing using the leading Optical Character Recognition software engine OmniPage from Nuance. In DISCUS Basic 2.0 it enabled you to convert the note text in your drawing/print image to editable text in DISCUS. In 2.1, you can OCR the dimensional information in the drawing/print images. To try out the OCR Add-on for DISCUS download and run the install program after you have DISCUS Basic installed. It can be tried for free with purchased, evaluation or free trial licensed DISCUS Basic.
Can I remove grid markers "G" & "I", for example?
Yes. To do so:
- Enable Grid Lines with the Grid Zone Properties window (select menu item Drawing, Grid Zone Properties).
- Select Grid Enabled, Grid lines visible, unselect Equidistant and Locked.
- In the field for specifying how many grid lines you want, enter an additional one for each one you want to remove from the normal alphabetical order. Select, OK.
- Now, back on the drawing panel, with you mouse pointer, drag and drop the grid line you do not want to use and move it all the way to a side, top or bottom of the drawing.
- Lastly, reposition the grid lines you want to use on the drawing.
When I open a TDP, the drawing does not display. What should I do?
In this situation, someone else created the TDP and now you are trying to open it. Your DISCUS does not know which, if any drawing to open. To let your DISCUS know, select menu item File, TDP Documents to view the list of drawings. Simply click on the one that is not being displayed and it displays immediately.
When I view my drawing in DISCUS, it is very faint. Can I darken it?
Absolutely! Click Drawing and Contrast and simply adjust the contrast setting to a viewable degree.
