Including layer information in a PDF output (AutoCAD 2009)

[BoroCAD]

Hi,

On my version of CAD 2010 (on my other laptop) I can print to PDF and then turn layers on/off in Adobe Reader.

At the moment I've only got access to the 2009 version. The option doesn't seem to be available. Can someone please advise? Is it possible still print to PDF and the layer information included in the export?

Cheers

BoroCAD.

[Murph_map]

The command to bring up that option is _EXPORTPDF (in 2011 Map3D) I tried it in 2009 and its a no-go - "Unknown command "EXPORTPDF". Press F1 for help."

[nod684]

Hi,

On my version of CAD 2010 (on my other laptop) I can print to PDF and then turn layers on/off in Adobe Reader.

At the moment I've only got access to the 2009 version. The option doesn't seem to be available. Can someone please advise? Is it possible still print to PDF and the layer information included in the export?

Cheers

BoroCAD.

 

in AutoCAD, try plotting using the AdobePDF.pc3 plotter.

Click Properties > Custom Properties and put a check mark on the "Include Layer Information" option below.

[BoroCAD]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Murph_map - I'd also tried looking for the pdf export icon (I've used in 2010) and tried 'Exportpdf' but I couldn't get it to work either on the 2009 version.

Nod684 - I only have 'DWG To PDF.pc3' in the plotter dropdown option. I don't have 'AdobePDF.pc3'. I've only got the free Adobe Reader 8 on this laptop. Do you know how I get the 'AdobePDF.pc3' option? The 'Include Layer Information' option doesn't appear with the 'DWG To PDF.pc3' option.

Is there any more advice please?

[Murph_map]

You can publish to DWF and include the layer info with 2009, then maybe plot the dwf to pdf from design review. Better yet maybe to open the dwg in Tru-view (the free dwg viewer) and plot to pdf with layers info.

[nod684]

yes, you can try Publish > Publish Options > General DWF/PDF Options > Layer Information then select Include

 

if you have the Adobe Acrobat Prof (not reader) you would be able to intergrate PDF options in autocad, but Adobe Acrobat Prof is not free sad to say

[BoroCAD]

Murph_map - That was a fantastic idea and it worked a treat!!! I used TrueView. Brilliant. Such a simple solution.

 

Both of you, thank you very much. I appreciate all the help.

[nod684]

you're welcome

[Mike_Taylor]

For the future, in AutoCAD follow these instructions:

File - Plotter Manager

 

In the window that opens find the DWG-PDF plotter, open it by double clicking. Go to the Device and Document Settings tab. Find the Custom properties in the below window. Near the bottom ther should be a Custom Properties button, hit that and make sure "Include Layer Information" is checked.

 

Alternatively if you don't have the Plotter Manager in the file menu in ACAD, you can go to the options, files. In the below window find "Printer Support File Path" then "Printer Configuration Search Path". You can copy that file path to a windows explorer sindow.

[Dana W]

You should use an alternative pdf plotter anyway. ACad 2009 fully sucks at plotting pdf's. The ACad pdf file size is so HUGE that some incoming email servers refuse them, and it takes over five minutes for some virus software to pass inspection on them, and to top it all off, the print quality is horrendous.

 

I also found great success with TrueView 2010 version plotting from my ACad 2009 LT dwg files. Clean presentation, small file size and layers included.

 

I have however, found issues with TrueView 2013 trying to plot drawings from ACad 2008 LT, it does not seem to like custom plot style tables that have line weights edited for width based on color. It does not seem to like "if the line color is red, make it 0.0175 thick, and if it is blue, make the line 0.0200 thick". There must not be enough of a difference in width, because every line thicker than .050 looks like a telephone pole on the pdf.