Autocad pdfs vs. revit pdfs

[crohs]

I recently tried to export a pdf from Revit to take it into illustrator to create graphics for a presentatin. Autocad would write the pdf with a transparent background allowing me to place color under the pdf in illustrator. I'm frustrated to find out that Revit creates a solid white background that I can't put color under.

Does anyone know of a way to get a transparent pdf again?

Thanks!

[dzatto]

I recently tried to export a pdf from Revit to take it into illustrator to create graphics for a presentatin. Autocad would write the pdf with a transparent background allowing me to place color under the pdf in illustrator. I'm frustrated to find out that Revit creates a solid white background that I can't put color under.

Does anyone know of a way to get a transparent pdf again?

Thanks!
Welcome to AUGI and congrats on your first post :beer:

I'm a new Revit user as well, but try exporting to a DWF, then print the DWF to a PDF. That might work.

[crohs]

Thanks for the prompt answer. However, my only option to "print to pdf" from the dwf print dialog box is*.prn.

I can of course, export a dwg from revit to cad and make my pdfs that way.

Any other ideas?

[cliff collins]

You can export a .png which should have alpha channel/transparency.

cheers.....

[crohs]

Based on that theory, a .tif should work as well. However, I can't find an paramter to change in Revit to tell it to make the background transparent. (...like you can when writing a .tif from photoshop.)

[cliff collins]

When you import the png from Revit into Illustrator, what background do you get?


cheers........

[crohs]

I get a white background.

[bregnier]

Our standard method for coloring Revit PDFs in Illustrator:

1. Print to PDF using Acrobat PDF writer.

2. Open in Illustrator and ungroup.

3. Select all and remove clipping masks.

4. The removed clipping masks will leave some "invisible" lines with no stroke. Select one of these, use the "select same fill and stroke" to select all, and delete.

5. Select everything and use Live Paint to color in areas.

[crohs]

Perfect! I feel like I dummy. I've done this enough that I should have tried that! Thanks so much!

[ron.sanpedro]

Based on that theory, a .tif should work as well. However, I can't find an paramter to change in Revit to tell it to make the background transparent. (...like you can when writing a .tif from photoshop.)

A vector PDF with transparency would be great, but actually I think that is exactly why there is no transparency, it is a raster image (probably a PNG) embedded in a PDF wrapper, not a vector image in the wrapper. No transparency, no scalability, just a dumb image. Pretty sure Autodesk would have to license some vector PDF stuff from Adobe to get this to work. Somehow I think they will instead keep feeding us a line about DWF being a better option. Cough. Gack.

Gordon

[trombe]

Thanks for the prompt answer. However, my only option to "print to pdf" from the dwf print dialog box is*.prn.

I can of course, export a dwg from revit to cad and make my pdfs that way.

Any other ideas?

Hi,
I am not sure what virtual printers you have installed
2 days ago I had to do this very thing because Revit 2010 will not print to PDF Factory Pro (although, Revit 2009, 2008, RB9.1, RB9 all did)
I exported to DWF, opened in Design Review 2010 and selected File -Print- (choose your printer and printer preferences), carry on.
(.prn) is not one of the print options I have anymore.
This method produced a (fairly) clean pdf file.
good luck
trombe