SDI Image Converters

Convert industry standard vector and raster files

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Image Converters

SDI image converters (e.g. CGM to SVG, PDF, and PNG) are available on Linux and Windows 64 | 32-bit applications. Converters can be called from:

Command line image converters

  • Executable programs that run in their own memory space
  • Benefits calling program by not using up available memory, nor crashing due to invalid parameters or input files
  • Returns conversion status for success or failure
Example command line

1) Convert basefile.cgm to newfile.svg, 2) remove background color, 3) pass fontnames instead of font metrics

Cgm2svg.exe c:\temp\basefile.cgm c:\work\newfile.svg –nobackground –fontname


Stream input, output stream, and filter

All converters accept stream input and output to a stream, thus allowing them to be used as filters.

  • CUPS uses filters in order to print files of unknown format. SDI image converters can be used as CUPS filters.
  • Pass the output SVG stream to a browser to display the resultant SVG.

1) Convert PDF to CGM, 2) pipe the output to cgm2shape, 3) produce newfile.shp

Pdf2cgm.exe c:\work\pdffile.pdf stdout | cgm2shape stdin c:\work\newfile.shp

In effect, you are converting PDF to SHP by using two converters with an IO write to disk.


Command line options and switches

All converters have command line options, or switches. These switches provide alternate behavior for the filter.

  • Select the profile and version of the CGM using –profile=PIP and –version=3
  • White text on black backgrounds can be switched to black text on white background using -reversebw
  • Color files can be turned to monochrome files using -monochrome.
  • Status = cgm2pdf infile outfile
  • If ( status .ne. success ) do something

FREE online CGM and PDF utilities

Image viewer
open_in_new CGM to SVG viewer open_in_new View CGM in your browser
Image file converters
open_in_new CGM to SVG open_in_new PDF to SVG open_in_new CGM to PDF
Merge utility
open_in_new PDF Merge

CGM image converters

CGM to vector
  • CGM to DGN
  • CGM to DWG
  • CGM to DXF
  • CGM to EMF
  • CGM to HPGL2
  • CGM to GeoJSON
  • CGM to SHP
  • CGM to PDF
  • CGM to PS
  • CGM to SVG
  • CGM to WebCGM
CGM to raster
  • CGM to BMP
  • CGM to GIF
  • CGM to JPG/JPEG
  • CGM to PNG
  • CGM to TIFF

Read how-to setup batch conversion via hot folders, programs, and scripts.


Additional image converters

  • Convert ActiveCGM to SVG | WebCGM
  • Convert DGN to CGM | PDF | SVG
  • Convert DWG to CGM | EMF | BMP | JPEG | PNG | TIFF
  • Convert DXF to CGM | EMF | BMP | JPEG | PNG | TIFF
  • Convert EMF to CGM
  • Convert LAS to CGM
  • Convert PDF to SVG | CGM | BMP | JPEG | PNG | TIFF
  • Convert PostScript to CGM | PDF
  • Convert SEGY to CGM
  • Convert SVG to PDF | BMP | JPEG | PNG | TIFF
  • Convert WMF to CGM
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