App Review: Able2Extract 8 ( Extract CAD Drawings from PDF)
I don't know what it is, but this PDF thing is here to stay. I know we send and receive PDF files of drawings all day almost everyday. The big pain with PDF files and designing in CAD software is fact that they never play well with each other. You would think the best way to get the information that you need from a PDF you receive is to just convert it, well that is what the people at Able2Extract does best. Enjoy a great application tutorial on just how simple it is to convert a PDF file to a DWG or DXF file.
We often use PDF as a secure way to send
and share drawings created in AutoCAD. Some of the main reasons for this are:
●
PDF is
platform-independent, which means that anyone can open and view the shared
files from any device (personal computer, tablet or smartphone), running on any
operating system (Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, iOS).
●
PDF locks the
formatting, layout and contents of the drawing (vector images and text), and
thus ensures that the recipient of the file will see drawings and other files
just as they were intended to be seen.
●
With the right
PDF maker, it is possible to create secure, password-protected files and
control who can view, open, print or edit your work.
PDF, fortunately or unfortunately,
depending on how you look at it, is not editable. It is possible to annotate
it, bookmark or highlight its contents, but if you need to modify vector images
and text locked n the PDF, you need to have access to the original DWG or DXF
file, or convert the PDF to AutoCAD supported formats.
Chances are that you have the .dwg
version of the drawing if you are the one who originally drew it in AutoCAD.
But if you received a PDF from someone who expects you to change the drawing,
or if you archived some of your older drawings in PDF and permanently deleted
the source AutoCAD file, then a PDF to CAD converter is your best chance for
getting the vector images and text recovered from PDF.
Able2Extract PDF to AutoCAD converter, developed by
Investintech.com, is one possible choice. It is in reality a very comprehensive
PDF conversion utility which converts PDF to multiple file formats like
Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, OpenOffice formats, HTML, as well
as AutoCAD supported formats.
Despite its comprehensiveness and variety
of conversion options, the software uses a very simple and straightforward
approach to extracting content from a PDF: 3-step conversion
(Open-Select-Convert) to any of the available output formats.
For example, if you want to extract
vector graphics and text from PDF into fully editable .DXF or .DWG files, you
would start the program installed on your computer like any other piece of
software and follow these three steps:
1. Open
the file.
2. Select
the part of the PDF that you want to convert -- it can be the entire
document or an individual drawing or area -- you can virtually pinpoint the
vector image or other content that you want extracted.
3. Choose your output format (AutoCAD)
and Convert using the standard
settings that will work for most files.
Despite the obvious simplicity of the
process, you can also customize your conversion output prior to conversion. For
example, you can specify the preferred AutoCAD supported format, your AutoCAD
compatible color palette, units (millimeters or inches), and so on.
Able2Extract also allows you to save your standard conversion settings, so you
don’t have to waste time on adjusting output settings every time you need to
convert PDF to AutoCAD formats.
Able2Extract works very well and the
result of conversion is very good. Pro
tip: If you convert to DWG and are not happy with the result, go back and
convert it to DXF. The resulting DXF is usually flawless, and you can save the
DXF as DWG.
Able2Extract PDF converter is available
on all three major platforms: Windows, MacOS and Linux (Fedora and Ubuntu
downloads are both available). It is free to download and use for 7 days. The
full time license to Able2Extract can be purchased for $99.95. It can also be
obtained as a 30-day subscription for $34.95, in the case that you are not a
regular PDF user but only need it for a current project, for instance.