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Dave Brach
Expert

Surface texture in elevation won't publish to pdf

When I publish this  layout to pdf and open it in Acrobat Pro, all of the surface textures and colors are bogging down and will not display on the pdf.  I have actually had this problem for years, ever since I started publishing elevations with surface texture fills and colors.  I sent the plan set to the client and he could not open the elevation layouts either.  How do I make sure that all the graphic information in my elevations publishes easily to pdf?

 

Operating system used: Mac Apple Silicon Tahoe 26


Screenshot 2026-09-28 at 7.57.33 PM.png
Dave Brach/architect AC28 Macbook M4 Pro OS Sequoia
7 Replies 7
Lingwisyer
Guru

Set your max image resolution to like 72dpi, via the PDF export settings or in the texture itself, and do not open them in Adobe... Adobe deals with Archicad image fills the worst...

 

Half baked feature that they still have not cleaned up...

 

Ling.

AC22-29 AUS 3200Help Those Help You - Add a Signature
Self-taught, bend it till it breaksCreating a Thread
Win11 | i9 10850K | 64GB | RX6600 Win11 | 7800X3D | 32GB | RTX5070TI
Karel Landa
Graphisoft Partner
Graphisoft Partner

What version of Archicad localization are you using?

There was a problem with some texture in different localization of Archicad that caused some textures missing in PDF export.

If you try saving the texture image from the library to designated folder on you PC and load that folder as a library and replace the texture, is the PDF going to show it?

From Archicad 17
MacBook Pro M1 Max
Dave Brach
Expert

I am using AC29. 29.2.1 (5101) usa full.

 

setting to 72dpi seems to help a bit.  I have two elevation layouts: and one hesitates, then shows, the other shows an error.

 

Screenshot 2026-09-29 at 6.58.40 AM.png

 

Screenshot 2026-09-29 at 7.04.00 AM.png

 

Dave Brach/architect AC28 Macbook M4 Pro OS Sequoia
Lingwisyer
Guru

If only AC would flatten things...

AC22-29 AUS 3200Help Those Help You - Add a Signature
Self-taught, bend it till it breaksCreating a Thread
Win11 | i9 10850K | 64GB | RX6600 Win11 | 7800X3D | 32GB | RTX5070TI
mreksn
Participant

The fact that 72 dpi helps one elevation but another still errors suggests that the failing view contains a specific texture or raster-heavy element rather than this being only a global Publisher setting.

I would duplicate the failing elevation, disable surface texture fills in the duplicate, and publish that one sheet. If it succeeds, re-enable the textures in small groups until the offending surface is identified. Then try replacing that texture with a locally loaded, resized RGB image and publish again through Publisher rather than Print. This should help distinguish a damaged or unsuitable texture file from the general AC29 performance problem with texture-filled elevations.

Dave Brach
Expert

The only thing that works 100% is unfortunately to just turn off texture fills.  When I change the settings per attached the pdf works fine, just not exactly matching the texture in the model, and a little more time consuming.

 

Screenshot 2026-10-14 at 8.08.18 AM.png

 

Dave Brach/architect AC28 Macbook M4 Pro OS Sequoia
Karel Landa
Graphisoft Partner
Graphisoft Partner

Although it is a tedious workaround, you can probably combine 2 views:
1. One is elevation view with the vectorial lines, annotation you need as well as shadows. But with GOs you set fills to transparent

2. Second view is saved 3D axonometry (I would recomend with active PBR - looks better even with the blue tint in AC29 (better in AC30)) reduced with selection. You just have to set printable DPI in View map

 

Then you can combine these two views. PDF will be light weight since the 3D axonometry is going to be simple jpeg in the PDF.
Downside of this is that you have to create more view in the View map and the texture is then not perfectly alligned - depends for what you need the PDF

 

 

Another workaround could be to export PDF elevation from Archicad with all the textures and set automatic script/AI agent to use MCP inside eg. Afffinity to load folder and save is as flattened (not tested, just idead)

 

Also, just went through roadmap and looks like this will be addressed:
https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Product-Roadmap/Publish-to-PDF-Enhancements/idi-p/711152

From Archicad 17
MacBook Pro M1 Max

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