Outputing PDF's

[LP]

I was needing to create a PDF file from my CAD software so that I could create a paper blueprint. My commercial blueprinter accepts PDF and TIFF formats. Unfortunately, my CAD system doesn't an option for that format. I don't know if other cad systems have such an option.

Long story short. I was given a link to <www.pdf995.com> that has a wonderful little(I think) utility for creating PDF files. It functions as psuedo printer. The utility creates a printer named "PDF995" and it's just selected as you would any other printer. Command screens will pop up to guide the output to your choosen file destination.

[Murdock]

There is not such a thing as pdf export option included in any Autocad. however PDF's over CAD is as simple as adding a printer driver emulator, as you stated, there are a lot of different flavours, pdf995, cutepdf, primopdf, neeviapdf, even Adobe has one. IMHO, I would recommend CutePDF, as it can handle bigger paper sizes and best of all, it don't piss you off opening the IE page on each plot.
There is another free VB coded stuff I would recommend you all, how many times you end up with a bunch of files you need to "combine" in a unique pdf file? there is a combinepdf utility, & best of all, it's free...
enjoy it.
Murdock

[CGN]

Hi LP,

You can use DWF is for free and works similar to PDF, the viewer is free and the file can be plotted form any pc (or use any plotter).

I do use PDF a lot, but when is about plotting any other place, i use DWF, also it keeps layers and colors and the size are quite small, the only "problem" is that you need the full version to combine more than 1 drawing, but it works really good IMO.

It also works with 3D and any application on your PC, you can print from word, excel etc...


there is PDFill, that has some free tools to combine and convert pdf's to images
http://www.pdfill.com/

cheers

[bbsboat]

install a acrobat pro(not reader version)is the best way!

[Raggi_Thor]

I prefer Win2Pdf, www.win2pdf.com
I costs 35 dollars and you can select to preview the created pdf and send it directly to an email.

[Tim B]

I have to smile at windows needing 3rd party software to handle Postscript and PDF. I'm used to being able to print to one or the other in Linux. Very easy, and seamless to the user.

Of course, Rhino doesn't run on Linux... yet.

Tim B.

[Robert Miller]

Not sure why any of the issues raised above are issues at all.

I regularly output PDF's from my Mac from essentially any app environment I use... whether 2d or 3d, photo, music, movie, ProTools files (music production software if you are not familiar with it), ... including "previewing" (this is a new feature?? Well I guess it is if you have to buy some add-on/plug-ins for Windows ).

Unix is, I think, the most stable readily available OS we have available to us at this time. (That's why most stuff in scientific or engineering communities above middle level stuff is on a UNIX something. That goes for the military as well.)

Since Mac OS X and linux are both just "faces" on a UNIX core, I would choose either before torturing myself further with Windows (as I must do at my day job). And between them, I would say that MacOS is more beautiful and a bit slicker than Linux, but in truth, both being UNIX based provides a stability, security, and ease of function Windows does not approach.

I guess I always find it a bit humorous, if darkly so, when someone gets Windows to do something that MacOS and Linux have been doing for years without difficulty. ... And this is then followed by some celebration or festival - just as if it is a new or extraordinary innovation.

Robert

[CGN]

When does the post turn into my system is better than yours....hehhee .....but anyhow windows is the greatest sofwtare known to mankind and once we get rid of mac's and linux you all be welcomed to the "dark side"

by the way i think LP post was a question about a cad sytem that can read a "PDF" file?....Microstation?? Maybe? LP please correct me in this one...

Cheers...
Windows is the best OS

[LP]

The "just" of my post was that I wanted a fullsize hardcopy of a drawing on my cad system and was surprised that the software didn't support the format that the blueprinters use. I figured if I had the problem, others might also. I was just posting my findings so that others might benefit.

I'm just glad that so many have expressed their own solutions.

I regret that we sometimes succumb to OS bashing. I have the equipment that I have and I try to make the best of it.

[Man Overboard]

I second what bbsboat has stated; Adobe Acrobat Professional is the best program for creating PDF documents. Especially if you have to pull documents from several different sources or programs. Adobe started the PDF file format, and continues to develop it. For instance, there is a group under the direction of Adobe that is currently developing special tags specific to engineering drawings called PDF/E (PDF Engineering). Some of the advantages of this format include better security for distribution of intellectual property, accurate printability of engineering drawings, Support for annotation and comment data, support for complex data such as 3D and object metadata, accurate embedding of fonts, support for color profiles, and a bunch of other cool stuff. The reason this is important to you the designer, is because it allows you to send your work to any shmuck printer and he will have all the info he needs to print your document without having your program, and without you having to remember to include fonts, logos, and the like when you package the document to send to the printer. PDF is also great for sharing info about your project with colleges and customers without worrying about them cutting and pasting major portions into their database for use else ware. It isn’t a cure, but it makes your document more paper like, and less electronically easy to copy to other documents. (You of course have to set the security options when you create the PDF.) If your customers want their craft (interior exterior, etc) certain colors, embedded profiles will guarantee that the colors you choose will print and match the color of swatches you or they pick.

More info on PDF/E can be found at Aiim:
http://www.aiim.org/standards.asp?ID=27860

Info from adobe:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acroba...ns/engineering

[Robert Miller]

Originally Posted by LP

The "just" of my post was that I wanted a fullsize hardcopy of a drawing on my cad system and was surprised that the software didn't support the format that the blueprinters use.... (snip)...I regret that we sometimes succumb to OS bashing. I have the equipment that I have and I try to make the best of it.

"OS bashing" was not my intent. As I re-read my post this AM, however, I do think it comes across that way. I apologize to all for the tone of my post.

What I should have said was that I do not understand why full size hard copies of your PDF's are a problem. I have simply not had any difficulty in having my PDF's re-produced at any local print shop to any size I wish (within the limits of their printer, of course). I don't have any additional PDF or OS add-ons to do this. And I do preview my PDF's prior to sending them along to the printer.

So I'm not sure why you are having difficulty, and that is why I turned to the OS for the explanation. Unfortunately, the post did come across as Windows bashing, and again, I do apologize for that.

I agree that the Adobe "Pro" version of Acrobat is excellent.

Robert

[LP]

The difficulty was in the fact the my software didn't have PDF output capability. I had to find a way to get a PDF file from my CAD software so the PDF could be printed. The shortcoming IMHO was with the CAD package. Not necessarily my OS. I found one solution and many other have presented here. Thanks to all.

[Steve Baer]

Hi LP,
Would you have rather had your CAD package install one of these PDF printers? There are so many of these relatively cheap or free PDF printer drivers out there that I thought it would be a better use of my time to focus on other features in Rhino and tell users to download a PDF printer driver if they need PDF writing capabilities. Maybe I was just making a dumb assumption and should have written a PDF writer I did start a sample plug-in project in Rhino that writes PDFs, but it really doesn't do everything that one of these printer drivers does.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/rhinoplugins/
This is more useful as a programmer sample than an actual commercial quality plug-in.

Rhino does install with a PDF reader which is a completely different process.
Thanks,
-Steve

[LP]

It's a learning curve thing for me. I do this as a hobby and so my access to commercial equipment is limited(read: nonexistant). I just made an assumption that a commercial blueprinter would accept formats that were native to my CAD system. The converter was a nice little freebie and it sounds like there are better ones than the one I downloaded. I didn't even know a PDF printer driver existed until a few weeks ago.

[Steve Baer]

Were PDF and TIFF the only formats that your printing service would accept or are there other formats that they read? It seems that they would know the best way to get data from your CAD drawings onto paper from their equipment.