PDF export bug? Includes example figures
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@gaieus said:
It must be some system problem then. The two apps work very fine (and interactively) together, really.
Understood, could be. However, it doesn't get Google off the hook since they claim it works with Vista.
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Yes, in LO. If it's greyed out, there must definitely be some problem. There are lots of folks who use it with Vista though. It's just me who is stopped here.
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@gaieus said:
No. You don't "Open" an skp file in LO but "Insert" it from the same, main File menu (just lower). There you can select image files to insert as well. It's like importing in SU.
I don't follow. Is the above when I'm in LO? If so, "File>Insert" is grayed-out.
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Okay, my bad, I didn't have a paper sheet in the LO workspace. Now File>Insert is active so I selected it and Inserted the .skb file. It did it but took a long time... anyhow, I then exported it, put it in the manuscript and printed it out. Looks better, though the picture is now about half-size... huh?
Well okay, so it is possible to make it work, squeeling like a pig bent over a barrel, but I digress. Thanks for all the help guys.
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@midlana42 said:
I don't follow. Is the above when I'm in LO? If so, "File>Insert" is grayed-out.
do you have a document open (even if it's only a blank template) when trying file->insert? is the 'save as' option greyed out as well?
my 'Insert...' option is greyed out too if i don't have a document open to insert in to..
[Edit] nevermind
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You can always resize the SU viewport in LO to fit the page or whatever. You can even print to scale and all.
As for the quality; did you do any settings? -
I left it at medium just to see how it would turn out, and yes, I went back in and resized it successfully. Timewise I should probably leave all figures as PNGs just to get on with things, then when the manuscript is done, bite the bullet and convert all figures into PDFs.
Again, thanks a lot guys. It's good to know it can at least be done, warts and all.
[edit] Oh, and if anyone's interested, the figure is part of a tube-frame chassis of a sports car. If you ever considered building a car from scratch, check out http://www.midlana.com/
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@unknownuser said:
@thomthom said:
Any chance you can post the two PDFs Jeff? I'd like to poke around at something...
sorry for the delay.. i left right after i posted that..
here they are. i just exported them with the default settings as a quick test.. i didn't try to match them up size wise but it's interesting that the layout version is 6x the size.. (maybe something to do with layout keeping the background color intact.. probably keeping other things intact as well.?)
Thanks.
The reason for Layout's PDF being different, also in size, where as I suspected due to that SU exports a PDF with vector lines while Layout exports a PDF with an embedded bitmap image. So if you want vector output, you can't use Layout. Not sure what format LO uses to embed the image, but I don't think it's JPEG, I couldn't see any compression artefacts. Maybe PNG...
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It is png (the files you can find in the *.layout file after renaming it to zip - actually, if you uncheck "Background" in the LO tray for the SU model and you don't have sky and ground on, this is a png file with transparent background so it can easily be used for various things).
Also, AFAIK only the Mac can export vector based pdf even from SU, isn't that correct?
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@gaieus said:
Also, AFAIK only the Mac can export vector based pdf even from SU, isn't that correct?
Incorrect, at least for SU. http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=16156&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15#p130313
Not sure about LO. I have a Mac, but not with Pro version. -
Wait... you're saying the "PDF" from LO is actually a PNG? Comparing the outputs it looks better than PNG, or maybe I'm imagining things.
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Yes. It's not vector, it's a bitmap. So it'd be the same as exporting a 2D bitmap and wrapping it in a PDF.
I don't know what it is that looks better. To me it looks the same. Might you not have exported in large enough resolution when you have previously tried PNG?
You're not comparing against a JPEG where you might see the compression artefacts?
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@thomthom said:
@gaieus said:
Also, AFAIK only the Mac can export vector based pdf even from SU, isn't that correct?
Incorrect, at least for SU. http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=16156&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15#p130313
Not sure about LO. I have a Mac, but not with Pro version.OK, my bad. I haven't had the need yet to export to vector pdf. Thanks anyway.
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SU exports only vector PDFs, to get a raster PDF you will have to print using some PDF printer and with "Use High-accuracy HLR" DISabled.
Layout can export either vector or bitmap, and also a hybrid file (with vector lines on top of the bitmap textures and shadows).Anssi
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Had a quick go at importing an SU PDF in to photoshop and it had to rasterize it first, which would suggest your right anssi.
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@remus said:
Had a quick go at importing an SU PDF in to photoshop and it had to rasterize it first, which would suggest your right anssi.
Photoshop will always rasterize PDFs. Try Illustrator instead.
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Ive only got photoshop
More anecdotal evidence: no textures were exported (only shading) which would be a bit weird if the PDF was an image within a PDF.
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@anssi said:
SU exports only vector PDFs, to get a raster PDF you will have to print using some PDF printer and with "Use High-accuracy HLR" DISabled.
Layout can export either vector or bitmap, and also a hybrid file (with vector lines on top of the bitmap textures and shadows).Anssi
What do I have to specify in LO in order to export the vector type only? I'm making possibly a big assumption that LO's vector PDF exporter is different (bug-free) than SU's...
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@midlana42 said:
What do I have to specify in LO in order to export the vector type only? I'm making possibly a big assumption that LO's vector PDF exporter is different (bug-free) than SU's...
In Layout, you can select the view and set it's rendering style in the Sketchup Model "tab" in the Tray
It is hardly helpful, but the problem is, I understand, that all hidden line algorithms have to limit their accuracy, because they cannot keep caculating indefinitely. So always some lines that are directly on a surface are interpreted as hiding behind it, leading to missed lines. Besides SU PDF and DWG exports, I have seen the same with hidden-line exports from Autocad too. I have not tried if it is the same with Archicad and Revit too.
Anssi
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