Is Autocad Raster Or Vector

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Janne Desir

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:53:45 PM8/3/24

to passawssmatid

I'm not trying to be "that guy", but I might I ask with the most objective intentions why the need to lock down your PDFs? During similar discussions with clients, I've found the question typically stems from a perceived liability about people nefariously reproducing their drawings.

While the convert PDF to DWG functionality was just introduced in AutoCAD 2017, it's always been possible to convert vector PDFs to an AutoCAD readable format. Inkscape, the open source vector graphics application, can export to DXF, whereas Adobe Illustrator can export straight to a DWG.

To me the recent discussion about rasterizing PDFs as a way of locking them down is no different than the discussion about large format xerographic copiers when they were first released. Before xerographic copiers, blueprints were the only way to reproduce large format drawings. Being a light-sensitive process, blueprints required a transparent vellum or Mylar original to create. Since xerographic copiers could copy anything, many feared the repercussions of theft as they displaced blueprint machines that had some level of copy protection built in.

I understand the modern-day apprehensions of vector PDFs, but I firmly believe they are the best archival format we have available today. Vector PDFs are typically smaller than a raster equivalent, and have the additional benefit of producing a higher quality plot. It seems to me the benefits of vector PDFs far outweigh the perceived protection/reduction of liability of raster PDFs.

I just tried the above link & followed the instructions for plotting PDF raster. As soon as I change the shade plot setting from "As Displayed" to any other "Hidden" or "Realistic", it seems the plot style is no more applied (I get color PDF, which is not what I want). So, as far as I'm concern, theses instructions are not working (client does not want color, he want black & white).

Any reason you cannot remove color for this PDF output? Sure it's an extra effort, but you are asking for the extra effort.

But... as noted in Post#7, the entire planet has been converting PDFs to DWG files for about 10-years now so are you sure your sudden discovery of R2017's ability may be overly anxious?
BTW, for a few $$ more there are converters that will convert a raster PDF as well.

OR they can just paste your raster picture into the DWG and draw all over it. Everyone has been doing that for 30+ years now.

Good luck.

This has nothing to do with the new feature of AutoCAD 2017 (just coincidence). Don't get me wrong, I do have a workaround... But to me, this should be implemented by Autodesk, as I'm sure, we're not the only one requesting a raster PDF plotter (black & white with plot style support). Additionally, if AutoCAD 2017 can bring vector PDF back to life then, IMOO, this should definitely be a feature for AutoCAD future release... I would like to add that I really appreciated all of your comments & thanks for the input!

"Locking down" a PDF is not the only reason to print to raster. Another major reason is plotting fidelity. Not all printers/plotters will render a complex PDF with large amounts of mixed vector and raster content the same, especially when you add things like shading/opacity of rasters, and scaling into the mix. Sometimes complex mixed vector PDFs won't print at all. Raster is just simpler and more reliable.

Another reason for Raster PDFs: Vector PDFs can be slow to use on-screen. Right now I'm looking at a 22x34 PDF from a client made with Civil 3D 2018. It has an aerial photo background as raster, elevation contours and proposed improvements as vectors. It has translucent solid colored hatches on top of the aerial photo. It is very slow to regenerate as I pan around. It's annoying and costs me time. I'm using Acrobat Reader DC. My computer is 4 years old, not new but not ancient.

Vector PDFs are great and have their place. We just want to retain the option of plotting to raster. And not just because we're Luddites.

This is my issue too. I'm not concerned with security like some folks (legit concern!) but I like to use volume surfaces to display a color-banded "heatmap" for high and low spots for a construction client. It looks really cool and is super flexible but when plotted to PDF it is soooo sloooow. My 2 cents is that I produce multi-sheet documents so creating some kind of GIMP or third-party solution sounds painful too.

Acrobat PDF files have various security attributes which could prevent lets say, the extraction of vector entities. That level security feature added to the Acad drivers should suffice. Too many people today are wise to that free drafting option of extracting the entities produced by some other company.

As Dean pointed out in his post, there are numerous conversion applications available. Depending on the size and complexity of your raster images you can also use a program such as Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator to find the "paths".

I used PDFIMPORT to bring this into a drawing. Since it is raster based, 3 PNG files were created. I can then dump these into the online Vectormagic application. This should give me a vector-based PDF that I can now import into AutoCAD as geometry. Since your sample was a simple one-line diagram I think that this workflow might work pretty well for you.

The PDF Images are stored in a location set in your OPTIONS. Select he File tab and scroll down to PDF Import Image Location. Click on the PDF Images and then Browse to see the current location where these files are stored.

OK john Im still lost. I start a new drawing and do a pdfimport and pick the file I sent you, I have the raster image box checked and it comes up as a drawing. It is divided into 3 blocks. So what file do I use in the online converter because it is a .dwg file now. Will inkscape read the original pdf file that I am picking in AutoCAD to import in?

Yes you have a drawing with three parts in it from the PDFImport process. If you open your XREF manager you will see the three attachments are actually PNG files. These are the files you would need to upload onto one of the raster conversion sites.

Smart VectorImage : is a stand-alone program that converts scanned drawings, maps and raster images into accurate vector files (such as DXF, EPS, SVG) for editing in any CAD application.

The page may appear to contain lines and characters, but the underlying elements that represent them in the PDF may not be vector lines and text elements, which are needed to snap to content and search and select text.

A raster image is created from a series of square dots called pixels. One example of a raster PDF is a file created from scanning a paper. A scanned PDF is created by making a bitmap image (like a JPEG or TIFF) of the page, and placing that image on the PDF page. This means that a scanned or raster PDF only contains a grid of dots that represent lines and text; it does not actually contain lines or text that a computer can recognize. Therefore, there are no lines for the Snap to Content function to snap to, and no text to select or search.

A vector-based PDF uses line segments to define all of the geometry on the page. Most PDFs created from CAD (Computer-Aided Design) are vector-based. Vector PDFs are usually preferred to raster PDFs because they contain more data that make it easier to work with. You should always try to work with vector PDFs created from the source instead of creating PDFs from scans.

The benefit of working with a vector PDF is that the display of the geometry remains sharp when you zoom in to see details of the drawing. As such, measurements and takeoffs (as well as their calibration) are precise in a vector PDF because you can use Snap to Content to snap to the vector lines in the PDF.

This is especially true with raster files, which usually need to be converted to vector files in order to be opened in AutoCAD applications. If your company is in need of raster to vector AutoCAD conversion, taking advantage of a 14-day free trial from Scan2CAD.com can make the process much easier. With the ability to convert from JPG to DWG or DXF, Scan2CAD is the complete solution for your business.

Some of the most common raster files are JPG, which are most often applied to photographic images. Allowing smooth transitions between areas of color, it does not lend itself well to most types of architectural or engineering drawings. Some of the most common problems associated with applying JPG to these types of drawings include:

One of the most important aspects of file conversion is vector recognition. A tremendous advantage offered by Scan2CAD is its ability to convert either one, some, or all colors in a color raster image. Scan2CAD works with raster to vector conversion in a variety of industries such as:

A number of features on Scan2CAD allow users to have more control of the conversion process. While default conversion types give generally good results, using certain settings can make most drawings look much better. Some of the most used settings within Scan2CAD include:

One of the biggest benefits of using Scan2CAD for raster to vector AutoCAD conversion is its ability to do many tasks at once, saving its users considerable amounts of time. The Batch Processing component of the software allows for thousands of files to have certain tasks performed automatically, with multiple raster images able to be converted at once. Other batch processes that can be done quickly include:

By taking advantage of the 14-day free trial download offered by Scan2CAD, professionals in architecture, engineering and construction companies can discover the many benefits of using software specifically designed to make raster to vector AutoCAD converting a much easier process.

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