Batch Plot IDWs to single PDF
Hi Jesse,
Here is an old discussion thread about the same topic. Please take a look.
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/is-there-a-way-to-batch-plot-to-pdf/td-p/12160187
Another workflow is to leverage AutoCAD. Save the Inventor idw file to an Inventor dwg (or export to an AutoCAD dwg). Then open it in AutoCAD and use PUBLISH command to batch plotting all sheets to a pdf file.
Many thanks!
Johnson Shiue (johnson.shiue@autodesk.com)
Software Test Engineer
Hi! I think some sort of customization is required. @Curtis_Waguespack shared his iLogic rule on this prior discussion.
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/is-there-a-way-to-batch-plot-to-pdf/td-p/12160187
Many thanks!
Johnson Shiue (johnson.shiue@autodesk.com)
Software Test Engineer
The batch tool that Johnson pointed too would be a bit manual for your needs, and would not give you a single PDF.
Attached is a zip file with an iLogic rule that you can run on your top level assembly and it will PDF out a drawing of each model ( assuming the drawings exits), and then uses the itextsharp.dll to combine them into one file.
https://forums.autodesk.com/autodesk/attachments/autodesk/78/950214/1/PDF%20all%20combine.zip
To use this you need to place the itextsharp.dll in the folder as specified, and then change the PDF output file and folder to your needs.
Example:
outputs where my top level assembly was 1234-0-ST.iam, which had a drawing, and 2 components in the assembly had drawings. So 1234-0-ST_Combined.pdf is the final output with all 3 PDFs combined into 1.
Hope that helps,
Curtis
AddReference "C:\Users\Public\global references\itextsharp.dll"
AddReference "System.IO"
Class ThisRule
Shared _Folder_Path As String = String.Empty
Shared _PDF_Name As String = Nothing
Shared _GetPDF As String = String.Empty
Sub Main()
'set the name of the new pdf you want to create without the extension
_PDF_Name = IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(thisdoc.document.fullfilename) & "_Combined"
'set the path of the folder contaiing all of the pdfs
_Folder_Path = "C:\Temp\My PDFs"
If Not System.IO.Directory.Exists(_Folder_Path) Then
System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(_Folder_Path)
End If
'call the sub to created PDFs for all drawings from the current assembly
Call PDF_ALL_Docs
'get the PDF result
Dim OpenPDF As String = CreatePDF(_Folder_Path)
End Sub
Sub PDF_ALL_Docs
'define the active document as an assembly file
Dim oAsmDoc As AssemblyDocument
oAsmDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
oAsmName = Left(oAsmDoc.DisplayName, Len(oAsmDoc.DisplayName) -4)
'check that the active document is an assembly file
If ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.DocumentType <> kAssemblyDocumentObject Then
MessageBox.Show("Please run this rule from the assembly file.", "iLogic")
Exit Sub
End If
'get user input
RUsure = MessageBox.Show( _
"This will create a PDF file for all of the asembly components that have drawings files." _
& vbLf & "This rule expects that the drawing file shares the same name and location as the component." _
& vbLf & " " _
& vbLf & "Are you sure you want to create PDF Drawings for all of the assembly components?" _
& vbLf & "This could take a while.", "iLogic - Batch Output PDFs ", MessageBoxButtons.YesNo)
If RUsure = vbNo Then
Return
Else
End If
'- - - - - - - - - - - - -PDF setup - - - - - - - - - - - -
oPath = ThisDoc.Path
PDFAddIn = ThisApplication.ApplicationAddIns.ItemById("{0AC6FD96-2F4D-42CE-8BE0-8AEA580399E4}")
oContext = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateTranslationContext
oContext.Type = IOMechanismEnum.kFileBrowseIOMechanism
oOptions = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap
oDataMedium = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateDataMedium
'oOptions.Value("All_Color_AS_Black") = 0
oOptions.Value("Remove_Line_Weights") = 1
oOptions.Value("Vector_Resolution") = 400
oOptions.Value("Sheet_Range") = Inventor.PrintRangeEnum.kPrintAllSheets
'oOptions.Value("Custom_Begin_Sheet") = 2
'oOptions.Value("Custom_End_Sheet") = 4
'get PDF target folder path
oFolder = oPath & "\" & oAsmName & " PDF Files"
'Check for the PDF folder and create it if it does not exist
If Not System.IO.Directory.Exists(oFolder) Then
System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(oFolder)
End If
'- - - - - - - - - - - - -Component Drawings - - - - - - - - - - - -
'look at the files referenced by the assembly
Dim oRefDocs As DocumentsEnumerator
oRefDocs = oAsmDoc.AllReferencedDocuments
Dim oRefDoc As Document
'work the the drawing files for the referenced models
'this expects that the model has a drawing of the same path and name
For Each oRefDoc In oRefDocs
drawingPathName = Nothing
'check to see that the model has a drawing of the same path and name
drawingPathName = Left(oRefDoc.FullFileName, Len(oRefDoc.FullFileName) -3) & "idw"
If (System.IO.File.Exists(drawingPathName)) = False Then
drawingPathName = Left(oRefDoc.FullFileName, Len(oRefDoc.FullFileName) -3) & "dwg"
If (System.IO.File.Exists(drawingPathName)) = False Then
Continue For
End If
End If
Logger.info(oRefDoc.FullFileName)
Dim oDrawDoc As DrawingDocument
oDrawDoc = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(drawingPathName, False)
oFileName = Left(oRefDoc.DisplayName, Len(oRefDoc.DisplayName) -3)
'Set the PDF target file name
oDataMedium.FileName = _Folder_Path & "\" & oFileName & "pdf"
'Write out the PDF
PDFAddIn.SaveCopyAs(oDrawDoc, oContext, oOptions, oDataMedium)
'close the file
oDrawDoc.Close
Next
drawingPathName = Nothing
'- - - - - - - - - - - - -Top Level Drawing - - - - - - - - - - - -
'check to see that the model has a drawing of the same path and name
drawingPathName = ThisDoc.ChangeExtension(".idw")
If (System.IO.File.Exists(drawingPathName)) = False Then
drawingPathName = ThisDoc.ChangeExtension(".dwg")
If (System.IO.File.Exists(drawingPathName)) = False Then
drawingPathName = Nothing
End If
End If
If Not drawingPathName = Nothing
oAsmDrawingDoc = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(drawingPathName, False)
PDFName = IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(thisdoc.document.fullfilename)
'Set the PDF target file name
oDataMedium.FileName = _Folder_Path & "\" & PDFName & ".pdf"
'Write out the PDF
PDFAddIn.SaveCopyAs(oAsmDrawingDoc, oContext, oOptions, oDataMedium)
'Close the top level drawing
oAsmDrawingDoc.Close
Else
Logger.info("Could not find top level drawing")
Logger.info(drawingPathName)
End If
End Sub
Private Function CreatePDF(_Folder_Path As String)
Dim bOutputfileAlreadyExists As Boolean = False
Dim sOutFilePath As String = IO.Path.Combine(_Folder_Path, _PDF_Name & ".pdf")
'sdet up return for a successful pdf. ret changes to FALSE if any errors occur for qualifying purposes
Dim ret As String = sOutFilePath
If IO.File.Exists(sOutFilePath) Then
Try
IO.File.Delete(sOutFilePath)
Catch ex As Exception
bOutputfileAlreadyExists = True
End Try
End If
Dim iPageCount As Integer = GetPageCount(_Folder_Path)
If iPageCount > 0 And bOutputfileAlreadyExists = False Then
Dim oFiles As String() = IO.Directory.GetFiles(_Folder_Path)
Dim oPdfDoc As New iTextSharp.text.Document()
Dim oPdfWriter As iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfWriter = _
iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfWriter.GetInstance(oPdfDoc, New IO.FileStream(sOutFilePath, IO.FileMode.Create))
oPdfDoc.Open()
System.Array.Sort(Of String)(oFiles)
For i As Integer = 0 To oFiles.Length - 1
Dim sFromFilePath As String = oFiles(i)
Dim oFileInfo As New IO.FileInfo(sFromFilePath)
Dim sFileType As String = "PDF"
Dim sExt As String = PadExt(oFileInfo.Extension)
Try
AddPdf(sFromFilePath, oPdfDoc, oPdfWriter)
Catch ex As Exception
ret = "FALSE"
End Try
Next
Try
oPdfDoc.Close()
oPdfWriter.Close()
Catch ex As Exception
Try
IO.File.Delete(sOutFilePath)
Catch ex2 As Exception
End Try
End Try
End If
Dim oFolders As String() = IO.Directory.GetDirectories(_Folder_Path)
For i As Integer = 0 To oFolders.Length - 1
Dim sChildFolder As String = oFolders(i)
Dim iPos As Integer = sChildFolder.LastIndexOf("\")
Dim sFolderName As String = sChildFolder.Substring(iPos + 1)
CreatePDF(sChildFolder)
Next
Return ret
End Function
Private Sub AddPdf(ByVal sInFilePath As String, ByRef oPdfDoc As iTextSharp.text.Document, ByRef oPdfWriter As iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfWriter)
Dim oDirectContent As iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfContentByte = oPdfWriter.DirectContent
Dim oPdfReader As iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfReader = New iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfReader(sInFilePath)
Dim iNumberOfPages As Integer = oPdfReader.NumberOfPages
Dim iPage As Integer = 0
Do While (iPage < iNumberOfPages)
iPage += 1
oPdfDoc.SetPageSize(oPdfReader.GetPageSizeWithRotation(iPage))
oPdfDoc.NewPage()
Dim oPdfImportedPage As iTextSharp.text.pdf.PdfImportedPage = oPdfWriter.GetImportedPage(oPdfReader, iPage)
Dim iRotation As Integer = oPdfReader.GetPageRotation(iPage)
If (iRotation = 90) Or (iRotation = 270) Then
oDirectContent.AddTemplate(oPdfImportedPage, 0, -1.0F, 1.0F, 0, 0, oPdfReader.GetPageSizeWithRotation(iPage).Height)
Else
oDirectContent.AddTemplate(oPdfImportedPage, 1.0F, 0, 0, 1.0F, 0, 0)
End If
Loop
End Sub
Private Function PadExt(ByVal s As String) As String
s = UCase(s)
If s.Length > 3 Then
s = s.Substring(1, 3)
End If
Return s
End Function
Private Function GetPageCount(ByVal _Folder_Path As String) As Integer
Dim iRet As Integer = 0
Dim oFiles As String() = IO.Directory.GetFiles(_Folder_Path)
For i As Integer = 0 To oFiles.Length - 1
Dim sFromFilePath As String = oFiles(i)
Dim oFileInfo As New IO.FileInfo(sFromFilePath)
Dim sFileType As String = "PDF"
Dim sExt As String = PadExt(oFileInfo.Extension)
iRet += 1
Next
Return iRet
End Function
End Class
