OT: Adobe .pdf grafix
Rich Grise
I thought I'd try the shortcut (i.e., asking youse guys...)
Is there any way to extract the actual vectors from a .pdf file? I've
been asked to take a drawing, that all I have is a .pdf, with dimensions
written in, but not enough - I'd like to scale it, so that I have some
kind of length reference.
Is this possible?
Thanks,
Rich
dlzc1 D:cox T:net@nospam.com N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)
"Rich Grise" <ri...@example.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2006.07.15....@example.net...
> I know, the appropriate NG would be one of the
> computational ones, but I thought I'd try the
> shortcut (i.e., asking youse guys...)
>
> Is there any way to extract the actual vectors from
> a .pdf file?
You can save it as postscript if you have Acrobat (not Reader).
Perhaps there is some way to convert this back into vector
graphics.
> I've been asked to take a drawing, that all I have
> is a .pdf, with dimensions written in, but not
> enough - I'd like to scale it, so that I have some
> kind of length reference.
>
> Is this possible?
As long as you are clear to "those who asked" that it is "just a
guess"...
Assuming you have Acrobat, format the document for the largest
print format you have available. Save it as a JPEG. Import the
JPEG into your CAD program. Scale the image until you get the
same length for different stated dimensions that they printed.
"Measure" away.
Assuming you have Acrobat Reader, zoom the drawing until it fills
the screen, at least the parts you care about. Hit [Prt Scr].
Open your CAD program, and insert the graphic from the clipboard.
Scale as described above.
I strongly urge you to contact the supplier of your PDF with your
guesses. They may warn you about bad ones...
David A. Smith
Winfield Hill
>
> I know, the appropriate NG would be one of the computational ones,
> but I thought I'd try the shortcut (i.e., asking youse guys...)
When you get the real answer, come back and tell us!
> Is there any way to extract the actual vectors from a .pdf file?
It seems to me writing or printing to a postcript file should
work. I just tried this with one of my Acrobat files, created
from a Word document into which I had pasted two vector files
from my spice program, a schematic and some data plots.
I opened the file in Acrobat and did a Save As, specifying a
PostScript File (*.ps), and then I opened that file with a
text editor, and there were the ASCII PostScript commands,
including all the vectors with location info. You'd have
to learn some PostScript to manually parse the commands, and
extract the information. The .ps file was 4400 lines long.
:-) Hmm, I'll bet there are plenty of free programs that'll
do that task for you. Let us know what you find out.
I think you can also print from Acrobat reader to a PostScript
printer, but clicking "print to file" in the dialog to get an
ASCII .ps file.
--
Thanks,
- Win
Jim Thompson
<Winfiel...@newsguy.com> wrote:
[snip]
>
> I think you can also print from Acrobat reader to a PostScript
> printer, but clicking "print to file" in the dialog to get an
> ASCII .ps file.
Provided the PDF isn't locked.
...Jim Thompson
--
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| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
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I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
Lance
There seem to be quite a few programs that say they can retrieve the
vector information.
Lance
*****
dlzc1 D:cox T:net@nospam.com N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)
"Winfield Hill" <Winfiel...@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:e9b0c...@drn.newsguy.com...
...
> I think you can also print from Acrobat reader
> to a PostScript printer, but clicking "print to
> file" in the dialog to get an ASCII .ps file.
I believe that AutoCAD will also import a postscript file,
without additional programs. Now whether it does it as something
that looks like a drawing...
David A. Smith
JeffM
>Pstoedit (needs ghostscript installed)
>will extract vectors from .pdf no problem, and write as .dxf, .xfig, .hpgl, etc.
>*provided* that the .pdf was produced from a vector original.
>If it started life as raster, say from a scan, you're screwed,
>unless you want to try extracting as a raster format and using autotrace.
>YMMV
>
>All free/open-source.
>
>http://cs.wisc.edu/~ghost is a good place to start looking.
>
What's the deal with you and X-No-Archive ?
Rich Grise
> Rich Grise wrote...
>>
>> I know, the appropriate NG would be one of the computational ones,
>> but I thought I'd try the shortcut (i.e., asking youse guys...)
>
> When you get the real answer, come back and tell us!
Actually, right here seems to have worked. ;-)
>
>> Is there any way to extract the actual vectors from a .pdf file?
>
> It seems to me writing or printing to a postcript file should
> work. I just tried this with one of my Acrobat files, created
> from a Word document into which I had pasted two vector files
> from my spice program, a schematic and some data plots.
Unfortunately, I don't have Acrobat itself, but the first answer
was, duh, google for "pdf to dwg".
Who'd a thunk it! :-)
I've downloaded a converter, and they're done already.
Turns out there's no real scale in the original, but I do have
one dimension I can refer everything to and scale the whole thing,
which was kinda the point. (i.e., on one of them, it reports a
12.0000" dimension as 115.00000, and in another, it reports the
12.0000" as 74.50000 or so, but that's not a problem now, as long
as I have a reference.)
Thanks!
Rich
Rich Grise
Bad form to anwer my own post?
Not when I have so many answers, all of which are right. :-)
Thanks to all!
Rich
Don Lancaster
Then you modify or adapt it any way you like.
Hundreds of free tools and examples on my website.
Start with http://www.tinaja.com/post01.asp then go to the Gonzo utilities.
--
Many thanks,
Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073
Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552
rss: http://www.tinaja.com/whtnu.xml email: d...@tinaja.com
Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com