topic Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad in AutoCAD Forum

Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

crobertsLWYJ8 — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:44:35 GMT

Is there a way to set a PDF scale in Bluebeam or other software when plotting from Autocad?

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

pendean — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:54:01 GMT

@crobertsLWYJ8 You set the scale in AutoCAD BEFORE you create the PDF. Do you want to learn how? Then show us what you are working with and your chosen PLOT command settings in two or three screenshots.

If you only want to fix your PDF in BLUEBEAM then you'll need to go over there to ask how to do it: https://support.bluebeam.com/home.html

HTH

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

crobertsLWYJ8 — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:56:15 GMT

I want to be able to plot and my PDF have data associated to it that sets the viewport scale which then bluebeam can read and automatically set the scale in Bluebeam.

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

pendean — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 18:06:04 GMT

@crobertsLWYJ8 you totally control the first portion in AutoCAD like the rest of us, if you are unsure, share your DWG file here.

But you'll need to ask over at BLUEBEAM what to do next in that software.

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

paullimapa — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 18:36:06 GMT

Why would you expect a pdf file to somehow contain scale information on vector objects like line with any pdf viewing software? Hopefully there’s a graphic scale on the pdf so that when you print to the paper size the pdf does have the information on then you can use that graphic scale to measure what’s on the hard copy.

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

joel.harry — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 20:55:10 GMT

They are not asking how to correctly set the scale on the CAD side of things. They're asking if there is a way to automate setting the scale in the PDF without having to do it manually after the print. I would also like this feature. The current workflow is to print sheets to PDF. Combined the sheets. Go through each sheet in bluebeam and set the scale which can be easily done on multiple sheets if they are all the same scale. But on a large project there are many different scales, so it becomes time consuming. If it was automatically set during the printing to PDF that would be great.

However, I doubt this is possible directly through AutoCAD because of the "paper space" concept in AutoCAD. Everything in paper space is typically being printed 1:1 for full size or 1:2 for half size so AutoCAD would not natively know what the page scale is unless there was some routine to use the viewport scale to set the PDF scale.

I suspect this has to be done outside of CAD through bluebeam or another pdf software.

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

paullimapa — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 21:09:13 GMT

Since you're only able to do this using Bluebeam, then that's definitely not something that can be done within AutoCAD.

OP should then post this question on whichever 3rd party is used for pdf viewing.

Re: Set a PDF scale in Bluebeam when plotting from Autocad

pendean — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 22:13:14 GMT

@joel.harry wrote:
...The current workflow is to print sheets to PDF. Combined the sheets...

If I read your posts correctly... as long as you resist using Layouts / paperspace (and SSM), I'm not sure there is going to be a better workflow for your needs using just PLOT command in modelspace.