Another PDF to DWG question

[Anonymous]

I am with the US Coast Guard. We have thousands of 'hard copy' drawings in our repository that are still active. Yes, we have boats over 40 years old still in the water!

I have read through many of the PDF to DWG posts and I am probably going to repeat something already posted... sorry. I have tried a few PDF to DWG programs (Trial versions) with no real success.

I am trying to develop an efficient way to edit our Mylar drawings in CAD without having to do a full CAD conversion of the whole drawing, so I want to bind a PDF to the CAD file so that it can be more easily edited and digitally retained so that we can eventually eliminate our hard copy library.

In a nut shell, I am looking for a way to permanently bind PDF to a CAD file as a Vector image (although reading a lot here it seems this is not possible), and looking for the best way to erase/delete/hide revised or removed data.

Caveats:

1) the PDF cannot be a external reference (this is due to limitations with our Digital library program)

2) It has to be a vector image. Zooming into a raster causes too much pixilation.

3) It can’t be a proxy graphic

Currently what we have been doing is:

1) Create a good scan of the hard copy Mylar to PDF.

2) Open the PDF in MS Paint to remove unwanted lines, text, large speckles and blotches, etc…, and save the PDF. (this is actually pretty quick and easy to do)

3) Insert the PDF into CAD and work to get the scaling right

4) Add new data using AutoCAD

5) Once saved as a new PDF, the CAD file with the inserted PDF are deleted. The new PDF is now the latest digital revision of the drawing.

Steps 2-5 are repeated when the next revision is done. This method is time consuming. We do retain all previous revisions so anything erased or deleted can be recreated off of old revisions.

Any tips, pointers, and suggestions would be greatly apreciated!!!

[mallika.s]

Hi joestammer,

What version of AutoCAD are you using? We introduced a PDF Import feature in AutoCAD 2017 that may greatly simplify your workflow. Check it out here - http://blogs.autodesk.com/autocad/autocad-2017-pdf-import/

Thanks,

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

You have an interesting problem that is not unique! There are many others out there with similar issues.

Scanning a mylar/hardcopy drawing will result in a raster-based PDF. There is no great way to get this to convert nicely into a vector image that can be inserted into AutoCAD. There are some great third-party products out there that do fairly well at conversion of PDF's but there is an inherent quality issue working from raster-based PDFs as opposed to vector-based ones.

It sounds like your current process works to some degree but is obviously a bunch of work. A product like Autodesk Raster Design might make some of the clean up easier for you. It would allow for clean up and scaling/warping. You might consider downloading a trial version to see if it is of benefit to you.

I suggest though that in addition to keeping a new PDF, that you maintain the drawing as well so that eventually, historical items will be replaced by CAD-based as-builts, maintenance, new projects, etc. so eventually you will be able to have a true CAD drawing that represents a majority of the work.

Without knowing anything about your library application I can't offer much more than this but I think ideally it would be a great benefit to you to have a "most-current" AutoCAD drawing to work from and maybe hand to contractors for new work.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.

[TheCADnoob]

I have the same issue here. 

I haven't come across anything that i was excited enough about to try to convince my boss to purchase the program. Most everything ive seen requires so much clean up that there is little advantage to using it as opposed to tracing it or using raster cad. 

Your workflow seems like a pretty good way of going about things in the situation you are in. 

I personally try to angle in a redrawing of the documents when they are serviced though its hard to convice people to CAD and entire drawing in order to change one dimension. 

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

I am checking back to see if my post or others helped you with your problem. Please add a post with your results so other Forum users can benefit.

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if a post or posts fully solved your issue or answered your question.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies!

@mallika.s : we are currently running 2014 and will soon be getting 2016. I tried to view the video you linked, but my network blocked it and I fear my request for an exemption will take a while. I will send that home and view it there this weekend (hopefully)

@john.vellek : I am trying to find the time now to research Autodesk Raster Design. I am hopeful that will provide the same or better functionality when removing unwanted data then my current process (using MS Paint). If so, I'll have to go through the hassles of trying to get it approved for the network. It looks promising from what I have seen so far (videos on the link you provided were blocked by my network).

You are correct in that I should retain that CAD file. I just need to ensure that the people checking-out the drawing realize that the two files go together. There is a bit of room for error as we have a large number of people accessing the files and many of them are not versed in AutoCAD. They simply check out the data and give it to a vendor. This is why I was hoping to bind a PDF to the drawing... one file works better for our library application and with the transfer of drawings to a vendor. Perhaps a note on a non-plot layer explaining that the PDF needs to be inserted and not x-reffed. Would probably have to set up some scaling guides/instructions along with it.

Another solution I am considering is just accepting that a bound PDF will be a raster. The Engineers working with the drawing can trace over geometry they need for their revision.  this would help by keeping everything as one file and eventually the drawing could become completely CAD. The question is, how do they delete the lines in the bound PDF once they have traced over them in CAD? Does Autodesk Raster Design provide that functionality?  Could they unbind the PDF, make mods in MS Paint then rebind it?

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi joestammer,

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for the replies!

@mallika.s : we are currently running 2014 and will soon be getting 2016. I tried to view the video you linked, but my network blocked it and I fear my request for an exemption will take a while. I will send that home and view it there this weekend (hopefully)

@john.vellek : I am trying to find the time now to research Autodesk Raster Design. I am hopeful that will provide the same or better functionality when removing unwanted data then my current process (using MS Paint). If so, I'll have to go through the hassles of trying to get it approved for the network. It looks promising from what I have seen so far (videos on the link you provided were blocked by my network).

You are correct in that I should retain that CAD file. I just need to ensure that the people checking-out the drawing realize that the two files go together. There is a bit of room for error as we have a large number of people accessing the files and many of them are not versed in AutoCAD. They simply check out the data and give it to a vendor. This is why I was hoping to bind a PDF to the drawing... one file works better for our library application and with the transfer of drawings to a vendor. Perhaps a note on a non-plot layer explaining that the PDF needs to be inserted and not x-reffed. Would probably have to set up some scaling guides/instructions along with it.

I have put the dwg and the PDF in a ZIP file to make sure they "travel" together. Also, as you suggested, putting a note in the actual drawing file is always a good practice. I have even saved the drawing with the last view of just the note so the next user won't overlook it.

Another solution I am considering is just accepting that a bound PDF will be a raster. The Engineers working with the drawing can trace over geometry they need for their revision.  this would help by keeping everything as one file and eventually the drawing could become completely CAD. The question is, how do they delete the lines in the bound PDF once they have traced over them in CAD? Does Autodesk Raster Design provide that functionality?  Could they unbind the PDF, make mods in MS Paint then rebind it?

At some point, until you have an acurate and up-to-date CAD file, some editing will have to occur in the PDF. Raster Design does allow you to delete pixels from an image.

Please post your final solution as it will definitely help other users.

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