.PDF to CAD

You can scan and import either an image or pdf into CAD.?ÿ But as far as having usable lines, I don't know.?ÿ Carlson used to have that option, but don't think they do any more.?ÿ And you'd be taking a chance using scanned line-work in a dwg.?ÿ

I think he's going to have to have everything entered into CAD for it to be usable and accurate.

For interior modifications, I would suggest an interior "survey". In other words, a crew physically measures each room (steel tapes, pencil, fieldbook). If you've got the equipment, I imagine you could scan each room and process the point clouds. Either way, the data is turned into a .dwg floor plan and ceiling plan (if needed) by hand or by software-assisted hand. Elevations and window locations are easy enough, too.

The 'facts' of construction say that those original plans aren't nearly correct. Also, after 70 years, those spaces probably aren't the same as when the project started.

I've done the 'hand' version on a couple different projects and things went fine. Now that I'm typing, in one case, we measured the rooms (steel tape) and drafted over a scan of the original prints. Set the scans as color 11, so they were greyed, and drew demo/ proposed new work in green for a good, bold look, understanding that's pen table specific.

Federal client on that one. Very satisfied.

Good luck. Could be a money maker; even if tedious.

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Carlson has CADNET. I bring in pdfs in with it all the time but they will be raster if not cut from CAD files.

You can xref a pdf of the plans into CAD and scale/rotate (ALIGN command) as necessary. But that will be only a cartoon. It probably won't take long to get busy and recreate the linework in CAD from the dimensions offered.

If you have license for autodesk Raster Design you can use command IRSHEET to rubbersheet the original scan to a more accurate representation. But again that will only be a raster object. But doing a quick IRSHEET will make it much easier to trace over the top of it with CAD line work.?ÿ

Also programs like Adobe Illustrator can do what I believe you are asking. But the results will vary from quite poor to extremely poor. Only sure fire way in my opinion is mindless tracing in CAD.?ÿ

Years ago I heard of a company that would scan your paper drawings, email them to workers in the Middle East to draw by hand into autocad. Low paid labor Iƒ??m sure.

Terry Dotson's Toolpac has a utility to convert pdf to cad linework. It works well but I still wouldn't trust the resulting linework to be as precise as you'd probably need.

True to scale means you have to begin with a scaled drawing and only actual dimensioned lines can be true to scale. They want you to take chicken shit and make chicken salad. I would not do it. Plus, without a complete architectural survey you have no way of knowing if the building was actually built to agree with the plans. Reply with a quote to perform such a survey or walk away.

I add images all the time, but they are on layers with the name image and are for background information only.

Paul in PA

from the 1950's????ÿ ?ÿ to put it politely, NFW.?ÿ?ÿ

What I would do is bring the drawings into an autocad drawing. Then I would rotate and align them into a coordinate system, lay them under as an image and start re-drawing them. I'm doing one right now, an underground telephone easement drawing from 1980.

I don't think there is a better way.?ÿ

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There are companies that specialize in PDF to CAD...and are fairly reasonable...

Posted by: @mightymoe

I don't think there is a better way.

The better way is just tell the engineer to have his CAD minion retrace everything to scale and understand it's not an as-built.?ÿ If he needs an as-built, have a surveyor capture everything at the site and generate detailed drawings....?ÿ $$$$.?ÿ Then he can remodel accurately to his heart's content.

Posted by: @paul-in-pa

They want you to take chicken [potty mouth] and make chicken salad.

Love it!?ÿ How everything is these days.