import pdf into cad possible?

[paul1966]

i have just been asked if i can work on a drawing that is in pdf format,i have had a quick google and its a bit of a grey area. is there a reliable method of opening a pdf in cad , edit it and save as a dwg file?

[Tiger]

not really. There are exceptions, but in general a PDF is to be considerd a paper. As in, you can't edit it. You can import it into AutoCAD and then draw over it, but not edit it.

 

Like I said, there are exceptions, but I wouldn't fiddle with that. If someones wants you do edit a drawing, ask for a DWG.

[f700es]

r2010 can use PDFs as a xref. If it is a vector PDF (not scanned) you can open with Adobe Illustrator and export out as DWG.

[JD Mather]

Pdf files are usually distrubuted in pdf format for a reason. Perhaps the best method is to contact the owner of the intellectual property and request a dwg format (expect to pay a fee).

[Guest]

I found a way to import them into Auto CAD, but they need to be vector images. You will need Adobe Illustrator to get it into your drawing though.

It won't be pretty, but it’s better than tracing a JPG image... You will need some sort of reference to scale it properly as well, as it won't import to a proper scale.

I posted a how-to, somewhere on here, I will see if I can find it.

[fuccaro]

Also Corel can import PDF files and save as DWG or DXF.

If the PDF file contains raster images you are out of luck. Some programs like Wintopo or MagicTracer could help a little bit, but will still leave a lot of work for you.

[f700es]

Pdf files are usually distrubuted in pdf format for a reason. Perhaps the best method is to contact the owner of the intellectual property and request a dwg format (expect to pay a fee).

 

Not always the case. We receive PDF files here at work and are expected to layout cabinets in the rooms based on PDFs alone (doing a job this way right now). Some owners are just lazy and don't want to help and if you are in a deadline crunch you have to do what's needed to get the job out the door :wink:

[paul1966]

the client managed to get hold of a dwg file in the end, so panic over.

[f700es]

Sweet! That is always the best answer. I wish my "clients" were this accommodating

[Tankman]

Pdf files are usually distrubuted in pdf format for a reason. Perhaps the best method is to contact the owner of the intellectual property and request a dwg format (expect to pay a fee).

 

Now, that request for a *.dwg file is number one.

 

There is, although not great, www.pdf2cad.com.

If a scanned image to *.pdf, ugly.

If the *.pdf was created in, i.e.: AutoCad, much better.

[nukecad]

Ive had some sucess with PDFfly.

It will convert vector pdf to dwg (everything is drawn as polylines on layer 0).

It will convert raster pdf to a dwg with an attached .tiff.

 

It is not free but there is a 30 day trial.

http://www.pdf-fly.com/

 

Last time I used it it batch converted 35 fairly large HVAC drawings in under 5 mins.

[rkmcswain]

We use http://www.dotsoft.com/pdfimport.htm and it does a virtual flawless job. Of course the output quality is only as good as the source data. GIGO.