Import a PDF Underlay in ESTmep

The following steps describe how to import a single-page or multiple-page PDF file as an underlay in ESTmep. The procedure for importing an underlay in CAMduct is similar, although PDF is not a file type that is supported in CAMduct for importing as an underlay.

Video: Import a PDF Underlay in ESTmep

To import a single-page or multiple-page PDF as an underlay in ESTmep:

  1. Before importing an underlay, ensure that the following features are enabled from the top menu bar:

    • In ESTmep and CAMduct, click View Use Services to enable compatibility with Design Line.

    • In ESTmep, click View CAD Mode to enable CAD mode.

    The 3D Viewer requires these to be enabled in order to best utilize the import and trace features.

  2. In the 3D Viewer, right-click on the background and select Import Underlay.

  3. On the Import Underlay dialog, in the of Type drop-down near the bottom of the dialog, select a file type to display just the files of the selected type in that location.

    For this example, select PDF Files (*.PDF), as shown below.

    Note: In ESTmep, you can import many common file types as an underlay, including PDF, DWG, DXF and DWF. Note that CAMduct does not support importing PDF or DWG as an underlay.
  4. At the top of the Import Underlay dialog, in the Look In field, click on the drop-down arrow and browse to and select the folder containing the file that is to be imported as an underlay.
    Note: Select just the folder, not the file itself. Also note that hovering the cursor over any PDF file name displays the first page of the PDF in the preview pane.

  5. Click the Pages button to display the Select pages dialog.

  6. Place a check mark next to the pages you want to import.

  7. On this dialog, you can also set a scale that will be used for all the pages that you import.

    Tip: Certain file types do not require scaling. It is recommended as a best practice to verify that the underlay has scaled as expected on import. There are a few methods than can be used to scale an underlay. For more information, see Set the Scale of an Underlay.

  8. Click OK on the Select Pages dialog and you are returned to the Import Underlay dialog.
  9. On the Import Underlay dialog, make sure the appropriate PDF file is selected in the left pane, and click Open to proceed.

    As soon as you click Open, the Progress indicator dialog displays, showing the progress of loading the file into the preview. When the preview loading is complete, first page of the file is displayed in the Select Layers dialog, as shown below.

    10. On the Select Layers dialog, you can perform a variety of functions on the data being imported. For example, you can:

    • Click the Previous and Next buttons, outlined in red above, to navigate through a multiple-page PDF. Note that you can specify different options (layers, color, style, weight, scale) for each page, if desired.

    • Use 3D Viewer toolbar commands: The preview window is immediately updated when changes are made using the following controls located on the 3D Viewer toolbar:
      • Zoom to Fit : Displays the underlay in the maximum view size possible in the view window.
      • Zoom to Selected Region : Allows selection of a particular area on the underlay. Left clicking 2 points will zoom to the selected region.
      • Delete Layer: To delete a layer, select objects on the graphical view and click the Delete option when the desired layer(s) are selected. CTRL + Z to undo deletion.
      • Clip to Window and Clip to Region: These options allow selection of a particular area. Once activated from the toolbar, begin to draw a window or lined region around the layer objects to be isolated on the underlay. Right click to confirm and the objects outside the identified region will be removed.
      • Undo: Click to undo and revert back to previous state.
      • Viewer Settings: Displays the Viewer Setting dialog which provides access to edit several commonly changed options; for example, the Colors tab Background Color.
      • Command List: Displays all shortcut commands available which can be typed into the viewer, most of which are icons on the toolbar.
    • You can also specify the following options in the lower list view section of the dialog:
      • Show: Clicking the lightbulb icon toggles the display of the layer. A yellow lightbulb icon displays the layer (Show). A dark lightbulb icon hides (does not display) the layer.
      • Snaps: Toggles the display of snaps on all objects in the selected layer.
      • Import/Export Name:The layer name assigned when the file was constructed.
      • Color: Editable color of the layer, clicking the color square allows alternative selections to be assigned to the underlay layer.
      • Style: Applies a style to the layer if none was set, or overrides the current style used in the underlay; for example, Continuous, Dashed, Solid, Dotted.
      • Weight: Line weight defined for the layer, clicking the selection allows alternatives to be applied.
      • Scale: Specifies the scale for the currently selected (displaying) page of the underlay. Using these Scale controls, you can set a different scale for each page of a multiple-page PDF, if desired. For more information, see Set the Scale of an Underlay.
      • Invert Selection: Invert selected items before importing by selecting the items in the viewer, and then clicking this button.
  10. After making any adjustments, when you are ready to import the underlay, click OK on the Select Layers dialog.

    The import occurs immediately, and when the import is complete, each page of a multiple-page PDF is displayed on its own new Layout tab at the bottom of the 3D Viewer.

  11. You can change the names of these Layout tabs by right-clicking on the Layout tab name Rename Layout.

Once an underlay is imported, you can select the underlay.

Parent topic: Importing Underlays