[REQ] PDF Importer

[EarthMover]

Is there one floating around or possible to make this an available import function through plugin for windows? Apparently it's possible on Mac. Importing a .pdf to scale would be a huge benefit for me and other windows users.

[JuanV.Soler]

yes,
+1

[TIG]

It could not be readily coded with Ruby, it'd need C etc ?
However, there are already several apps to convert a PDF into a DXF [or some similar format] which would then be importable into a SKP.
Adobe Illustrator will but it isn't free.
Inkscape does it too and that is free - although dxf 'flipping' will occur [I think it's a CNC requirement] unless you remember to select-all and flip-about-horizontal before using save_as for the DXF creation...
I have just tried this one - http://www.pdftodxf.com/ - it's a free online PDF2DXF converter; it does add unexpected hatching and uses unnecessarily thick polylines, but it's readily removable/changeable in a CAD app, there is no 'flipping' either...

[JuanV.Soler]

yes TIG, I use Aide pdf converter for that.
Still, even the DXF needs text. I have tried your import DXF Text but with no luck. Do you have an upgrade for it that I have missed ? Thanks for your input.

[EarthMover]

I know the free Acrobat reader doesn't even convert a .pdf to an image. Free Sketchup doesn't import .dxf. I have illustrator, SU pro and acrobat pro, so I can get a pdf in. However, other folks in my office don't have either and we generally scan all of our hand drawings into a plotter and it creates a .pdf. Generally those get brought in and traced. I end up doing a lot of conversion for everyone. It would be rather convenient to just have a viable import option which would recognize whether it is a vector or raster pdf and bring it in accordingly. I just always found it odd that sketchup doesn't support such an industry standard design format on Windows, yet Mac, who doesn't support Adobe flash on their platform, does support pdf import. Just a little odd.

[pbacot]

I use flash on my Mac... Mac seems to orient to pdf extensively, thank the Adobe gods. A Mac print file IS a pdf file (or so I am told). This would be great for all Windows users--but also Mac users if a vector import option is added.

Or am I missing something? On my Mac I have only been able to import pdf (even a vector one from out of SU) into SU as raster.

[the.pjt]

yeah ... it could be perfect , importing vector PDF and snapping to it ..

but it's not such a easy job , becouse of some properties of PDF files and it's data arrengment .. it could handle almost every thing from feild to Video .. rendered texts with fonts plus raw texts as commands .. from layers to 3Ds ... and reading only vector data is a chalenge .. i'm not sure if there is any DLL availble ..

[TIG]

So you can use a free tool [or free online service] to make a vector PDF into a DXF.
Sketchup will import that DXF - pro does it natively OR in free use one of the script-based DXF importers - or keep v7-free for this...
Then you have an component containing the imported geometry inside your SKP...
IF it were to be a 'single tool' it would be only slightly less convoluted...

[pbacot]

Personally I already use dxf anyway. It would only be better for me if it improved the resulting geometry.

[d12dozr]

You guys...Adam is scanning hand drawings...he can't use a PDF to DXF converter.

we generally scan all of our hand drawings into a plotter and it creates a .pdf.

Adam, I bet there is a setting on the scanner to make a JPG rather than a PDF. What kind of scanner/plotter is it?

[TIG]

Good point...
Hand drawn scans will never be vector PDFs...
My scanner offers PDF/JPG/PNG options.
You still need to insert the Image, group it scale it inside the group with the Tapemeasure tool to a known dimension etc; and then overdraw the edges but it misses out a PDF-to-anything conversion step......

[unearthed]

to convert images to dxf in the past I've successfully a trial of wintopo http://wintopo.com/pricing.htm (US$340)
and more recently have had better mileage using http://vectormagic.com/home which allows two free conversions and has a monthly US$8.00 fee - I use it mainly when %^&*ing house designers refuse to send me a .dwg file or when councils refuse to release the data from their GIS and I have to get it from a screen shot.

the results usually need cleaning up a bit but is a lot faster than hand tracing - and if i remember rightly wintopo will split out coloured lines into diff layers even with the free version (http://wintopo.com/wintopo-free.htm).

[EarthMover]

You guys...Adam is scanning hand drawings...he can't use a PDF to DXF converter.

we generally scan all of our hand drawings into a plotter and it creates a .pdf.

Adam, I bet there is a setting on the scanner to make a JPG rather than a PDF. What kind of scanner/plotter is it?

Good point. I'll have to check on that. Technically I guess it's not a plotter, just a 36" printer / scanner made by Ricoh.

I know the scans are raster pdf's and don't expect to glean vector lines from them. I have Vector Magic as well, but for what we do, it's faster to trace.

I work with .pdf files generated in CAD though as well.

I guess the whole thread was an attempt to not let Mac users feel special.

[Rich O Brien]

Acrobat reader doesn't even convert a .pdf to an image

If you select the Snapshot tool and press CTRL+A and then CTRL+C then in PhotoShop

File > New > From Clipboard > CTRL+V

This works for other Image Editors also.

[EarthMover]

Good tip Rich. Thanks!

[Rodrigonotor]

Maybeis to late, but, perhaps still work for you http://www.imsidesign.com/Products/CADC ... cid=422390