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PDF TO LINEWORK

PDF TO LINEWORK

bnagel
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Message 1 of 22

PDF TO LINEWORK

bnagel
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‎08-17-2016 05:36 AM

Any suggestions on a program that converts PDF to linework? I have a lot of contour lines I need to create for surfaces.

 

Thanks

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Message 2 of 22

Jay_B
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‎08-17-2016 06:03 AM

AnyDWG has a converter, I haven't used the pdf to dwg converter, but used their dwf to dwg converter and was very impressed with the results.

C3D 2018.1
C3D 2016 SP4

Win 7 Professional 64 Bit
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Message 3 of 22

Todd_Rogers
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‎08-17-2016 06:05 AM

2017 has this option built in, PDFIMPORT. If you don't have 2017, the best one out there is PrintToCAD. http://www.backtocad.com/engl/engl-pdf-to-dwg-lp.html

Todd Rogers
Civil Administration
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Message 4 of 22

bnagel
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in reply to Todd_Rogers
‎08-17-2016 06:11 AM

I've been debating on when to make the move to 2017. Have the bugs been worked out?

 

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Message 5 of 22

Todd_Rogers
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in reply to bnagel
‎08-17-2016 06:13 AM

Well that's kind of a loaded question. There is an SP1 out for C3D and AutoCAD. However, it seems that the service packs break other functionality. Go figure.

Todd Rogers
Civil Administration
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Message 6 of 22

neilyj666
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in reply to bnagel
‎08-17-2016 07:12 AM

The bugs will never be fully worked out......!!!

 

The 2017 pdf import works well for me but if you don't want to make the leap just install Vanilla AutoCAD 2017 to convert your pdfs and then insert them as blocks into Civil

neilyj (No connection with Autodesk other than using the products in the real world)
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AEC Collection 2026 UKIE (mainly Civil 3D UKIE and IW)
Win 11 Pro x64, 1Tb Primary SSD, 1Tb Secondary SSD
64Gb RAM Intel(R) Xeon(R) W-11855M CPU @ 3.2GHz
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Message 7 of 22

bnagel
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in reply to neilyj666
‎08-17-2016 08:15 AM

Will my settings from 2016 transfer over to 2017?

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Message 8 of 22

civilman1957
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in reply to neilyj666
‎08-17-2016 08:22 AM

"The bugs will never be fully worked out......!!!"

 

Truer words have never been spoken, my friend...

Cad Manager/Senior Engineering Technician
Autodesk Certified Professional

Intel(R) Core (TM) i7-7700 CPU
3.60 GHz/24 GB BEAST
Civil 3D 2013/2014/2017/2018/2020
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Message 9 of 22

Jay_B
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in reply to bnagel
‎08-17-2016 08:26 AM

Not to discourage you from upgrading, but in case you aren't aware, Civil 3D 2017 is not backward compatible with any prior releases.

 

I Agree with @neilyj666 that 2017 AutoCAD might be your best option if you chose not to upgrade at this time.

 

AutoCAD 2017 is still uses the 2013 dwg file format & doesn't have the backward compatibility issues Civil 3d does.

C3D 2018.1
C3D 2016 SP4

Win 7 Professional 64 Bit
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Message 10 of 22

neilyj666
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in reply to Jay_B
‎08-17-2016 08:31 AM
Accepted solution
Yes just install vanilla AutoCAD and use the PDFIMPORT command to make a block of the PDF and Save. Then simply insert into a Civil dwg and scale/rotate as required.

This is the workflow I used until I moved fully moved over to Civil 2017

neilyj (No connection with Autodesk other than using the products in the real world)
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AEC Collection 2026 UKIE (mainly Civil 3D UKIE and IW)
Win 11 Pro x64, 1Tb Primary SSD, 1Tb Secondary SSD
64Gb RAM Intel(R) Xeon(R) W-11855M CPU @ 3.2GHz
NVIDIA RTX A5000 16Gb, Dual 27" Monitor, Dell Inspiron 7760
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Message 11 of 22

bnagel
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in reply to neilyj666
‎08-17-2016 09:13 AM

How or where do I find/install vanilla Autocad?

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Message 13 of 22

AllenJessup
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in reply to Todd_Rogers
‎08-17-2016 10:34 AM
@Anonymous wrote:

2017 has this option built in, PDFIMPORT.

I didn't have high hopes but I brought in a rough PDF to try it on. It worked surprisingly well. Thanks.

Allen Jessup
CAD Manager - Designer
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Message 14 of 22

Joe-Bouza
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‎08-17-2016 10:53 AM

Maybe not obvious to all, but know that they only work with a vector to raster pdf. if it is scanned it probably wont work 

Joe Bouza
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Message 15 of 22

tcorey
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in reply to Joe-Bouza
‎08-17-2016 11:04 AM

Yes, if the file has been scanned, save it as TIF and then use Raster Design to vectorize semi-automatically.

 

@Anonymous (bill?) Do you have Infrastructure Design Suite or just Civil 3D?

 

If you are the bnagel I know personally, feel free to phone me, 530.221.2994, if you are not able to find a solution from this thread.



Tim Corey
MicroCAD Training and Consulting, Inc.
Redding, CA
Autodesk Platinum Reseller

New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. -- Kurt Vonnegut
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Message 16 of 22

bnagel
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in reply to tcorey
‎08-17-2016 11:09 AM

My name is Bobby, I only have Civil 3d

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Message 17 of 22

Todd_Rogers
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in reply to bnagel
‎08-17-2016 11:12 AM
Accepted solution

Go to your programs and you will see run AutoCAD Civil 3D as AutoCAD.

Todd Rogers
Civil Administration
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Message 18 of 22

AllenJessup
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in reply to Joe-Bouza
‎08-17-2016 11:32 AM
@Joe-Bouza wrote:

Maybe not obvious to all, but know that they only work with a vector to raster pdf. if it is scanned it probably wont work 

Joe, You're right. I thought the one I tested was scanned (and the basemap is) but vector information was added. Did work well though.

Allen Jessup
CAD Manager - Designer
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Message 19 of 22

bnagel
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in reply to Todd_Rogers
‎08-17-2016 12:51 PM

Sorry but, I'm not seeing it.

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Message 20 of 22

bnagel
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in reply to bnagel
‎08-17-2016 01:31 PM

Found it.

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