Edit a pdf drawing

[Vic]

I have a pdf schematic drawing of a control panel that I made a few changes to. I would like to document the changes on the drawing but I don't have any way to do it. What free software would you recommend using to do this. I don't want to purchase anything to do this, it is more of a learning experience for me.

Thanks

 

[OkiePC]

LibreOffice Draw

How much editing of existing objects in the pdf you will be able to do is going to vary greatly depending on how the pdf was created, but you should be able to add text and graphic objects to it.

 

[GaryS]

A question is the pdf signed ?
if it is signed then most likely it can not be edited even by the originator of the document
there is an option to seal it when it's signed.

 

[alive15]

LibreOffice Draw

How much editing of existing objects in the pdf you will be able to do is going to vary greatly depending on how the pdf was created, but you should be able to add text and graphic objects to it.

Does Libre Office allow you to convert from PDF to DWG format? Is there any such software that could do this?

Thanks,

 

[mylespetro]

Does Libre Office allow you to convert from PDF to DWG format? Is there any such software that could do this?

Thanks,

If you have AutoCAD, try the PDFIMPORT command. Not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for, but I've used this a lot.

 

[OkiePC]

At one time there was an online service that would convert pdf to dwg, but the results were a mixed bag. It was called comet docs. I only had good results with it about 10% of the time, I think if the pdf is locked or signed, as GaryS said, your are sol.

If I can't open and overlay my own notes on a pdf, I will screenshot it and use paint.net editor to add a layer for revs...I won't publish or share any work that is derived from some other source from whom I can't get permission, but for our internal use, I will do whatever it takes to improve documentation short of using a pen or pencil and scanner.

 

[testsubject]

I have used PDF2CAD which is free to try.

 

[mikeexplorer]

This free program will let you convert PDF into JPG then you could at least edit the file with a graphics program.


https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer


Mike

 

[Archie]

Not free, but a free trial available of Adobe Illustrator which will open PDF files and let you edit them directly. You can also export to different formats including DWG or DXF.

 

[dogleg43]

Funny how things change over time. When I was first introduced to PDF’s their main purpose seemed to be for preserving the content of the original drawing.

Oh well, time marches on.

 

[DwSoFt]

Not free. It I believe there is a trial. Bluebeam is amazing. We bought it aftwrwards

 

[kolyur]

I have Foxit Reader (free) which is a general purpose PDF viewer, but it has some rudimentary drawing tools for adding markups to a PDF. I use this when we receive hardcopy prints from an OEM and have to make changes. Scanning to PDF is really the only option short of penciling in the changes or redrawing the whole thing.

There are conversion PDF utilities available, some have been referenced above, but these will only work if the PDF contains vector art (i.e. it was generated directly from a drawing program and not scanned).

 

[drbitboy]

For a single page at a time, I use InkScape.; cf. inkscape.org.