ACAD to PDF ? [Archive]

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PatD

2004-06-07, 05:47 PM

janette.couture68328

2004-06-07, 06:07 PM

Hi Pat,
Have you looked at Acro Plot Pro? You can access a trial issue from the publications tab. (see Augiworld).

Mike.Perry

2004-06-07, 06:15 PM

Hi

Below snippet comes from an old ACAD Guild post (Note - some of the info maybe a little dated now) -

<snip>
Hi

Below carries on from Terry's (his name appears in *lights* within one of the articles) excellent PDF Overload; happy reading...

Re: Generating PDF from CAD

"We have a number of licenses of Acrobat, but when it came to CAD we went with an adware software called PDF995 <http://www.pdf995.com> (US$9.95 to remove adware). We have set it up as a PC3 driver on our [AutoCAD] systems.

"We had our directors look at three version of the same CAD drawing, and then rank them. The results were:

1st - PDF995 created PDF file

2nd - AutoCAD drawing

3rd - Acrobat created PDF file

"This was quite a surprise, as you can imagine. There is a lot of really poxy software out there that just can't cut it compared to the real thing. PDF995 does a good job."

- Caroline Clohesy

IT Support @Home

"I use PDF995 for creating PDFs from just about any application, including MicroStation. It sets up a PDF 'printer'."

- Andrew Beer

New Zealand Steel

************

New PDF Aimed at CAD:

Vendors Respond, Part I

. . . . .

After Adobe Corporation announced that a CAD-friendly version of Acrobat ships in May, I wondered how third-party developers might be affected. I asked a random cross-section of file translators, viewers, and CAD vendors. As you read their response, keep in mind that most were not given access to the Acrobat 6 beta by Adobe.

Spicer Corporation

As Acrobat reader continues to gain momentum as an information distribution and review tool, Adobe is poised to be a future threat. This is further evidenced by the recent announcements with PTC and Autodesk. It's too early, however, to judge what the effect will be on us.

We can equate this to what has happened in the DMS/CMS [document/content management systems] world with Microsoft and Sharepoint. CMS vendors have all implemented adaptors into Sharepoint just to be compatible with it, instead of trying to fight against it. Spicer could be in a similar position.

If Spicer can provide perfect support of Acrobat 6 along with the other 200+ native formats and features such as markup, advanced printing, batch processing, we should be OK. The major plus for Spicer is our ability to have an open API [applications programming interface] that hooks into the information management systems (DMS, PDM, PLM, CMS, etc.). Not sure what the API is like for Acrobat 6. Also, Adobe recently announced the Acrobat Document Server; however, this has to be tried and proved.

- Tony Kobilnyk, marketing communication specialist

http://www.spicer.com (http://www.spicer.com/)

CAD Systems Unlimited

Adobe's entry into to the CAD to PDF conversion arena would certainly affect every company targeting this segment. This market is pretty saturated I think.

The good news for us is that format conversion is only one of the functions of our product, Slick! for Windows. It does other conversions, like cals g4, tiff, etc. Hence, I do not feel that Adobe's entry will affect us greatly.

Adobe Acrobat 6's ability to merge different documents into one .pdf file is unbeatable. Since they own the format, their technical advantage would be hard to beat.

- Robert Pantangco, president

http://www.slickwin.com (http://www.slickwin.com/)

@Last Software

Adobe's move into CAD should enhance SketchUp. Our v2.2 for Mac OSX already exports to PDF; SketchUp v3.0 for Windows (to be released in June 2003) will also support export to PDF. Our users will have the ability to export directly to PDF for redlining, etc. If there is a downside, it is that 3D SketchUp files are only in 2D in PDF.

We believe that PDF is one of the most useful 2D file formats, and I am certain that we will find ways to integrate with the great new features of Acrobat 6.

I think this strengthens PDF against alternative formats promoted by CAD vendors, such as Autodesk's DWF and SolidWorks' eDrawings. Redlining in PDF could have a nice freehand feel similar to designing in SketchUp. A freehand set of electronic tools for design could include SketchUp, Sketchbook, and Acobat 6.

- Sara Strebe, director of marketing

http://www.sketchup.com (http://www.sketchup.com/)

JW Graphics

We are probably not affected as our Cad Publisher software does a lot more than output PDF; it also does Illustrator, PostScript, EPS, EMF, WMF, TIFF, JPEG, and PNG. The major purpose of Cad Publisher is to provide finished art from CAD DXF files that can be output direct to print or imported into other software.

I don't really know what Acrobat 6 will do; we have had layer ordering control, layer visibility, batch processing, custom colors, custom line weights, scaling, and font control in place for a number of years.

Most people, when producing their output files, want to get everything they have had in the CAD file into the output. Will Acrobat 6 do this? Some programs have DXF/DWG import filters within them, Illustrator included and from their own user forums there would appear to be problems with it, in that it doesn't work on everything. That is understandable due to the complexity -- and sometimes mess -- that can be in the CAD file format. It would seem that Adobe would need to have an exceptional understanding of the CAD files for the user to be confident that all will be in the output.

Our experience with CAD files is that a lot of it becomes behavioral science: what the specification says is supposed to happen, may not happen all the time. In some instances you have to produce the output on the behavior of the display. These tend to be the edge cases, which separate the good conversion tools from the rest.

- John Walker, owner

http://www.jwgraphics.com.au (http://www.jwgraphics.com.au/)

BlueBeam Software

We believe that Adobe's presence in this market will benefit us. Specifically, they will help drive awareness of PDF products in the design and engineering community, which will in turn highlight the benefits of Pushbutton PDF specifically targeted to the CAD user.

We believe that this new release further promotes the use of PDF for documenting, reviewing, and archiving design content, as well as supporting the large-format printing process. However, we continue to see designers and engineers using the technology that best suits their needs, and that PDF and other design formats are not necessarily substitutes. There are significant benefits to using DWF or eDrawings when sharing design data and collaborating between engineers. As such, there remains a place for CAD formats and PDF.

- Michelle Quinones

http://www.bluebeam.com (http://www.bluebeam.com/)

************

(For continuation refer to next post)

Mike.Perry

2004-06-07, 06:16 PM

(For continuation refer to next post)New PDF Aimed at CAD:

Vendor Respond, Part II

. . . . .

After Adobe Corporation announced that a CAD-friendly version of Acrobat will ship in May, I wondered how third-party developers might be affected.

One vendor responded at length, but in a follow-up email asked me to not use his comments. The reason? His company is getting out of the PDF business, the first victim of Acrobat 6. He added, be sure that whatever conversion software you use, that it creates vector PDFs, and not raster PDFs.

Continuing from last week, here are responses from additional CAD-PDF vendors:

LineType Software, Inc.

The most important new features for CAD users are the direct-to-PDF conversion from AutoCAD, and layers. PDF creation from AutoCAD can be accomplished by any number of utilities on the market, but for now it appears that layer support will only be available by using Acrobat 6. Other solutions that work as printer drivers will not (for now) translate layer information to PDF.

Whether or not layers ultimately become a feature useful in PDF files depends on the new uses we find for PDFs as electronic documents. People who create PDFs just to send them to a plotting service or create electronic checksets will not find layers useful. Those who need to manipulate layers, need the original CAD drawing, not a PDF.

I see the usefulness of layers in PDFs developing slowly as people accept this format for real electronic documents, rather than a means of getting the document on paper. From what I have read, it will be possible (somehow) to control visibility of layers based on the zoom factor. This would be a great way to re-envision the way that drawings are created: Rather than having several drawings of the same thing at different scales (building sections, wall sections, and details) there could be just one drawing (a building section, for instance) and as you zoom in on certain areas, more details appear: hatches on materials, detailed dimensions, and descriptive notes -- all appear at an appropriate scale [Reminds me of VRML -Ed.] This will require a new way of thinking about and creating drawings, so it may be some ways off in the future, or it may never happen at all.

Acrobat 6 Professional appears to offer a new feature for distance and area measurement similar to my LineScale product (a plug-in). But I think that my product will not be adversely affected for a couple of reasons:

* The new measuring features appear to be included only in Acrobat 6 Professional, not in Reader; my LineScale plug-in works with both Reader and the full version of Acrobat.

* LineScale offers point snapping to vector graphics, which may not be offered by Acrobat 6 (I will need to see more detailed documentation of the Acrobat feature).

Regarding the use of PDF rather than DWF for CAD drawings, this new release definitely improves the standing of PDF. Although preservation of layer data may not be useful to many, it has been an important point for Autodesk in their effort to create the impression that PDF is not an "appropriate" format for electronic drawings.

It is unfortunate, though, that the price of Acrobat 6 Professional is so high. In the end, the strongest argument for PDF over DWF remains the same -- PDF is available to all software applications, on all platforms (Windows, Mac, PalmOS, and Unix) and it is known and accepted all over the world. Why use some other format that offers no real advantages?

- John TeSelle

http://www.linetype.com (http://www.linetype.com/)

The editor notes: Mr TeSelle has a handy summary of software that produces PDFs from CAD at http://www.linetype.com/advice/pdfcreation .

IronCAD, LLC

Adobe's move into CAD further validates our move to support industry standards, instead of trying to create our own. We have felt all along that it is better for the user to have just a few standard tools on their desktop to accomplish their everyday tasks -- document viewing being one of those. When we made our decision to support PDF natively in our drawing file, it was with the realization that PDF was already the system independent standard for document interchange.

Our implementation was not intended to provide specific end-user features, but just standard PDF that could be viewed within Acrobat. We anticipated that Adobe would provide such collaboration tools, as is the case.

CAD vendors should not complicate things by providing propriety solutions [such as DWF and eDrawings] in areas that should be serviced by general solutions.

- Shaun Murphy

http://www.ironcad.com

Tailor Made Software, Ltd

We are really glad that Adobe chose to put more emphasis on the CAD market. Adobe should be a good competitor to Autodesk, and the rivalry between PDF and DWF could be a good one. As a conversion company, we continue to support both products. As a viewing company (CadViewer), we continue to offer a Java-based alternative to Autodesk's DWF viewing products.

There are two primary methods of creating PDFs from AutoCAD: from inside AutoCAD, or as an external process. Because we chose to concentrate in the high volume, highly automated market, our products run outside AutoCAD. As such we don't directly compete with the "one button" generation like Bluebeam or now Adobe. Instead we strive for very fast, mainly server-based, on-demand or scheduled conversion of large batches of files. Our server-based conversion products are far faster than Acrobat Distiller, with better quality and utilize a one-step process.

I am glad that Adobe has finally added layers to PDF. We will turn on support for layers in PDF as soon as Acrobat 6 is shipping. We have supported layers in other output formats for years.

Layers and a lack of accurate measurement were the two major "dings" against PDF. With Adobe now supporting both, this should help PDF usage in engineering circles. I would not say PDF now has the edge over DWF, but I am certainly glad we put so much effort into upgrading our PDF technology this year.

Since there are no 16' by 16' plotters that I know of, the idea of a 16' square PDF drawing is sort of a marketing gimmick, but allowing long drawings is a good idea. (Until Acrobat 5 came out we had to limit the largest dimension in a PDF drawing to 45"; unfortunately, both ARCH E and ISO A0 drawings are larger than that.) Maybe one day they will just remove the artificial limit all together.

- Scott Taylor

http://www.tailormade.com (http://www.tailormade.com/)

The editor comments: Autodesk has indicated a future release of DWF will support 3D, something SolidWork's eDrawings does now, and something I doubt PDF will ever support.

CADzation

The major problems I see with Acrobat 6.0 are:

1. Cost. You're crazy to spend US$449 per seat to create PDF files just from AutoCAD drawings.

2. Format. It's best to save in Acrobat v4.0 format because then just about everyone can read it. To get the new features, you need to save in Acrobat v6.0 format, but then you better realize that your clients may have to upgrade their Reader to read your PDF files.

3. Government. From what I can tell, most government agencies require Acrobat v4.0 format. And since Acrobat v6.0 format gives no significant advantage, I don't see them changing the requirement for some time.

4. Layers. What I loved about the PDF format was its simplicity: What we created is what our customers saw, and what they printed. If we need to share information that requires turning layers on and off, we have native CAD formats, or the DWF format.

5. Reverse-engineering. You thought PDF was a secure way to transmit your drawings. Anything that can be printed through Windows, however, can be converted into a DXF file using off-the-self printer drivers. Everything went on one layer. Now Adobe is going to allow you to create an PDF with layer information for each item. Adobe, thanks for making it even easier for someone to reverse-engineer our work into a more useable AutoCAD drawing.

- Rodney McManam

http://www.cadzation.com (http://www.cadzation.com/)

The editor notes: Mr McManamy has written much more on this topic at http://www.cadzation.com/acrobat6.htm , including "Some questions I really wished Ralph would have asked."

(For continuation refer to next post)

Mike.Perry

2004-06-07, 06:20 PM

(For continuation refer to next post)
ADOBE TARGETS CAD USERS WITH LATEST ACROBAT
Adobe announced the latest version of its Adobe Acrobat PDF-writing software, which is now actually three versions-Acrobat 6.0 Professional, Acrobat 6.0 Standard, and Acrobat Elements. All are slated to ship at the end of May. The Professional edition (US$449; upgrades from 4.0/5.0, US$149), which Adobe previewed for us last month, targets engineers and designers with tools such as a cloud tool in the revision menu and support for AutoCAD and Visio layers.

You can specify which layers to include in a PDF and specify that they always be on. Vector fonts are now searchable, and basic measurement tools are provided. PDF zoom capabilities are extended to 6400%, and you can scale and tile drawings. File compression is improved for archiving applications. Besides creating PDF files, Acrobat Professional provides tools for document review and markup, the ability to print large-format documents, and form creation capabilities.

Acrobat Standard is for general business use, and Acrobat Elements is available only through an enterprise license. A new version of the free Adobe Reader (renamed from Acrobat Reader) will be available at the end of May as well. You need the full version of Acrobat, however, to mark up drawings.

In conjunction with the product announcements, Adobe listed various initiatives, including a partnership with PTC to integrate Acrobat 6.0 into Windchill ProductView for PLM (product lifecycle management) applications. Adobe also will support a comprehensive XML architecture to govern data exchange during document creation, collaboration, and process management. Components cover intelligent forms, process automation, data integration, security, and publishing for archiving and printing. In coming months, Adobe will release a tool for designing XML and PDF templates and forms, publish the XML architecture specification, and deliver an XML toolkit for developers.

http://www.adobe.com (http://www.adobe.com/)

************

Gene Mercer writes:
Check out this software called PDF995. www.pdf995.com (http://www.pdf995.com/)

I used this FREE (yes, free) product for approximately 6-8 months before the company purchased Acrobat and it worked flawlessly. We use 30x42" prints and the PDF995 handled those with no problems. It works about the same as the Acrobat Distiller, by installing a virtual printer. I've used it with word, excel, AutoCAD 2000, and even printing webpages from Internet Explorer... anything you can print it will make a PDF out of (color & b/w).

This is indeed a free download and another thing you might want to try out to create pdfs.

************

MORE NOTES ON THE PDF FILE FORMAT
Thanks again to all who wrote in with information on creating PDF files. This week we'll look at alternatives to Adobe Distiller. All products mentioned were suggested by readers who've had success using them with AutoCAD. There are many more options out there. Two good resource sites are:

http://www.planetpdf.com (http://www.planetpdf.com/)

http://www.pdfzone.com (http://www.pdfzone.com/)

Next week, we'll go into greater detail on GhostScript, another free option, and also look at the DWF format for file exchange. But first, some clarifications of issues raised last week:

The maximum page size for the PDF format is actually 200 X 200 inches. If you make a page larger than that, it won't display in Acrobat.

Though PDF removes intelligence from drawings, it is not secure.

Though you can't open a PDF document directly in AutoCAD, there are workarounds. Thanks to Terry Drewes and Steve Johnson for the following methods.

Utilities are available to convert PDFs to many different formats, including DXF. The free program pstoedit is available at:

http://www.pstoedit.net/pstoedit

You can also open a PDF in Adobe Illustrator 10, save the PDF to AI format, and then export to DWG.

Another option is to open the PDF in Acrobat Reader, plot to an HP plotter but print to file. Use an HPGL to DXF converter, such as Govert's HPGL2DXF, which you can download at:

http://www.output.tmfweb.nl (http://www.output.tmfweb.nl/)

With all these options, some cleanup work is required. You might want to run a drawing through the DWG to PDF to DWG cycle to see the results before you adopt the PDF format as a document distribution method.

If you need greater security, you can find many applications that encrypt PDF files through the resource sites mentioned above. Steve Johnson's company, CADLock, offers a product (US$400) that encrypts DWG files directly.

http://www.cadlock.com

PDF SOFTWARE: ADOBE ALTERNATIVES

Other Adobe programs may provide PDF writing tools that will work with AutoCAD. Adobe Photo Deluxe, for example, includes a PDF writer.

Unfortunately, Adobe just discontinued this program. Adobe PressReady lets you plot directly to a PDF file. This software comes bundled with the HP DeskJet 1220C/PS.

Adobe also offers an online PDF conversion service ($9.99/month for U.S. and Canada only). Uploaded files are limited to 100MB and a processing time of 10 minutes. You can sign up for five free conversions at:

http://createpdf.adobe.com

PDF SOFTWARE: PART OF A PLOTTING PACKAGE

Plotting software may also include a PDF output option. An example is M-Color plotting software for AutoCAD. From the M-Color menu, select Settings/Format/PDF. You can define outline and fill styles such as solid color, gradient, translucent, and bit-map texture for AutoCAD layers. M-Color automatically uses the best possible compression method when creating PDFs. You can download an evaluation copy at:

http://www.motivesys.com

Likewise, CADPlotServer can produce PDF files:

http://columbus.arup.com/cadplot/

Though these products cost more than other products mentioned here, you also get many other plotting features such as batch plotting and tracking. They may also make sense for organizations with many networked users who need to create PDFs.

PDF SOFTWARE: FREE DOWNLOADS

PDF995.exe installs as a system printer and produces PDF files up to A3 size. You can use the software for free if you're willing to put up with ads. The cost is US$9.95 for the ad-free version.

http://www.pdf995.com (http://www.pdf995.com/)

The company also offers Signature995, which encrypts PDF documents and lets you attach digital signatures.

http://www.signature995.com

OttoPDF is a free application available at:

http://communities.msn.com/ottomagic/files.dca

Download is free, but you need to enter an MSN .Net passport user id.

With OttoPDF, you create the plot file from the DWG file, with no need for AutoCAD. For best results, copy your drawing to another file and change all line colors to black. Otherwise, you may end up with a grayscaled PDF.

PDF SOFTWARE: CAD Publisher

CAD Publisher Professional (US$495) takes DXF files as input and converts them to a number of formats, including PDF. It provides a number of options for customizing drawing scale, page size, linewidths, area fills, and more. An Easy version (US$95) offers fewer options and scales to an A4 size sheet.

http://www.jwgraphics.com.au/

PDF SOFTWARE: JAWS PDF CREATOR

The Jaws PDF Creator (US$100) installs as a printer driver in any Windows or Macintosh application. It supports Windows 95/98/NT4/ME/2000/XP and Macintosh 8.5 through 9.x. The Jaws product is the successor to 5D PDF Creator.

http://www.jawspdf.com/

PDF SOFTWARE: PDF-XCHANGE

PDF-XChange V2 (US$39.50) installs as a printer so you can print from any program. An evaluation version is available at:

http://www.docu-track.com/

PDF SOFTWARE: VIEW COMPANION

View Companion (US$49) from Software Companions produces a PDF file from an HPGL file. You plot using a Hewlett-Packard printer driver, then load the file in View Companion. The only drawback is that bit-mapped objects, such as client logos, cause View Companion to crash.

http://www.softwarecompanions.com (http://www.softwarecompanions.com)

(For continuation refer to next post)

Mike.Perry

2004-06-07, 06:23 PM

(For continuation refer to next post)
-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Drewes [mailto:tdrewes@kurtzarch.com]
Sent: 01 July 2003 17:53
To: guild-acad-discussion@augi.com
Cc: DHarrington@walterpmoore.com
Subject: Re: [ACAD] PDF anyone?
From another newsgroup on PDFs...

Here is a link from Adobe that shows how to use Adobe Acrobat and

AutoCAD. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/pdfs/enghowto.pdf

The next link is also from Adobe:

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/19ac2.htm

Here is a good place to gather information on PDF files:

http://www.planetpdf.com

AutoCAD tip- Plotting PDFs:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200225#8

More tips for making PDF files in AutoCAD:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200226#6

More notes on the PDF file format:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#4

PDF software- Adobe alternatives:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#5

PDF software- Part of a plotting package:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#6

PDF software- Free downloads:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#7

PDF software- Jaws PDF Creator:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#8

PDF software- PDF-Xchange:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#9

PDF software- View Companion:

http://www.cadalyst.com/newsline/issue.cfm?issue=3D200227#10

And a couple of other posts...

Another utility that sounds interesting...:

NEW ADD-ONS FOR AUTOCAD, MICROSTATION, ACROBAT READER Plot2PDF (US$152)

from Softcover converts CAD drawings in DWG, DXF, HPGL, HPGL/2, PLT, and CGM formats to PDF format. It saves PDF as vector graphics so drawing quality is retained during zooming and plotting. You can convert drawings individually or in batches. Download a free demo version at:

http://www.softcover.com

LineType Software released the LineScale plug-in (US$39) for Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader. The plug-in lets you make accurate measurements from any PDF file. You can snap the cursor to selections points, such as endpoints and intersections, in the underlying vector geometry. LineScale displays segment length, total path length, and enclosed area. It also converts between English and metric units. Download an evaluation version at: http://www.linetype.com

And check out Linetype's PDF/PLT/DWF Chart--

http://www.linetype.com/advice/comparison.htm

Great article on Forms--

http://www.planetpdf.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=1155

Finally I would recommended hplearningcenter's PDF class-- creating PDFs with Adobe Acrobat...

http://www.hplearningcenter.com/course/course.jsp?courseId=3D489

Ciao!

~Terry
</snip>

Have a good one, Mike

Wolfgirl

2004-06-07, 07:50 PM

I'm not a power user of ACAD, however, have been using ACAD for 10 yrs now.
More and more, we are getting requests for PDF files to be emailed for customer approvals.
Is there a way of exporting an ACAD dwg to a PDF?
Can this be done without loss of font style and positioning of text?
Thanks in advance!
Patrick

:twisted: Just to play devils advocate...

With the new DWF option (2004 & 2005), I've been "converting" my customers into accepting that format. When you hit them up with the reader being free and the files being smaller, I've had very good results. Given the option, few can resist the DWF files. (still trying to find somebody willing to try the DWF Composer so they can do their markups electronically though, think this will become a very powerful tool in the future)

But for those few die hards, I print to PDF using the PDF995 driver (found at www.pdf995.com).

Wolfgirl

Aubrey.kieren68998

2004-06-08, 03:00 PM

Try this link:

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Its a FREE PDF printer/creator that works with any program that has a print option!
I've been using it with AutoCAD for a while now with exceptional results. Admittedly it does not caryy hyperlinks (or at least I haven't tried it!), but I have never so far had to include links in my drawings.

..::KIEREN::..

Mark Northrup

2004-06-08, 03:45 PM

jhohman

2004-06-08, 04:05 PM

We have been plotting pdf formats for a few months now using Acrobat Distiller 5.0 which adds the Acrobat Distiller as a system plotter that comes up in the drop down list within the the plot dialog. We modified the stock pc3 file that is attached to the distiller to produce a lower resolution upon output to pdf because one 11x17 sheet was turning out to be as much as 1.5M. Implementing this to our cad systems (ACAD 2002) has been quite painless and seems to be very user friendly. Just wanted to put in my two cents. Thank you for reading.

Jay Hohman
CAD Tech
Pulte Homes

JASONM30395

2004-06-08, 04:57 PM

Got to agree with wolfgirl. Go with the DWF format and send a link where they can download the viewer (or ship the viewer with the file if you want). Otherwise I use CutePDF.

janette.couture68328

2004-06-16, 07:08 PM

Great info.
I have been looking at CutePDF and Adobe Professional Pro 6.
There is quite a difference in pricing though I'm not sure of the exact benefits of the Adobe over CutePDF. Can anyone enlighten me?

margherita

2005-08-04, 07:52 AM

I normally just tell my clients that if they'd like me to mail them drawings, I can only forward them 2 options:

TIFF Version 6 (CCITT G4 2D Compression)
DWF ePlot (optimised for plotting)

1. A TIF image can be opened using the normal Microsoft Windows Fax Viewer or Paint.
2. To open a DWF file, you could either use Volo View Express (included with AutoCAD) or you would need to download the free Autodesk® DWF Viewer (www.autodesk.com/dwfviewer).

You install these under File... Plotter Manager.

I'm not too keen on using Acrobat Reader as it is mainly only used for text documents.

cwade

2005-08-05, 04:27 PM

I have tried all versions, including Adobe's "CAD Friendly" version and the best results that I have gotten are from PDF995, best in quality and speed (when you use the paid version that doesn't display advertisements and it only costs $9.95 per seat).

Adobe: about 1-2 minutes per sheet, quality suffers a lot, esp. if you use wipeouts or textmasking.

CutePDF: 45 seconds to a minute and a half, quality is ok, but no control over rotation and some computers can not open them, can not handle any wipeouts or text masking either.

PDF995 with PDFEDIT995 installed (again paid seat): 15 - 45 seconds, occassional quality issues with wipeouts and text masking. (This becomes really fast if you let PDF995 choose the filenames and choose a folder to automatically save them to, I can make about 200 PDFs in under an hour and a half when needed, versus taking about 6 hours with Adobe or CutePDF,. due to having to choose filenames and where to save them as well as writing times.)

All of the above times are actual writing times, after closing any dialog boxes and until CAD is useable again. This is also by using them as plotters and are based off of 30X42 sheets.

Using ADOBE's export to PDF option takes about 3-4 minutes per drawing. DWF can't be batch plotted like PDFs can or so my blueprinter tells me, so they won't accept DWF, only PDFs. TIFFs can not be plotted to scale and are very large and poor in quality. So PDF is truly the only option at this point in time.

Brian Myers

2005-08-05, 07:11 PM

Acroplot is my PDF maker of choice. I use the Pro version at work and regular version at home. It's worth a look, honestly I've never heard any complaints from anyone that's used it in a production environment.

http://www.cadzation.com/

groberson

2005-08-23, 03:28 PM

Okay so I am young and new to the game. All I want to do is take a dwg file that i have in my autocad and make it into a PDF file so I can send it out to a client. I have Acrobat Profesional 6.0 and I can convert everything else into PDF. Instead of listing out a million links and articles cant someone just say

Open this > click on this> go to this> Click on this > BAM DWG into PDF

Sorry I am frustrated its turning into a long day.

Wanderer

2005-08-23, 03:38 PM

H.Hunter

2005-08-23, 05:47 PM

Just to add to the list of programs...our company has been using BlueBeam for the past several years now and works great and does batch pdfs as well. You can also use it in MS Office and pretty much any other app on your PC. I think its about $200 a license (cheaper than Acrobat). The batch is great once you configure the global settings. The newer version also lets you do binders which you can join separate PDFs from multiple programs together as one PDF in the end. I haven't tried it yet though. http://www.bluebeam.com

jaberwok

2005-08-23, 06:35 PM

bbapties

2005-08-23, 06:40 PM

to add to what johnbogie said... it seems alot of people think that you convert to pdf...

when in actuality you PLOT to a pdf file....so all you do is plot like normal but use your "pdf writer" as the printer. as johnbogie said

deka.hub

2008-02-29, 02:00 AM

CutePDF Writer is a freeware utility that does not contain watermarks or ads.
It can produce all the typical large format print sizes.
It sets itself up as an available printer.
I have Acrobat Professional and Bluebeam, yet I use CutePDF Writer as my default pdf creator.
http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Mark

Thanks Mark! your comment helped me decide which writer to pick! CutePDF works great (at least for this one drawing I was having problems with). Thanks again!

achesonximenez

2009-01-04, 01:48 AM

I'm not a power user of ACAD, however, have been using ACAD for 10 yrs now.
More and more, we are getting requests for PDF files to be emailed for customer approvals.
Is there a way of exporting an ACAD dwg to a PDF?
Can this be done without loss of font style and positioning of text?
Thanks in advance!
Patrick
You can use virtural printer to plot to PDF file, PrimoPDF is free of charge. It works just like a printer but the printouts are PDFs. You will not lose font style or any positions of text when you plot to PDF. By the way, if you want to use some CTB file or batch convert to PDFs, you can try this: http://www.autodwg.com/PDF/

norman.francisco

2009-01-13, 03:55 PM

i guess cute pdf is pretty clean

brandenz

2009-01-13, 04:09 PM

Maybe I missed it, but AutoCAD 2008 has a built in pc3 file "DWG to PDF.pc3" which seems to create PDF files just fine.

RobertB

2009-01-13, 06:33 PM

Maybe I missed it, but AutoCAD 2008 has a built in pc3 file "DWG to PDF.pc3" which seems to create PDF files just fine.Until you change margins or use some TrueType fonts. Then some issues rapidly arise.

norman.francisco

2009-01-13, 06:40 PM

the problem with the built in dwg to pdf in autocad is it will create the pdf with thicker linetypes which are not appropriate when printing.

jacep

2009-01-13, 09:43 PM

I have looked at many different programs for PDF. I ended up with AcroPlot. It does everything and once installed there was very little I need to change. All the sheet sizes were there. Bluebeam was good also, had a better markup program, the the price was twice that of Acroplot.

AcroPlot will convert just about anything into pdf. it can even convert and combine dwg, doc and jgp as one job.

batch plotting in AcroPlot works like a charm. I can batchplot a 100 sheet set is 32 min.

The only downside to AcroPlot is the the AcroPlot Matrix. It is the program that comes wiht it to join pdf's. not as friendly as I would like.

tracy.findlater

2009-01-14, 12:37 PM

Our problem here with using things like cutePDF or PDF 995 is that if your drawing has wipeouts or text masks then when they are printed out these can appear as solid black blocks (depending on the printer used).

I've been creating DWFs then using a wee bit of software we bought (very cheap) called Print2PDF to create the PDFs .. and we dont get this problem with the wipeouts.

I havent actually tried the AutoCAD pdf driver yet!?

I find that DWFs print out at a better quality, but our clients are still demanding the old PDFs.

irneb

2009-01-27, 01:28 PM

ccowgill

2009-01-28, 02:42 PM

I'd also advise against using AutoCAD's DWGtoPDF. The lineweights are incorrect, but also fonts sometimes appear different. I use PDFCreator, but in some cases this causes problems with Page sizes when printed directly out of AC. However this does make wipeouts correctly.

For best results however, do a DWF first, then from there print to PDF using one of these PDF utilities. With PDFCreator, I generally find that even the filesize is then smaller than the DWF as well - which you will never find with the DWGtoPDF driver.
if you are on subscription and using 09 with bonus pack 2 installed, AutoCAD's DWG to PDF driver has undergone significant improvements to the lineweight, filesize, and other issues. We have started using it, because the file is now smaller than the acrobat distiller driver, and you have the ability to turn layers on and off in the created pdf. So far, I havnt seen any negative sideeffects to this new pc3 file.

irneb

2009-01-28, 03:19 PM

Thanks, will give that a try. Unfortunately about 10 ot of 60 workstations here have done the upgrade to 2009. The rest are still on 2008.

BTW, do you know if publish can produce multi-paged PDF using this driver? Using PDF Creator I could do this automatically. Otherwise using Acrobat Professional you can of course add PDFs together into one.

What I've found with PDF Creator & multi-page documents though: If I printed directly out of AC with Publish to a print setup for PDF Creator. This file was significantly larger than the same file created with the DWF intermediate step. As if the DWF stores blocks, images & hatches as re-used elements, then send these to PDF Creator which saves them to PDF as re-used elements. Not sure if this is what's happening, but it seems to be the only explanation.

ccowgill

2009-01-28, 04:52 PM

irneb

2009-01-29, 05:44 AM

OK, tried that in 2008. Will do the same test in 2009 and show results here. Test on 9 layouts (each landscape A1) of same document. Tried setting all properties of drivers similar with Archive PDF V3 format & 600DPI. Here's the directory listing:

2 965 770 DWF.dwf
3 802 563 DWF 2 AdobePDF.pdf
3 506 579 DWF 2 PDFCreator.pdf
17 377 580 DWG2PDF.pdf
1 792 817 PDFCreator.pdf
1 234 376 AdobePDF.pdf
Both the PDFCreator and the AdobePDF directly from ACad caused page size issues. The PDFCreator version has a Landscape A1 size, but the linework is rotated to portrait - cutting off about 1/3rd of page (this being where the images of the TB is situated). The AdobePDF is only a Letter size ... cutting off everything that didn't fit (i.e. about 1/8th of the page is shown). The DWGtoPDF driver has no page sizing issues, but all lines are about twice the intended thickness and text can hardly be read.

Both the Adobe & Creator PDFs done through DWF are exactly perfect - no problems at all.

wfox.design

2009-02-21, 06:01 PM

There are a number of free pdf programs out there. I use Adobe but used to use pdFactory.

You really don't save a file to pdf, you plot. The same as sending to a plotter, except you select your pdFactory or Adobe or whatever program you select as the plotter. Once you have chosen all your setups (paper size, plot style, etc.) press plot and your program will open up displaying the pdf you created. Here you can save it to the file you want.

Just remember that plotting doesn't always mean a physical machine.

kberger

2009-02-23, 05:55 PM

Try looking at CutePDF - it does not change any fonts, line weights or drawing settings and the best part is it is free. We have been using it with autocad and all our MS Office products. I believe it will work with any application, just set it up as a new printer. Go to www.cutepdf.com for more information.

irneb

2009-02-24, 05:35 AM

Tried the CutePDF Writer ... a few points I don't like:

It's default PDF file name includes the entire path with \ changed to _, whereas PDFCreator, Adobe, Acad DWG-PDF & ACad DWF's default is the filename only.
It's much much much slower than any of the others, doing my test from ACad with 9 layouts published. I could do another publish to DWF before the CutePDF actually finished the print. With Adobe & PDFCreator I didn't even notice that they were spooling at all - file was there as soon as I clicked the OK button.
It still has the same prob from ACad by cutting off most of the A1 size layouts, but worse it does the same thing when printing from DWF using Design Review. Even changed the default settings for CutePDF printer to ISO A1 ... still prints to a Letter size and still as slow as above. Tried various opions in Design Review's print dialog:
Used the "Choose Paper Source by DWF page size" as I do with both the others (easiest since I don't need to change anything). Didn't work in CutePDF.
Selected ISO A1 as Page Size ... still prints to Letter size
Clicked Properties to open CutePDF's driver settings, clicked Advanced & chose ISO A1 there ... still prints to Letter size.
PDFCreator is more intuitive when printing multiple files, as you can choose its Collect option during printing ... so you can combine multiple files from multiple apps into one PDF in one step. With Adobe you need to do this after the fact through Acrobat Professional by inserting another PDF into the currently displayed one. Can't see any such option in CutePDF ... maybe their Professional (non free) version can do this.Because of the page size issue & can't really compare file sizes, although it seems similar to PDFCreator / Adobe's file sizing. For these reasons I'll stick with PDFCreator ... also free ... http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

irneb

2009-02-24, 05:42 AM

ccowgill

2009-02-24, 12:40 PM

Oh and I tried the AC2009 PDF driver ... AC crashes with a fatal error each time I click the Publish button in the Publish dialog ... so no it's not easier, it uses the same steps as in 2008 ... and due to the crashes I can't check the file size.
I've not had any issues with plotting using the AC2009 PDF driver, are you using the bonus pack pc3? try publishing in the background to see if it will work.

drdesignz

2009-02-24, 06:06 PM

irneb

2009-02-25, 06:16 AM

Haven't taken or had the time to read the whole thread, but I've been using Bullzip PDF Printer (http://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php) for several months without any problems. It is free, and ad-free (unlike PDF995 for example).Tried that one as well ... Looked at their description ... they use GhostScript to produce the PDF (same as PDFCreator) ... much much better than the CutePDF, as fast as Adobe (a bit slower than PDFCreator not as much to notice). Like the customize default filename 8). Maybe even better Append to PDF than the PDFCreator Combine, as you can append to an existing PDF instead of just combining several plots into one :mrgreen:. I still have the problem with page sizes :roll:.

Even printing from any other Windows prog (tried Word & Excel) with a page size other than Letter, the PDF is still on Letter Size and cut off if it doesn't fit. :cry: I'm starting to think it may be a setup on my PC, but why does Adobe & PDFCreator not give me this problem? Does anyone know why this is happening, I'm on XP-Pro 32bit + SP3?

irneb

2009-02-25, 06:55 AM

Here's an example of what's happening. DWG with A1 Lanscape PS. Printed out of ACad2008 directly to:
Adobe (PDFTest-Adobe.pdf), 27.8KB, Letter size portrait of bottom right corner rotated 90deg C/W
BullZip (PDFTest-BullZip.pdf), 3.02KB, Letter same as Adobe.
DWF (PDFTest-DWF.pdf), 5.65KB, A1 Landscape
DWG2PDF (PDFTest-DWG2PDF.pdf), 115KB, A1 Landscape, TTF fonts are linework only.
PDFCreator (PDFTest-PDFCreator.pdf), 3.68KB, Letter landscape of bottom left rotated 90 C/WThen I tried printing the DWF from Design Review. Not changing the page size in the print dialog, just ticked the "Choose page size from sheet" option:
Adobe (PDFTest-DWF-Adobe.pdf), 9.25KB, A1 Landscape
BullZip (PDFTest-DWF-BullZip.pdf), 3.04KB, Letter landscale of top left (not rotated). :cry:
PDFCreator (PDFTest-PDFCreator.pdf), 3.68KB, A1 Landscape. 8)

mattr.143859

2009-07-03, 12:33 AM

Auto CAD 2010 is the best Ive used. It has a feature where you can include layer properties in the PDF and turn on/off while in Adobe. The only negative so far is PDFs cant open in old Adobe Readers (I have 6.0) and have to upgrade, but there are free versions.

Bluebeam is OK

Cute PDF wipeouts expand and cover up a lot of the drawing and the file size is huge.