topic PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012 in Modeling

PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:25:51 GMT

How can one import PDF file to Archicad SE2012. It is ever possible?
Roman

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Eduardo Rolon — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:47:15 GMT

In regular AC you have to options, either go File->External Content -> Place External Drawing or use the Drawing tool

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Eduardo Rolon — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:47:48 GMT

Drawing Icon

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Rafal SLEK — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:59:13 GMT

ejrolon wrote:
In regular AC you have to options, either go File->External Content -> Place External Drawing or use the Drawing tool

Unfortunately this tool doesn't work for SE version. You have to use Figure tool instead. One of the more important difference is that it is not linked PDF so it can't be updated automatically and you could not choose page if it is multipage PDF.

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 19:06:14 GMT

I tried to use Figure tool, but with no success. Nothing was imported.
It seems there is no way to open pdfs in SE versions.

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Rafal SLEK — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 19:43:39 GMT

Roman wrote:
I tried to use Figure tool, but with no success. Nothing was imported.
It seems there is no way to open pdfs in SE versions.

It works in my SE2012 but this is Polish version, in my country there is no INT ACSE so I could not check it.

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

rocorona — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 09:12:25 GMT

I suspect that it is a Mac/Win issue. The MacOS allows you to read a PDF as an "image type" file.
A lucky unintended feature of the Figure tool

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Karl Ottenstein — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:43:37 GMT

Correct:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/DifferenceBetweenDrawingAndFigureTools

@Roman: A workaround for a Windows SE user would be to convert the PDF to an image format and place the resulting image. Any number of photo editors and/or PDF tools can re-save a PDF as an image. The negative is that it will now be pixels and not vectors, so you'll want to convert with a pixel density that works for your intended usage.

Another workaround is to convert the PDF to a DWG using something like Illustrator. The advantage here is that you will end up with not just scalable vectors (if the original PDF contained vectors, generated by some software - image scan-PDFs will NOT be vectorized) - but also snap points.

Re: PDF import - ArchiCAD SE2012

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:07:26 GMT

I just read SE 2013 specs and if I am not wrong, it has external drawings (besides others improvements), so this might be the way.