topic Re: Retaining Original AutoCAD Layers from PDF in AutoCAD Forum

Retaining Original AutoCAD Layers from PDF

wkeirstead — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:30:31 GMT

I have a question about importing a PDF (originally a .dwg) into AutoCAD. Our client does not have access to a CAD format project drawing and I was wondering if there is a way to revive/retain the original drawings layers and properties when importing the PDF back into AutoCAD. Currently the layers are all appearing correctly but they are all just PDF geometry layers that were created upon import.

Thanks in advance,

Re: Retaining Original AutoCAD Layers from PDF

DartGTDan-2018 — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:44:18 GMT

I'd like to know if this is possible as well.

Re: Retaining Original AutoCAD Layers from PDF

JRitner — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:50:58 GMT

Have you tried PDFIMPORT? I believe that command will convert lines & text to editable entities in a DWG file, assuming the PDF was created from a DWG. I'm not sure how it handles layers, but I imagine if the PDF retains the original layer info, that would be carried through on the DWG.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Re: Retaining Original AutoCAD Layers from PDF

pendean — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:57:46 GMT

@wkeirstead @DartGTDan-2018 you can only retrieve what is already in the PDF: does your PDF contain layers you can toggle on/off? PDFIMPORT tried to guess but 90% of the time you'll not find the results useful.

HTH

Re: Retaining Original AutoCAD Layers from PDF

Alfred.NESWADBA — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 13:01:35 GMT

Hi,

if the creator of the PDF had the setting to export layer information active, then you have the first step solved.

You can then start command _PDFIMPORT and inside the import settings you can activate "PDF-Layer" to import the geometry onto these layers.

But there is a general difference between how PDF is working with layers and how AutoCAD is working with layers.
One sample is a block.

While in AutoCAD a block can have geometry on multiple layers a PDF does not have such a hierarchy like "block" and so you can't get the same structure back from a PDF like the creator of the DWG-file had.

Same is happening for vertical products like AutoCAD Architecture, -Mechanical, MEP, Map3D, Civil3D as these contain custom objects which you never get back as such geometry objects.

At least and maybe most important: PDF does not work based on double precision with coordinates, so whatever you exported to a PDF is saved like "pixel coordinates on paper", but not in the same accuracy as inside the DWG-file. A line with length of 1000.001 in the original drawing could result in 999.87 after saving to PDF and then importing the PDF to dwg.

Main sentence for this: PDF is not a CAD data exchange format, it was never meant so and I would say it will not be, at least for a long time. To different is the structure.

- alfred -