Ardy,
AutoCad to EPS is hopeless.
Try Print to File *.PS using Acrobat Distiller PostScript Printer Driver. This will lead you (a little surprising) directly to Export as PDF.
Printing this PDF is more accurate than AutoCad itself, concerning the line widths.
Our attempts to write AutoCad to file as EPS ended always in a desaster: Wrong bounding box, wrong scalefactor.
Best regards –Gernot Hoffmann
Ardy,
we have tested the result of the AutoCad to PDF conversion by placing the PDF in PageMaker.
1) Preview by PM (PDF interpreter) is correct
2) Print of the PM doc is correct
Neither an EPS nor a PDF needs to be made as a specific
version for Photoshop.
Didn´t test the PDF by PhS, but I´m sure it will work.
Best regards –Gernot Hoffmann
I am constantly and repeatedly faced with getting DWG’s into EPS/AI format, and there is a lot that can go wrong, depending on the original DWG. AutoCAD has capabilities for building "complex" objects that will be trouble in a Postscript workflow. "Polylines," "splines," "blocks," "hatches," etc., often don’t translate well when opened in Illustrator. As Gernot mentions, scale factor, "extents" of the drawing, and other sizing discrepancies also plague the process. A few tips to ease the pain:
1. If you have access to AutoCAD or an AutoCAD operator, make sure everything in the DWG is "exploded" and that each entity is rendered in its simplest form. Save the DWG as "Release 14" or earlier.
2. After opening in Illustrator, flatten the DWG to one layer, (Layers Palette Menu > Flatten Artwork), then Select All, and Object > Ungroup, (as many as 3-8 levels…I just hold down Ctrl+Shift and tap ‘G’ 8 times), to break up all the CAD "blocks."
3. Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish with the drawing, it may be beneficial during later stages to release all compound paths, which also breaks up complex AutoCAD entities. If it creates unwanted fills, etc., then former compound paths can be selectively restored using Pathfinder operations.
This can go on and on, as there are other issues with text objects, fonts, arrowheads, color space, etc., etc.; enough to warrant the writing of a book. A lot depends on the nature of the original DWG, as it relates to the nature of your desired finished product. If you have questions related to specific issues you might encounter, keep posting to this thread, and I’ll offer assistance where I can.
JM
John,
the AutoCad Export to PDF, using Acrobat Distiller PostScript Printer Driver, seems to be safe. Ordinary 2D drawings with different line widths and hatches are correctly shown by Reader and printed as well.
We are placing the single page PDFs in PageMaker and print then. This is also the workflow for creating multi-page docs in PM.
Best regards –Gernot Hoffmann
