Creating a PDF to create a DXF file

bigred177

bigred177

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I am using Solidworks eDrawings viever to look at some 3D files and then trying to print the views I need to a PDF and then use PDF2CAD to convert them to a DXF. Sometimes it works other times it won't. I emailed PDF2CAD and they said the problem is that Adobe is creating an IMAGE PDF. So, sometimes it creates a vector pdf which can convert. Then others, it creates an IMAGE pdf that won't. How can I make it work all the time? Thanks
 
Not so easy, Kemosabe.

PDF files created by scanning are pure image files, essentially a massive grid of mapped dots (and colors if applicable). You note that these are very large.

PDF files created "native" (from, for example, PDF writer programs or PDF "printer" drivers) are created using Adobe's page description language, which yields a resulting PDF file which is much smaller, and which effectively consists of a descrption of the image instead of a massive map of it.

Hence, a converter program can readily use the latter type of PDF to make a CAD file, whereas the former is not so simple.
 
Spike,
What you wrote is true, but I'm not sure that it applies in this case. If this 3D viewer program can rotate the images, my guess is that they're already vectors. Now if they have things like shading, texture, and the like, that may cause a particular view to do exactly what yo describe if the program determines that the algorithm to describe the drawing is more complex than just rendering a bitmap. Of course I'm just guessing!
 
I missed the fact that the OP started with something other than a PDF... my mistake.

Could also try creating the PDF in other ways, perhaps with another PDF writing product, like Primo PDF...
 
Creating a vector image from a raster image is easy enough, but creating a 3D image from a 2D image, not so much. Any image can be vectorized. But a vector image is basically a mathematical representation of a raster image, so vectorizing a 2D raster image will just result in a 2D vector image. It won't convert 2D to 3D.

What are you using to create the PDF itself?
 
I'm using Adobe Acrobat to create the pdf. Sometimes it will create a vector pdf and then other times it will create a raster. I have tried using Scan2Cad to convert the raster to vector, but I'm not real good at it. Are there any other programs out there that might be a little easier? I'm just wanting certain 2D wireframe views. Not to create another 3D image from the PDF. Thanks
 
bigred177 said:
I'm using Adobe Acrobat to create the pdf. Sometimes it will create a vector pdf and then other times it will create a raster. I have tried using Scan2Cad to convert the raster to vector, but I'm not real good at it. Are there any other programs out there that might be a little easier? I'm just wanting certain 2D wireframe views. Not to create another 3D image from the PDF. Thanks
Click to expand...

Are you looking for something free?

There are plenty of paid programs that claim to be able to do what you need, but they can be pretty pricey.

I haven't tried this one, but it's free and GPL, so maybe you want to check it out.

-Rich
 
I would love to just be able to get Acrobat to do the same thing every time. Or at least figure out why it's doing what it is. A paid program is okay, just as long as it's user friendly. Sort of defeats the purpose if it takes just as long to go from a raster to a vector as it would to just retrace the figure. Thanks guys
 
So, I got bored the other day and had one of the other attorneys create a pdf from the same original EASM file. He emailed it to me and boom, I was about to convert it the way I need to. I try mine again, no luck. So how is it that a pdf can be created differently from the same EASM file, using the same pdf creator. He was using primo pdf and I used primo as well.
 
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