PDF's

[cwilber]

So I just started familiarizing myself with AutoCAD 2010 this week and am discovering some nice things. When I insert a PDF it looks spectacular, and it allows me to snap to points on the actual PDF drawing! Incredible! But here is the question of the day for me... Is it now, or was it ever possible to somehow turn that PDF into actual lines to edit and manipulate? I know its a stretch, but how great would that be if you actually could do that? Thanks everybody...

[cadtag]

tracing it is the simplest way to start. also let's you correct distance errors as you go.

[rkmcswain]

Is it now, or was it ever possible to somehow turn that PDF into actual lines to edit and manipulate?

Not with vanilla AutoCAD.

If the PDF contains vectors, then there are various programs out there (we use http://www.dotsoft.com/pdf2dwg.htm ) that will convert the PDF into AutoCAD entities.

If the PDF is raster (a scan), then you are getting into a need for 'raster to vector' software, which is an inexact science at best... Autodesk Raster Design does includes some tools for converting raster to vector, but IIRC, it's basically automating the tracing of the linework, and recognizing things like circles, text, etc., so it can certainly help, but it's not a "magic button" one step process.

[Railrose]

I read somewhere that if the PDF was generated in AutoCAD, it could be reverted to AutoCAD. I haven't tried it, but would be worth investigating.

[rkmcswain]

I read somewhere that if the PDF was generated in AutoCAD, it could be reverted to AutoCAD. I haven't tried it, but would be worth investigating.

If it's generated from AutoCAD, Microstation, or just about any application that creates vector geometry, then most likely, the PDF will contain vector geometry also. I suppose there could be a PDF driver that writes it out as raster...?

That is why if you have to send a drawing to someone and you want to give them the least head start possible (on getting back to a DWG file), then it's always best to print to paper and scan to PDF.

[irneb]

Exactly as rk's stated. It depends on how the PDF was made. A PDF can contain lines, text, or images. It may have come from something which draws a line from a point to a point. Or it may have placed a piece of text at a specific point. Or worst case is it may have generated an image (i.e. the dots as a printer would place on the paper). It can even be set to print to a PDF from ACad as an image so the lines actually become dots inside the PDF. So it doesn't necessarily mean that you will always be able to get it back to actual linework, that is without the also noted raster-to-vector converters (which are notoriously inaccurate at best).

BTW, there's also another free option (other that RK's link to DWG2PDF). You can google for 3 open source programs which work together: GhostScript, GSView and PS2Edit. If you've installed all 3 correctly (note PS2Edit doesn't work on 64bit) you can open a PDF/EPS/PS file and convert to vector formats such as DXF, WMF, EMF, etc.

Just as a note. No matter how good such program is, you'll find less than perfect accuracy. Not to mention it will bring the linework into ACad at a scaled version. PDF is meant only for viewing / printing so its accuracy (as with DWF) is not as good as the original DWG. You may also find things like text acting weirdly, changing font, being split into several small pieces, etc. Unfortunately that's part of how a PDF is made up, thus it cannot be circumvented.