- Joined
- Apr 28, 2014
- Messages
- 3,591
*GADS* there are time when I just plain dislike PDF's as an end all to documentation.
As with anything it needs to be implemented and used correctly.
They are great for Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations. Technical drawings - not so much.
A PDF properly created will be a 'Vector' formatted file although line weights do not translate.
PDF is based on Postscript, and Postscript is aVector format Language _not_ raster.
Now if you're scanning an original and it is not being performed correctly, in other words settings are incorrect or 'operator error' or lack of expertise or knowledge enters the equation then PDFs stink for further or future use for mechanical applications as configured out-of-the-box.
They are great when a contract requires that the end result be that there is 'electronic' documentation of a project. But any attempt to use said PDFs in the future in a mechanical program will result in failure.
When a drawing whether it is an 'A' size sheet or an 36" wide roll drawing, gets 'scanned' and outputted to PDF, all that actually happens
is that the software creates a Raster image of the drawing and sticks into a 'PDF' file container. There is absolutely no pertinent vector information retained.
I know this first hand. I have participated in two projects, each with over 50,000 mechanical drawings and I had the non-enviable honor of doing up the specifications as to how the drawings were to be processed. Both sub-contractors blew it because they didn't bother reading, paying attention, or they just didn't give a hoot about the spec.
That cost them big dollars to go back and re-do them properly to the spec.
The difficulty in the images show in post #8 above are many fold. The geometry is very close together as are the hand-written notes.
One would need a very good raster to vector program and even then the 'hand written' junk will have to be scrapped.
Those are very poor drawings, perhaps done by a draftsperson who did not know how to layout a drawing properly.
Whomever signed off on that was not much better. I have seen first hand, drawings all the way back to the early 1900's that were on a
magnitude of order better than Atlas' drawings shown above. I've also seen drawings that were much, much worse.
But whoever did create the drawings above never saw or learned from French's textbook.
Rather odd for a company such as Atlas Press.
As far as Xenforo is concerned, can we not allow the upload of other 'special' file types since this is a very specialized forum focused on learning?
Perhaps under the setting of "Allowed Resource File Extensions" or maybe under "Resource Manager Options" in the configuration section.
( I haven't played with Xenforo for several years.) However I do feel that it is possible.
It seems contrary to the mission of this site to restrict the ability to upload files that would be in a usable format to other members whether they are just getting started or are more experienced.
To restrict that to just .PDFs is, IMO (of course), just plain ludicrous.
_Dan
As with anything it needs to be implemented and used correctly.
They are great for Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations. Technical drawings - not so much.
A PDF properly created will be a 'Vector' formatted file although line weights do not translate.
PDF is based on Postscript, and Postscript is aVector format Language _not_ raster.
Now if you're scanning an original and it is not being performed correctly, in other words settings are incorrect or 'operator error' or lack of expertise or knowledge enters the equation then PDFs stink for further or future use for mechanical applications as configured out-of-the-box.
They are great when a contract requires that the end result be that there is 'electronic' documentation of a project. But any attempt to use said PDFs in the future in a mechanical program will result in failure.
When a drawing whether it is an 'A' size sheet or an 36" wide roll drawing, gets 'scanned' and outputted to PDF, all that actually happens
is that the software creates a Raster image of the drawing and sticks into a 'PDF' file container. There is absolutely no pertinent vector information retained.
I know this first hand. I have participated in two projects, each with over 50,000 mechanical drawings and I had the non-enviable honor of doing up the specifications as to how the drawings were to be processed. Both sub-contractors blew it because they didn't bother reading, paying attention, or they just didn't give a hoot about the spec.
That cost them big dollars to go back and re-do them properly to the spec.
The difficulty in the images show in post #8 above are many fold. The geometry is very close together as are the hand-written notes.
One would need a very good raster to vector program and even then the 'hand written' junk will have to be scrapped.
Those are very poor drawings, perhaps done by a draftsperson who did not know how to layout a drawing properly.
Whomever signed off on that was not much better. I have seen first hand, drawings all the way back to the early 1900's that were on a
magnitude of order better than Atlas' drawings shown above. I've also seen drawings that were much, much worse.
But whoever did create the drawings above never saw or learned from French's textbook.
Rather odd for a company such as Atlas Press.
As far as Xenforo is concerned, can we not allow the upload of other 'special' file types since this is a very specialized forum focused on learning?
Perhaps under the setting of "Allowed Resource File Extensions" or maybe under "Resource Manager Options" in the configuration section.
( I haven't played with Xenforo for several years.) However I do feel that it is possible.
It seems contrary to the mission of this site to restrict the ability to upload files that would be in a usable format to other members whether they are just getting started or are more experienced.
To restrict that to just .PDFs is, IMO (of course), just plain ludicrous.
_Dan
