Pdf to dwg utility

PDF to DWG? I did not know we were there yet.

I would be fascinated to learn what that package costs. How does it handle line weights?

if it can do raster to vector and handle line weights converted to DWG, then I can sort to produce layers by line weight. which is something I had never considered.

overcome those hurdles and SCALE is small potatoes. isn't it?

Let's see, you want to take a print of a drawing (that's what a PDF is) and turn it into a properly scaled DWG file?

And how is the software supposed to know what scale the drawing was printed at? And how is the software supposed to know what the layer names are and which lines go on which layer?

There is a for PDF's. That's so people can't "easily" copy the information and turn it into a drawing without the original owner's permission. If you want a DWG file then call the original owner and ask for one.

I find this quite a useful thing to be able to do - especially when wanting to go back and forth between 3d isometrics and photoshop, for instance. A utility within a program called CorelDraw has given me superb results in the past - but I can't recall if it's part of the main package or an add-on.

I use this

It probably works fine for drawings that have printed 1:1, but for anything printed to scale like 1/4"=1'-0" the DWG file will never be very accurate.

"taiken" wrote in news:hl55i.37$ snipped-for-privacy@news.sisna.com:

I've used Scan2CAD for fairly simple drawings, but found it was easier to redraw if the dimensions were labelled.

The problem is that a PDF is not the same drawing in a different file format, but a _representation_ of the drawing. You won't be able to recover the accuracy of a map grid, with x,y coordinates like 471639.3040,7857914.46777 - because they aren't there any more. Same with nurbs,

I thought line weights were part of the plotter configuration.

Bob

I downloaded the trial version of that package last evening and like it much better than pdf2dwg. I believe I'll spend the money and get it. Thanks for all the input. Tim

"sycochkn" wrote in news:Mvo5i.13218$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net:

The PDF printer driver may or may not pick up line weights - depends on settings. I prefer to convert to polylines with defined widths - seems to be more reliable. Most PDF to DXF/DWG converters I've tried can't convert polylines properly; even high end Adobe Illustrator needs widths reduced to zero, or it creates a chain of polygons. So I prefer this method to prevent people ripping off my stuff :-)

Accuracy schmaccuracy. I'm not trying to make the world more precise - just more beautiful. ;-)

Of course, you can save yourself some money if you know where to look.

;-)

line weights are part of plotter configuration in autocad, yes. PDF is an output file, which I believe is RASTOR. autocad thinks in vectors, and plots in raster.

to create a dwg file from a raster file of ANY sort, all manner of interpretation must be done.

dots >>> vectors

for example, what is the exact endpoint, to 16 point accuracy, of a bunch of dots that happen to look like a line when printed? different type of data.

make sense?

Is this really a question of faith? Why not find out if it is or isn't before posting?

PDF is not a vector file. it is RASTOR.

and autocad is a database which CAN produce pictures. but producing a database from an image is not possible.

not possible.

you may have programs which approximations. but you have lost everything you cannot see, and only approximated what you could see. on screen.

ENTGET !

the weekend is upon us.

Snipped from

"A PDF file is often a combination of vector graphics, text, and raster graphics."

The key word is "often". It will depend on the software the created the PDF in the first place.

A converted PDF file will NEVER be accurate. NEVER!

A pdf created from an Autocad drawing can be converted back with a good deal of accuracy using Adobe illustrator. However, scanned drawings cannot.

To quell the debate - PDF's can be either vector or raster (objects or bitmaps).

pdf2cad

is a tool to convert PDF to DXF (open CAD interchange format) which can be opened in AutoCAD and saved as DWG. If the files do not convert into CAD objects, the original PDF is probably a scanned drawing. pdf2cad is designed to only convert PDF files which were generated as scalable files from an application. Scanned drawings are reduced to bitmap images. To convert these, you need a different class of software called raster-to-vector. An example is Scan2CAD Many people find they need both types of tools. Converting directly from a scalable PDF to DXF is ideal since you maintain the geometric integrity. However, sometimes the only possibility is to "trace" a scanned drawing using raster-to-vector software or even redraw it by hand.

For more information on vector vs. raster files, please see the following tips on the Visual Integrity web site:

Can I convert a scanned PDF into a vector file?

Learn how to tell the difference between raster and vector PDF files If you want to send a sample file so to confirm whether it is a bitmap image, please do to snipped-for-privacy@pdf2cad.com. The web link above offers some tips on how to do this yourself using the magnifying glass in Acrobat.