Working with PDF reference files

[Elite Exhibits]

We often use a PDF files as a reference. A facility may have a CAD file, but often it is sent or available online as a PDF. These files may be vector based or a mix of file formats. Open and Export via DWG with Adobe Illustrator is one way to get this data from the PDF into an editable VW file.

It is often just as easy to import the PDF - Check the size and rescale as need, then draw on top of it. In most cases the snaps work well with the PDF. Recently, though there appears to be this failing with some PDF files. The snaps work, but they are not exact. Attached is a file that shows the snap point, yet it is remote from the visual point.

Assume that it s the PDF file miss behaving. Is there a way to "explode" the imported PDF inside VW and turn it into editable geometry ? - Peter

[Kevin McAllister]

You should be able to ungroup the PDF (you can ungroup regular PDFs). It usually gives you a page bounding box, some vector linework and a bitmap. Note that not all PDFs contain vector linework but if you have snaps points yours should.

You may have to convert the PDF reference to a group first or break the reference... I've never referenced a PDF before.

Kevin

Edited August 1, 2014 by Kevin McAllister

[Elite Exhibits]

Thanks Kevin ?

I have found that some PDFs have multiple shapes where one would assume a single ten should be. I now realize that repeated ungrouping is required, along with deletion of nested images. Problem solved - Peter

[John Whyte]

Just a note for people without illustrator there is a website called comet docs that you can upload a pdf to and it will convert it to a dwg which you can then import into vwx

Edited August 5, 2014 by John Whyte

[aliaanderson]

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