Best PDF to DWG converter

[tahdesign1]

I have been ask to supply a PDF to DWG converter on our CAD network.
I wanted to ask around for what others are using for this and which might be the best one out there.

So what are you using if you are doing this? There seems to be many to pick from.

[pendean]

'best' depends on what type of PDF you convert, the features or complexity of use, and if it's price/results are good enough for you. So download and start testing.

I like the one from dotsoft.com myself.

[dmfrazier]

There have been many posts on this question.  Try a search of just this 2013/2014 board using "convert pdf to dwg" and you will get many hits with lots of helpful advice.

Converting from any raster-based format to a vector-based format is bound to be "risky" and difficult in terms of getting any accuracy or precision.  The results may be more trouble to work with than drawing it yourself, using the info in the PDF as a guide.

If a PDF is serving just as a "reference", you might get what you need by attaching the PDF as an underlay (XREF).

I personally have not had a need to use any PDF converters.  My sense of the general sentiment is that it is better, especially in the long run, to redraw.

[gvice]

My company uses Able2Extract Professional software.  The website is www.investintech.com/  It will extract PDF to Excel, PowerPoint, Word, AutoCAD, & Publisher.  It works best if the PDF you have was created originally with AutoCAD.

[TerryDotson · Accepted solution]

Converting from any raster-based format to a vector-based format ...

Although many PDF's contain raster images, the PDF file format isn't raster specific.  The PDF file format can contain raster images, paths (polylines) that can be optionally be filled, or text objects.  There is no other object type (even a circle is rendered as 4 bezier curve paths).

To the original poster, please consider DotSoft's PdfImport in your tests, we are the developer.

[dmfrazier]

I appreciate the correction.

[tahdesign1]

I will be put this is my budget for 1st qtr next year.

I understand all the posts where people are saying no conversion is as accurate as just redrawing it but that is not the goal here.

The DWG is just a gate way for getting the geometry to import into Inventor sketches to produce models. We are not making the object, we are just making close representations to use as assests in Factory designs. We deal with may Japanese company that will not supply anything but a pdf to us so it is quicker to be able to translate to dwg.

[Rebecca_h_Haw]

I get some PDF files that we need to edit in AutoCAD and I am looking for a PDF to DWG converter for work. I downloaded Aide PDF to DXF Converter (www.aidecad.com) and Any PDF to DWG Converter (http://anydwg.com/pdf-to-dwg.html), the programs worked great with converting vector and raster PDF files into DXF/DWG files which can then be edited by AutoCAD.

[NancyCDukes]

Our company installs aXsware's command line version in our server, then I can use the command line to call in the program to batch convert pdf to dwg, you could go to http://www.axsware.com/ for more details. Hope it can help you.

By the way, there's another online automatically solution, such as http://dwg.autodwg.com/ , it can automatically convert the uploaded pdf file to DWG, just upload the pdf file and then you will get the converted dwg file immediately.

[TerryDotson]

Click here for an untouched conversion using DotSoft's PDF products.

I tried to attached it using the forum attachments, but for both a DWG/ZIP file it tells me "The contents of the attachment doesn't match its file type."

[rkmcswain]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I have been ask to supply a PDF to DWG converter on our CAD network.
I wanted to ask around for what others are using for this .....

---

Not affiliated with Dotsoft, but wanted to drop in and say that

we use their product for the occasional PDF to DWG conversion

and it always does a good job for us.

[NoLimit599]

It seems hit or miss for me. I know that you cannot realistically expect vector information from a scanned document, but sometimes I'll have an excellent set of pdf plans that obviously are not scanned and have vectoring information (you can watch the DotSoft program draw line by line using the vector information) and it still will not convert properly. Maybe an update is in order, maybe something has changed recently with the way Revit plots pdfs.

[TerryDotson]

If you would, please email the PDF to support [at] dotsoft [dot] com and we will take a look at it.  We completely overhauled our rendering last fall and if you have an old version we may handle it better now.

[TerryDotson]

In the spirit of competition, DotSoft has improved the Pdf Import functionality in ToolPac.

• Automatically detects circles and arcs. Instead of using dozens of vertices to approximate an arc/circle, the software generates the more intelligent object resulting in a smaller (faster) drawing.
• Automatically vectorize rasters inside the PDF.  Many PDF files contain only a raster scan of the drawing and this simplifies the import process.
• When GeoPDF information is present (such as those from the USGS) the PDF is placed in the proper coordinates.
• Export pages to Drawings (DWG of each page, great as xrefs), images (picture of page), or layouts (makes a layout in the current drawing of each page).
• Quickly assemble a new PDF from pages of loaded files (with control over the order), selected image files, selected multipage TIFF file.
• Create a drawing book from multiple plotted pdf files!
• Extract the Images (pictures on pages), pages to separate PDF files, or text to separate TXT files.
• View pages in multiple pdfs, zoom, scroll and page controls, highlights results of searches.
• Search for text across multiple pdfs.

So for roughly the cost of some other PDF only tools, you can have great PDF functionality plus over 700 other productivity tools.

Note that this additional functionality is only available in ToolPac (not the PdfImport/PDF2DWG subsets).

[arronlee]

Hi, Sauody.

Have you ever tried the PDF converter mentioned above? Which one works better in VB.NET platform? Any suggestion will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

Arron

[Midhunjos]

Hey rebecca
thanks for the link it was really helpful 🙂

[William.Wilkie]

I have tried able to extract many times with out success. The Dotsoft program worked, but with quite a few errors. Thank you

[kittugs143]

Hi Converting from PDF to DWG , Its better Instead of using PDF file export your drawing in JPEG file (or) Do PDF to Image converter After completing any of this steps Open AutoCAD Raster Design Step to Step Procedure : Go to Raster Tool go to Insert After Inserting Image Select Process Image Select Change Colour Depth Select Bitonal Then Now go to Clean Up Option Select " Invert " option { Then Start doing Rastering Work Like Primitives, Followers, Recognize Text etc I Hope this is will be Helpfull for you