Thursday, December 28, 2006

Multiple Page PDF's from Revit 9.1? Help says No but I say "Yes, and it's Good"

I can hardly wait for Windows Vista so I won't need this workaround but alas at this point I do.

If you have ever searched Revit's Help system for a way to create multiple page PDF's you were probably upset to find there is no way: One can only print single page PDF's natively from Revit. BTW, This is really slow.

The multiple page document 'printer' is DWF export... So if you are thinking what I am (even if you're not, but you still need multi page PDF's from Revit) then try the following technique. I did and it
not only works great but much faster than printing single page PDF's from Revit; it took substantially less time to DWF export an entire set and then print that to PDF than it took Revit to print a fraction of those same sheets as individual PDF's!!! Propriatorship has it's priveleges...Well now onto business.

1) GoTo FILE / EXPORT DWF (2D or 3D)


2) Make any necessary setups and page choices (Then of course save the DWF)!!!

3) Once you have that new multiple page DWF just open it and print to Acrobat. It will create a multi page PDF (and fast!!!)

If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Writer I suggest you get it.

There are other PDF creators out there and I'm sure a quick internet search will sniff out some free ones but nothing is
ever as as good as the original...Unless, of course it is better.

Happy New Year!!!
-J

6 comments:

  1. Although your system might be faster than printing PDFs, it isn't true that you can't print multiple sheets in PDF. I have been using Revit PDF Writer 4.2 since version 3.1 and it continues to work in 9.1. It can be found by searching at augi.com, and by the user Luigi

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  2. Anonymous,
    With all due respect:
    A) Nice to hear that you believe in your solution so much that you are willing to use your real name...
    B) So you have a slower way to print PDF's, that seems logical maybe I'll use it (not really). Do you bill your clients by the hour???
    -J

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  3. I've been using a different method for quite sometime, i have adobe acrobat professional, so i have a PDF printer, and i set to print the sheets "to file" that is a .PRN file, then i select them in the explorer and combine them to PDF in adobe professional.

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  4. i mean come on, are we here to piss on each other? or do we want some viable options?

    one solution is not always the best for everyone.

    this guy "Anonymous" has given a lead to a username and website. is that not good enough for you -J ?

    and what is with the drug references here on this page? ie: BIM junkies, "lines", fear and loathing in las vegas.

    maybe if you lay off of these substances, you would have obtained your architecture license by now. I am 6 years out of college and have 2 exams left. If we are taking turns to one-up each other and our techniques, then why did it take you 20 + years of practicing architecture and still no license? this was a slower way, but maybe, just maybe, it has worked for you...

    good thing revit architecture 2008 is out, THIS THREAD IS NOW USELESS/OBSOLETE/CLOSED and done.

    -MF in NYC

    if i put in a "real name" would it be any different? we are all anonymous on Al Gore's internet.

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  5. Wow, Commenting that a post from nearly a year ago and that pertains to a specific (now obsolete) release of Revit is closed really helps everyone; You got me.(???)

    Or is that why I specifically posted the solution being useful in 9.1? Hmmm...I got it right after all?

    ' Glad to see you got the humor but what's extra funny is I meant lines to mean lines...like 'CAD Lines', not coke; but if that's your listening then that's cool...it fits that way too and is a bit funny, if not obvious.

    So you know, I sometimes use sarcasm. I hope you or anyone else don't get offended but if you do there is probably some nerve I am hitting.

    Thanks for coming to anonymous Luigi's defense but I find that using a slower, less productive solution (especially when there's a better, faster one available) is short sighted and worthy of sarcasm. Kinda like using Revit to only draw two dimensionally.

    BTW: How many great Architects NEVER got their licenses? Maybe being so close to college you remember...or did they fail to mention all of them??? 'Good ole boys network' and all...

    Thanks for the comments no matter how late! I will try not to be so crass to anonymous in the future...well, I probably will...and that's probably why I never got my license...Or maybe my addiction to AutoCAD...or maybe it doesn't really matter anyway...

    -J

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  6. I have found that PDF Factory Pro is a cheap PDF printer that does an awsome job of printing multi page PDF's from Revit and it is about 3x faster than acrobat.

    There is a server version to so that you can just buy one licence for the office and put it on the server and then everyone can just map it as a network printer.

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