AutoCAD batch PDF creator 1

[kennycad]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a program or configuration that can be used for quick batch PDF creation of DWG files. From within autoCAD so that the CTB can be used.

We used to use Adobe Distiller 5 combined with a LISP routine that created a script, we would run the script and it would open each drawing, print to PDF then close and move onto the next. However of late distiller is not cooperating.

I have tried cutePDFwriter but the dialog box cannot be supressed and therefore no batch functionality is available.

Thanks in advance

 

[sha2169]

My company uses Nuance's PDF Create/Converter software to do this.

http://www.nuance.com/imaging/products/pdfconverter.asp

Hope this helps.

 

[kennycad]

thanks for that.

I have actually come across a piece of software called PDF995, this works very well and allows me to incorperate it into our existing script lisp routine.

Suppression of the save as dialog box is very handy.

 

[NickHerrera]

Can you give me more info on how you accomplished the batch plotting with PDF995.

Thanks.

 

[kennycad]

We use a lisp routine that creates a script file. We then run the script file which uses command prompts to print to PDF (in this case PDF995).

PDF995 is suitable because you can supress the saveas dialog box, thus the script can run through multiple drawings printing them to a PDF that has the same filename as the original drawing.

We are in the process of re-writing our script generator, it is currently written in LISP and utilises external software like DOSLIB for the dialog aspect. We intend to re-write in VB or VB.NET and run as an external piece of software which generates a script. This way users of autocad Lite will also be able to benefit from its use (as Lite does not support LISP or VBA).

Hope that all makes sense, feel free to ask me any further questions if you need to.

 

[NickHerrera]

Great! Thanks for the info. I needed it a little urgent and I came accross DWG to PDF Converter MX, it works great, you can try the demo!
Thanks again.

 

[ccse]

Thanks kenny. You mean you gave up CutePDF Writer and switched to PDF995 for batch PDF creation? Thanks in advance.

 

[jkupski]

Just wondering why you wouldn't use the built in PDF plotter in acad, and the publish tool?