How to Convert PDF to DWG for Free (Vector and Scanned PDFs)
Convert a PDF drawing to an editable DWG file for free, right in your browser.
This tutorial converts a vector floor plan exported from CAD and traces a scanned copy of the same plan. Lines, arcs and text come across as real CAD entities at real-world scale, and you can check the result in the free DWG viewer. No software to install and no account needed.
Convert PDF drawings PDF to DWG, PDF to DXF, scanned PDF to DWG, scanned PDF to DXF, multi-page PDF to DWG (one file per page, or all pages in a ZIP). Open the result in the free DWG viewer to save it again as PDF, SVG, HTML, PNG or JPG.
Transcript
Intro
Here is how to turn a PDF drawing into an editable DWG file, for free, right in your web browser. We will convert a vector PDF, trace a scanned drawing, set the scale, and check the result in a DWG viewer.
Open the converter
Go to innerscene.com/tools/pdf-to-dwg. There is nothing to install and no account to create, and it works on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Open your PDF
Drop your PDF on the page, or click to choose a file. This sample has two pages: a floor plan exported from CAD, and a scan of a paper print of the same plan. The PDF is read right here in your browser.
Zoom and pan the preview
Zoom in to check the details, and drag to move around the sheet. Fit brings the whole page back.
Pages and ZIP downloads
Every page gets a thumbnail on the right. Click a page to select it or leave it out. One page downloads as a single DWG, and several download as a ZIP with one drawing per page. Page two is marked SCAN. We will come back to it.
Vector PDF detection
The converter checks what is in each page. Page one is a vector PDF, so its lines, arcs and text come across as real CAD entities, and the text stays editable.
Scale from the title block
Next, the scale. The converter read the title block and found one to fifty, so it is already selected. The dimensions on this sheet are in millimeters, so the unit stays millimeters, and the panel shows the real size of the sheet.
Calibrate with two points
If a drawing has no scale note, calibrate it. Choose Click points, click both ends of a dimension you know, and type its real length. Here that is ten thousand millimeters. Presets cover the common architectural and engineering scales, in metric or imperial units.
Download the DWG
Now click Download DWG. A moment later the file is saved, and the panel shows how many entities were written.
Trace a scanned page
Now the scanned page. A scan is a picture of the drawing, with no lines inside it to copy, so the converter traces them. Click Trace line work. The tracer finds the center of every line, and previews the result live, over the scan. Turn off auto to set the ink threshold yourself, remove specks, and smooth the lines until the preview matches the drawing. Then click Use these lines. The page is marked TRACED and converts like any other page.
DXF and multi-page ZIP
Both pages are selected now, so the download is a ZIP with one drawing per page. If your software prefers it, choose D X F instead. Every CAD program opens it.
Share and report
Share makes a link that opens this PDF in the converter with your settings, which is handy for a colleague. If a drawing does not convert well, Report a problem sends it to us, so we can improve the converter.
Check the DWG in the viewer
To check the result, open the DWG in the free viewer at innerscene.com/tools/dwg-viewer. Every wall, door and label is there. To confirm the scale, choose Tools, then Add measurement, and click both ends of the overall dimension. The points snap to the line ends, and it reads exactly ten meters, the length on the drawing.
Summary
That is P D F to D W G, free, at innerscene.com. Links to the converter and the D W G viewer are in the description.
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