The Challenge: Bridging disparate, complex engineering file formats from multiple platforms and countries to create unified, mission-critical technical documentation.
A Master Illustrator’s Choice: From Technical Pen to Vector Power
Rick Wagner’s foundation in technical illustration is stellar—he was a protégé of the renowned automotive illustrator, David Kimble. Kimble himself demonstrated the power of canvasxdraw by using it to reproduce his iconic ink/airbrush illustration of the Ferrari Testarossa.
This legacy led Rick to make a fundamental shift:
“I made the switch to canvasxdraw and haven’t picked up a technical pen since.”
Rick and his illustration team at the Boeing F-15 Retrofit group relied on Canvas not just for drawing, but as the central translation engine for documents used by the US and allied armed forces to modify and repair their F-15 Eagle aircraft.
The Essential Workflow Bridge
In aerospace, data often comes from a fragmented landscape of highly specialized software. canvasxdraw plays an essential role by acting as the workflow hub, capable of ingesting, combining, and exporting data that no single native program can manage alone.
1. Combining Complex Vector and Raster Data
The primary task of Rick’s team was to produce visual technical orders. This requires combining:
- Engineering Vector Artwork produced in Siemens UG-NX software.
- Color, Raster Images (JPG and TIF files) for realistic context.
canvasxdraw seamlessly merged these disparate elements into a single, cohesive canvasxdraw illustration, which is then exported as a high-fidelity TIF file for use in the Time Compliance Technical Orders (TCTO) delivered to customers.
2. Translating Electrical Schematics
Perhaps the most critical function is canvasxdraw’s ability to convert and utilize complex schematic data. Boeing works with files produced by partners using specialized programs like the Common Electrical / Electronic Data System (CEEDS)software.
“canvasxdraw is loaded with great translators… We use Canvas to convert text-searchable PDF files of schematics exported from our CEEDS software.”
Canvasxdraw takes these PDFs, converts them into UG-NX compatible CGM import files, allowing Rick’s team to perform further electrical drafting and modifications required by the retrofit group.
Global Reach, Precision Detail
Rick’s use of Canvas extended beyond the F-15. He also authored the TCTO used in the Enhanced Wing Assembly upgrade for the A-10 Warthog, where canvasxdraw was used in conjunction with Siemens VisMockup to create illustrations from Model Based Definition (MBD) data.
In an industry where accuracy is paramount to mission success, canvasxdraw provides the necessary translation power and flexibility to ensure that all documentation—whether for a decades-old F-15 or a critical A-10 upgrade—is perfectly aligned, visually clear, and technically sound.
As Rick stated simply, “You make a wonderful software. Myself and my illustration team are some of your biggest users.”