If you have a photo displaying a side view of a bike, and would like to import that into BikeCAD Pro as a reference for a frame design, you can do so by selecting File >> Import photo. Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop the image file into the BikeCAD window. In the example above, we have a photo of both a bike and a rider. In this case, we'll have the option of not only matching our frame geometry with the bicycle in the photo, but also matching up our model of a rider with the rider in the photo.
Before scaling the photo, consider changing the transparency of your frame color which will give a better view of what's happening behind the model. An alternative to actually changing the paint is to change the display mode to hidden line mode which will make all elements of your design semi transparent.
To scale the photo relative to the model, hold down the CTRL key and drag your mouse up or down while pressing the left mouse button. (Mac users should hold down the SHIFT and ALT keys together instead of the CTRL key).
To rotate the image, press the ALT key and drag the mouse up or down.
To pan or move the image, press the shift key and drag the mouse.
Notice that you can also directly enter a scale value, an angle and a position in the Image Controls dialog box.
Perspective distortion in the photo will be a potential source of error in this process. However, if you actually have some known measurements from the bicycle you can directly enter those into BikeCAD and use the photo to approximate values for the remaining unknowns.
Because there is also a rider in the above example, Rider anatomy fields can be used to match the model up with the rider in the photo. The cranks can also be rotated to come in line with the cranks in the photo.
The display of the photo can be turned off by clicking the photo icon in the top menu.
When you save your BikeCAD model, BikeCAD will store the location of the image file as well. If you don't want your BikeCAD model to have any association with the image file, you can select File >> Remove photo.