Export a Drawing in PDF Format

A common request that our support staff receive is how to save a drawing as a PDF (Acrobat Page Description Format) file so they can send the file to a client that doesn’t have Civil Designer.

The procedure is relatively easy but it does require a 3rd party program to convert the drawing into a PDF file.

There are many programs that can perform this conversion. Some are provided free and others are commercial products. In our example we are using pdfFactory. This program installs as a printer and is used to produce the PDF. It can be downloaded from www.fineprint.com for US$49.95.

1. Install the PDF creator software.
2. Open AllyCAD and load a project or drawing that you want to convert.

    

   
   
    

3. Click on the File menu and select the Print option.
4. Select a printer from the list. Note that we select the Fineprint PDFfactory printer.

    

   
   
    

5. PDF Factory allows the user to customise the sheet size etc. Click on the [Preferences] button to make changes.
6. Make the necessary changes on the Printer Defaults dialog. Make sure that All Colors to Black is not selected if you want to create a colour PDF.

    

   
   
    

7. A dialog will appear allowing the user to view, save, and send the file. The send option allows you to email the PDF via your default email software.

    

   
   
    

8. Once the file is created it can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat (also a free download). Acrobat Reader V3.0 is included on the Civil Designer installation CD and later versions are available from the Adobe web site www.adobe.com.