hleclaire Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 All, I have a DXF file that was created by a PDF to DXF converter. The image is a portion of a land survey. I would like to adjust autocad dimensions to equal the dimensions of the original survey. I have played with the scale command but am not getting it right. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Sounds like a recipe for a disaster. PDF to DXF. Conversions are never accurate. What do you mean by "...am not getting it right"? Do you scale it for one dimension and find that another is off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankman Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 *.pdf to *.dxf works, in a pinch, if the *.pdf was created from within AutoCAD. Scan's are terrible. Scale the *.dxf file, start checkin' dimensions. I just did one conversion this week, the *.pdf was generated from within a Solidworks program. Text breaks up but, the drawing itself was fine, dim's were also segmented. Take a dimension, known, see what you get then scale the drawing. I reworked the text and dimensions, all was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 If this is an old survey, then one factor to be considered is the accuracy to which it was originally surveyed, then it might have been drawn up by hand on plastic film or tracing paper(?). Then if there was a dyeline print onto paper, you really don't know where to start to match things. The best you can do is to find two places where you know the actual dimensions, and if these two places are at right angles to each other, then you have a better chance. Rotate the drawing until one of these dimensions is horizontal, and scale to suit that length. Make a block of the drawing, and insert it with the x scaling as 1, and the y scaling to suit the other direction. then explode the block, and that is a good as you are going to get. If the survey is that important, then send out the survey team now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencaz Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Scale your whole drawing using the ®eference option to a single line of known length... It's really that simple... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Scale your whole drawing using the ®eference option to a single line of known length... It's really that simple... Obviously, you have never come across a survey that has been through a photocopier a few times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencaz Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Obviously, you have never come across a survey that has been through a photocopier a few times I think you misunderstood what I meant... You need to have the length of at least one landmark... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Perhaps I am reading too far ahead of the OP's problem, which might be only having a problem using the Scale command. I am thinking ahead to the usual scenario of getting an old survey into a drawing, where the scale distortion is not equal in the x and y axes. But as ever, more information from the OP is always good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencaz Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 First image: known distance of 20' equals 9-1/4" however the 9-1/4" is irrelevant here... Second Image: Line is drawn actual 20' Using (S)cale ®eference and selecting the entire image I will make the 9-1/4" (reference line) 20' Third Image: Now reference line and the image dimensions match... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I am most impressed that you have the OP's survey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organic Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Redraw the land survey by hand using the bearings/lengths/offsets/dimensions given on the plan. If it is any kind of decent survey plan, it should have connections and enough other info to accurately rerepresent it (or the important parts such as the boundaries at least anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW210 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Sounds like a recipe for a disaster. PDF to DXF. Conversions are never accurate. Remember Never say Never. Not at all true. As mentioned by Tankman, when not a scanned image they come through pretty good. Perhaps I am reading too far ahead of the OP's problem, which might be only having a problem using the Scale command. I am thinking ahead to the usual scenario of getting an old survey into a drawing, where the scale distortion is not equal in the x and y axes. But as ever, more information from the OP is always good. If that is the OPs issue, I would make it a block and scale in X and Y seperatley to known dimensions. "But as ever, more information from the OP is always good" Post the file here and we will have a shot at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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