Pdf to dwg utility

Can anyone recommend a utility that will convert pdf files to dwg. I'm now
using a trial version of pdf2dwg by Autodwg. It works but the scale is not
correct after the conversion. I'm sure some of you must use something you
are content with. Please advise and thanks in advance. Tim

 

In a previous post taiken wrote...

Let's see, you want to take a print of a drawing (that's what a PDF is)
and turn it into a properly scaled DWG file?

And how is the software supposed to know what scale the drawing was
printed at? And how is the software supposed to know what the layer names
are and which lines go on which layer?

There is a for PDF's. That's so people can't "easily" copy the
information and turn it into a drawing without the original owner's
permission. If you want a DWG file then call the original owner and ask
for one.

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

 

I find this quite a useful thing to be able to do - especially when
wanting to go back and forth between 3d isometrics and photoshop, for
instance. A utility within a program called CorelDraw has given me
superb results in the past - but I can't recall if it's part of the
main package or an add-on.

 

In a previous post strawberry wrote...

It probably works fine for drawings that have printed 1:1, but for
anything printed to scale like 1/4"=1'-0" the DWG file will never be very
accurate.

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

 

I've used Scan2CAD for fairly simple drawings, but found it was easier to
redraw if the dimensions were labelled.

The problem is that a PDF is not the same drawing in a different file
format, but a _representation_ of the drawing.
You won't be able to recover the accuracy of a map grid, with x,y
coordinates like 471639.3040,7857914.46777 - because they aren't there any
more. Same with nurbs,

 

I downloaded the trial version of that package last evening and like it much
better than pdf2dwg. I believe I'll spend the money and get it. Thanks for
all the input. Tim

 

The PDF printer driver may or may not pick up line weights - depends on
settings. I prefer to convert to polylines with defined widths - seems to
be more reliable. Most PDF to DXF/DWG converters I've tried can't convert
polylines properly; even high end Adobe Illustrator needs widths reduced
to zero, or it creates a chain of polygons. So I prefer this method to
prevent people ripping off my stuff

 

Accuracy schmaccuracy. I'm not trying to make the world more precise -
just more beautiful. ;-)

 

PDF is an output file, which I believe is RASTOR.

Is this really a question of faith? Why not find out if it is or isn't
before posting?

 

Snipped from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format:

"A PDF file is often a combination of vector graphics, text, and
raster graphics."

 

In a previous post strawberry wrote...

The key word is "often". It will depend on the software the created the
PDF in the first place.

A converted PDF file will NEVER be accurate. NEVER!

--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

 

To quell the debate - PDF's can be either vector or raster (objects or
bitmaps).

pdf2cad (www.pdf2cad.com) is a tool to convert PDF to DXF (open CAD
interchange format) which can be opened in AutoCAD and saved as DWG.
If the files do not convert into CAD objects, the original PDF is
probably a scanned drawing. pdf2cad is designed to only convert PDF
files which were generated as scalable files from an application.
Scanned drawings are reduced to bitmap images. To convert these, you
need a different class of software called raster-to-vector. An example
is Scan2CAD (http://www.softcover.com/cgi-bin/at.cgi?a=421325)

Many people find they need both types of tools. Converting directly
from a scalable PDF to DXF is ideal since you maintain the geometric
integrity. However, sometimes the only possibility is to "trace" a
scanned drawing using raster-to-vector software or even redraw it by
hand.

For more information on vector vs. raster files, please see the
following tips on the Visual Integrity web site:

Can I convert a scanned PDF into a vector file?
http://www.visual-integrity.com/TT-scan.htm

Learn how to tell the difference between raster and vector PDF files
http://www.visual-integrity.com/scalable-pdf.htm

If you want to send a sample file so to confirm whether it is a bitmap
image, please do to . The web link above offers
some tips on how to do this yourself using the magnifying glass in
Acrobat.