PDF to DWG = huge file size?

[Anonymous]

Saw something today I still can´t get my mind around, wondering if anyone else has seen something like this. 

I have a PDF file sent by a designer. Just your ordinary regular old PDF construction blueprint, probably exported from Revit. Usual situation: the designer doesn't want to give out DWGs and all that. 

We run it through a PDF to DWG converter (AutoPDF to DWG). And all of a sudden,the file size in DWG becomes huge. It goes from 800 Kb to 45 MB. We try another file, it goes from 1.5 MB to 120 MB in DWG. 

Opening in AutoCAD shows nothing unusual. Initially I thought it might be the conversion is generating rasters, or there´s a raster in the original PDF that´s doing that. But, nothing. I did a QSELECT and it found no rasters. Checked the hatches to see if it was breaking them up into little lines, but I found nothing unusual. There's breakup of the hatches, but nothing that would send a file from 1.5 to 120 MB.

When I do a SELECT - ALL, it says there's 967000 objects. But all I see are the normal 200-300 lines, polylines, texts, and whatnot.

So the DWG file says it's 120 MB, says it has 967000 objects, loads like 967000 objects... but doesn't look like it has 967000 objects.Can't be the converter program, since I've  used it on other projects with no problems.

Any ideas?

[nrz13]

You've tried running OVERKILL, PURGE, and AUDIT, right?

[leothebuilder]

These file converters "explode" everthing and all, that's why you end up with soooooo many objects.

All you can do is purge, purge and purge and try the overkill command.

In the ned you will never get this to a 'regular" file size.

Sometimes it is better to redraw the plan.

[TerryDotson]

These file converters "explode" everthing ...

I'm afraid that's not the case, I suspect most of them are simply generating what they find the the over rated PDF file.  For example consider that the PDF file format is so limited there is NO CIRCLE OBJECT.  It must be represented as 4 bezier curves.  A PDF file can contain text, paths and images, nothing more.

Not all PDF creators are equal.  For example, while one driver may write out text as a lean text element, another may  (especially if its width factor is changed) write out each letter as a large collection of filled triangles.  Take for example this innocent looking letter "S", which contained 471 objects!