Making PDF's in Revit

[SwartzieCRA]

Our MEP company is having trouble getting an overall solution for PDF's. We've tried a few different programs and can't seem to get consistant quality for all disciplines. What is everyone out there using as far as PDF writers? Thanks in advance.

[Andrew Dobson]

Cute PDF works very well for us, and it is free.

http://www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/Writer.asp

[ticad02]

We're using Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard, but I don't believe it's free. It works well, but I want to figure out how to plot directly to our plotter rather than PDF's first then plotting the PDF's. I'm new to Revit by the way, so the way I'm doing things is probably wrong...LOL.

Happy Reviting!!!

[twiceroadsfool]

Unless there are options im missing, i dont like CutePDF. It prompts you for a file name for every PDF created, which stinks if youre plotting an entire set. It REALLY stinks doing an entire set on a fast computer, as twenty "Save as" windows pop up, and you dont know which one is which.

I used Acrobat Distiller at my old job and loved it, since it would just toss the plt's in a folder automatically and Distiller would make PDF's. Ive used Bluebeam with success too.

[clog boy]

Within the Revit print interface, you can opt to combine all drawings into a single file, but apart from that you're right. It will however suggest a filename based on sheetname and -number.

Other than that, I love CutePDF.

[Scott Womack]

We use PDF995. There are settings in it where I can turn off the show after creation, and turn off its asking me for a saveas name. Adobe Acrobat Pro creates a printer driver that has these same settings. Once set, you can print an entire set without a request for name.

[GeorgeChandler]

Hi, Pinebush Technologies had partnered with Revit (before Autodesk) for the original Revit PDF writer. When Autodesk pulled it out, we created HyperPDF based on the same technology. It has the ability to create one PDF file, or multiple based on sheet/view name. Please see www.pinebush.com/products/hyperpdf. Thanks.

[cliff collins]

I vote for PDF995 as well.

Anyone have any problems with PDF printing in Windows 7 64 bit, RAC 2010?

cheers..........

[Richard at AA]

Our MEP company is having trouble getting an overall solution for PDF's. We've tried a few different programs and can't seem to get consistant quality for all disciplines. What is everyone out there using as far as PDF writers? Thanks in advance.


We use Bluebeam. Good support and have not had any issues.

[priitl22047477]

I am using Bullzip pdf printer.
We used primopdf before, but it had some problems, adding an error sheet to printouts.

[DaveP]

We use Cute PDF for the onesie-twosie plots and
PDF Creator for our batch plots.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/
The only downside to PDF Creator is that is ignores the Revit path specification. You have to either live with plotting all of your plots the a local folder and then moving them, or going into PDF Creator outside Revit and setting the path.

There are a few settings inside PDF Creator it took us a while to figure out. PM me if you'd like to discuss further.

[PaperStreet SoapCO]

I love PDFCreator as well, but we need to be able to manipulate the PDFs such as rotating, merging, splitting, cropping, etc. Also, we need to be able to mark them up, reply to RFIs w/ comments and other things that CA requires...

I'm currently in the middle of evaluating a couple of different options as Adobe's $299.00 price for Acrobat Standard is just a bit steep. Right now it's between Bluebeam Revu Standard and Foxit Phantom. Anybody want to chime in on either of these? I would greatly appreciate it.

[PaperStreet SoapCO]

Actually, scratch that - I'm going to make the recommendation for Bluebeam Revu. Just having the ability to tell the program what scale your drawing is at and be able to pull dims, areas, etc from the PDF is a great asset. This will make marking up PDFs another step closer to replacing physical print markups.

[trombe]

Hi, Pinebush Technologies had partnered with Revit (before Autodesk) for the original Revit PDF writer. When Autodesk pulled it out, we created HyperPDF based on the same technology. It has the ability to create one PDF file, or multiple based on sheet/view name. Please see www.pinebush.com/products/hyperpdf. Thanks.

Have you tried this writer with Revit Architecture 2010, WU2, and later SP3 (current, on x64 versions and with Vista ?
I have been using PDF Factory Pro for over 3 years with complete success out of Revit and all other windows applications however, since Revit 2010 came along it has been a nightmare with the actually written file, cutting off text horizontally on a random basis, some characters missing randomly, things like a handrail displaced horizontally from its balusters - but when printed hard copy out of Revit there are no issues at all and otherwise all other applications write perfectly cleanly.

I might say I have had a support request in since July 2009 and its November 30 today and still no resolution. With this only my 5th support request since 2002, I can say I am totally unimpressed with a lack of support progress.

So if you think this one will work in RA2010 SP3 x64 in Vista SP2, tell it here please.

regards
trombe

[truevis]

Unless there are options im missing, i dont like CutePDF. It prompts you for a file name for every PDF created, which stinks if youre plotting an entire set. It REALLY stinks doing an entire set on a fast computer, as twenty "Save as" windows pop up, and you dont know which one is which...
Turning of spooling may help with that.

Also, one can use something like AutoHotKey to hit Enter whenever the CutePDF Save dialog appears. That's what I do.

[patricks]

Acrobat 8 Standard here, and Adobe JUST released an update yesterday that makes PDF's open in Firefox in Windows 7 without an annoying error message *FINALLY*

Anyway, we've been using Acrobat 8 for awhile now, rarely any issues. Print a whole set to a single PDF only takes a couple of clicks. Give it a file name and you're done.

Only thing I HATE is that you can't specify a default folder in Acrobat, which really only affects me when assembling separate PDF's into a single file. It has nothing to do with its use in Revit. When assembling. replacing sheets, inserting sheets, etc is always defaults to the My Documents (or just Documents in Win7). I would like to set it to default to our network drive where all files are stored, but apparently that's not possible.

The little oddity about printing to PDF from Revit using Acrobat is that it defaults to the folder of the last PDF file you printed from Revit (I think). So if you're not careful it will bury your PDF file within another project.

[GeorgeChandler]

Have you tried this writer with Revit Architecture 2010, WU2, and later SP3 (current, on x64 versions and with Vista ?
...

So if you think this one will work in RA2010 SP3 x64 in Vista SP2, tell it here please.

regards
trombe

XP 32- and 64-bit, yes. Not Vista, for sure. We are bypassing that OS. Looking at Win 7 now.

[jvedio]

Anyone having trouble printing fonts with a driver other than Acrobat? When I use any of the free print drivers (pdf995, cutepdf) or bluebeam all of my fonts get exported as overlapping lines rather than solid block. If i print from a adobe driver everything is fine. Anyone seen this before? Im using all version of revit 2009-2010 and all verticals.

[matt__w]

We use Bluebeam. Good support and have not had any issues.
Have you figured out a way to use line merge in Revit? We've had it for over a year now and have been loving it with AutoCAD, but since we've made the leap to Revit, we miss the functionality that it had for AutoCAD.

[Richard at AA]

Have you figured out a way to use line merge in Revit? We've had it for over a year now and have been loving it with AutoCAD, but since we've made the leap to Revit, we miss the functionality that it had for AutoCAD.

There is no line merge in Revit. Linework for objects 'on top' will always be on top of linework below. This is usually not a problem since objects that are in plane on plan view are rarely both displayed in a single view. When we do need it, we just overlay one view over another.

[matt__w]

Any idea why THIS is happening (see attached image). The lines obscuring the receptacles are detail lines within the linked arch model.

Thanks in advance.
Matt

[matt__w]

Update: I just received an email from Bluebeam tech support (fastest EVER turn-around time from them, by the way) and you CAN use line merge when printing from Revit. On the PRINTER tab of the BLUEBEAM ADMINISTRATOR dialog box, toggle ON the PROMPT FOR FILE NAME option. You will then get the option to enable line merge as well as set the DPI.

:)

[DoTheBIM]

We're using PDF Factory Pro as well. Really nice with the jobs list feature, so that it's quick and easy to rearrange sheets in the order we want prior to PDF creation.

[klwhiteley]

I'm using Bullzip right now and it's working alright. It doesn't seem to be able to print straight Views to scale though. It prints Sheets with the views on them to the right scale.

I'm using Revit 2010 on Windows 7 (64 bit) on a virtual machine using Parallels 5 on an iMac.

[SwartzieCRA]

Thanks for everyone's input. Just a couple of comments... We are an MEP firm. BlueBeam uses line merge which doesn't work with the way we tag our piping (no leaders, tags on pipes). Line merge puts the pipe linetype through our tag. Also, does anyone else have the problem with linked (Architectural) room names covering equipment, etc. in plan view? Any solutions/work arounds for this? Thanks again!

[trombe]

We're using PDF Factory Pro as well. Really nice with the jobs list feature, so that it's quick and easy to rearrange sheets in the order we want prior to PDF creation.

Hi, that is good news...
can you tell me if you are on Vista ? or which OS and, can you tell me please which version of PDF Factory Pro you are using ?.
I am using ver 3.38 on Vista.

Now with Revit 2011, this problem has not gone away ( I thought it had !).
I seem to be able to write a clean pdf by export to DWF or DWFX, then open in Design Review, and then write the PDF out of that !!!!!!!!!! f$%@.
This is not an acceptable workflow to be polite.

Does anyone use Windows 7 x64, Revit 2011 x64 and PDF Factory Pro (32 bit or x64 versions, with the as normal clean easy to make PDF file ? ? ?
thanks in advance !
regards
trombe