PDF to AutoCad.

Hi Guys

Has anybody had any real success with converting PDF to AutoCad.

I have never really needed to do this, but now a company I am doing work for are giving me PDF'S and they need to be converted for modifying.

Can you give me a couple of software names that are ok.

I know it will never be perfect, but 90% I can live with.

Dodge

As all the 100's of other guys who have asked this question , there isnt any really good ways of doing it, I have used Adobe Illustrator and it makes not a bad job of it, but you wont find anything that will be as good as tracing over it after scanning it, if you havnt got a scanner big enough there are lots of printer companys around that wil do it for you as a Tiff file i find best ok hope this helps

Hi Guys

Has anybody had any real success with converting PDF to AutoCad.

I have never really needed to do this, but now a company I am doing work for are giving me PDF'S and they need to be converted for modifying.

Can you give me a couple of software names that are ok.

I know it will never be perfect, but 90% I can live with.

 

Dodge

Use the pdf as an underlay and draw over it. You will spend less time doing that than cleaning up the mess the conversion packages will make. Even if you have paper copies, redrawing them will take less time than fixing a conversion.

The claims about PFD conversion software are about on par with the promises of politicians. Promise a lot but deliver very little.

Actually there is a pretty good method.

Contact the owner of the Intellectual Property and request a dwg.

Expect to pay for it - there is probably a reason they gave you the IP in pdf format.

Thanks All

That's the answers I was kinda expecting.

Just wondered if modern technology had advanced

a bit more. Like you say say, some of the claims of the software

manufacturers are huge, Pants on fire stuff.

Dodge

Try the free trial, www.pdf2cad.com.

Conversion never works great but, can help in a pinch.

I've used pdf2cad for a number of years but, scale, draw over, delete the junqué.

If the *.pdf is a scan, the result is a tiff image along with a blank *.dxf file.

You're somewhat lucky if the *.pdf was created from within AutoCAD.

Good luck.

I use GSVIEW with PS to Edit, completely free and converts as well as anything you pay for.

Yep, most of the time I was in this situation they simply did not care about helping people out. I saw this as a store designer with Krispy Kreme corporate when we put stores into WalMarts. They (WalMart) simply did not care if we had CAD files or not. Getting a PDF and not a raster tiff was like Christmas with them. Some strip mall owners acted like they had no idea what CAD was, even though there site was less than 10 years old.

Saw this as a lab/casework designer when we were quoting layouts for hospitals and schools. "The PDFs should be enough information for you." was the typical answer from the owners.

Nope, success rate was less than 50% using that route. It's a dog eat dog world and people will do as little as possible.

Sorry JD, not coming down on you personally but it just doesn't work that way. And you can come back with that then these people will not have any business or work but that is just not the case.

I was laughed out of a VP's office when I informed them that our Australian franchise was using illegal student versions of AutoCAD!

Some fights are just not worth it.

Anyway, my rant is over. But yes one can call and ask but don't expect much.

Actually there is a pretty good method.

Contact the owner of the Intellectual Property and request a dwg.

Expect to pay for it - there is probably a reason they gave you the IP in pdf format.

Now, tried one of those cheapie converters. Kept getting an error message on five of the drawings we tried, saying Not created on Genune Adobe software.

Wm.