Convert AutoCAD files to PDF (Windows)

If you’re working in AutoCAD, you can convert files from within the application with the Acrobat PDFMaker.

Note: Converting AutoCAD files in DWF or DST formats to PDF requires use of the default filters installed with the AutoCAD application. For more information, refer to the AutoCAD application documentation.

Convert AutoCAD files when AutoCAD is installed

The default Acrobat installation adds two Convert To Adobe PDF buttons to the toolbar that allow you to convert your AutoCAD data into a PDF that preserves layers and layouts. You can create PDF settings to define the layers and layer status in the resulting PDF. You can then name, save, and reuse these settings for subsequent conversions.

Note: Acrobat PDFMaker automatically acquires and uses the necessary page size and plotting information of the respective layout to create a correctly sized PDF file.
  1. If you want to change the PDF conversion settings, choose Adobe PDF > Change Conversion Settings in AutoCAD. (For information on the conversion settings, place the pointer over each option to display a tool tip.)
  2. Do one of the following:

    • Click a button on the Adobe PDF toolbar: Convert To Adobe PDF   or Convert To Adobe PDF And Send For Review button .

    • Choose Adobe PDF > Convert To Adobe PDF. 

    • Choose Adobe PDF > Convert To Adobe PDF And Email. 

    • Choose Adobe PDF > Convert To Adobe PDF And Send For Review. 

  3. To select which AutoCAD layouts to include in the resulting PDF and their order, do any of the following in the Acrobat PDFMaker dialog box, and then click OK:

    • To include one or more AutoCAD layouts, select the layouts in the Layouts In Drawing list, and click Add.

    • To remove AutoCAD layouts from the list of layouts to include, select the layouts in the Layouts In PDF list, and click Remove.

    • To reorder the PDF layouts, select a layout in the Layouts In PDF list, and click Move Up or Move Down.

  4. To determine how the AutoCAD layers are converted, select one of the following, and click Continue:

    • Flatten All Layers.

    • Retain All Or Some Layers. The Acrobat PDFMaker dialog box displays a screen in which you must choose which layers to include in the resulting PDF.

  5. Choose a location in which to save the resulting PDF file in the Save In box, type a filename, and click Save.

Select AutoCAD layers to convert

If you choose to create a PDF file that retains some AutoCAD layers, you can specify which layers are preserved in the PDF.

The Layers In Drawing list shows all the layers in the AutoCAD file. You transfer layers that you want to be present in the PDF from the Layers In Drawing list to the Layers In PDF list. Only layers and objects of layers present in the Layers In PDF list are present in the PDF.

  1. In AutoCAD, start to convert an AutoCAD file and select the Retain All Or Some Layers option.
  2. To show AutoCAD layers in the Acrobat PDFMaker dialog box, do any of the following:

    • Choose an option from the Named Layer Filters menu to list all layers that fit that criterion.

    • Select the Invert option to list all layers except those that are described by the selected choice in the Named Layer Filters menu.

    • To change the sort order of the layers, click the headings.

      Note: To change a layer’s On, Frozen, or Plot properties, click Cancel Conversion, change the properties in the AutoCAD drawing, and restart the procedure.
  3. Do any of the following to select the AutoCAD layers from the Layers In Drawing list that you want to convert and include in the PDF:

    • To select a set of layers you’ve already saved, choose a layer setting from the PDF Layer Settings menu.

    • To select a single layer, click the name of the layer.

    • To select more than one layer, Ctrl-click the desired layers.

    • To select all layers, right-click and choose Select All.

      Note: To navigate through the AutoCAD layers, use the Up and Down Arrow keys. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the column to scroll horizontally through the table.
  4. To add the selected AutoCAD layers to the list of layers to convert to PDF, do one of the following:

    • To convert the selected AutoCAD layers to individual PDF layers within a PDF layer set, click Create Layer Set, and optionally, type a layer name. (A PDF layer set is a folder for organizing layers in the Layers panel in Acrobat.)

    • To convert the selected AutoCAD layers to individual layers, click the Add Layer(s) button.

      The name of a layer in the Layers In Drawing list is unavailable if that layer is included in the Layers In PDF list. When you select that layer in the Layers In PDF list, a bullet appears next to the layer’s name in the Layers In Drawing list.

  5. Optionally, do any of the following:

    • To reorder the layers in the Layers In PDF list, drag an item up or down in the list.

    • To include a visibility property that can be switched on or off in Acrobat, deselect Locked On adjacent to the PDF layer; to lock the resulting PDF layer’s visibility on, select Locked On.

    • To save the current settings of AutoCAD layers selected, click Add PDF Settings, name the layer setting, and click OK. The Add PDF Settings button is unavailable unless you’ve added at least one AutoCAD layer from the Layers In Drawing list to the Layers In PDF list. These settings are used the next time you convert an AutoCAD file to PDF and can be renamed or edited at any time.

  6. Click the Convert To PDF button, specify a folder in the Save In box in which to save the PDF file, type a filename, and then click Save.

Convert AutoCAD files in batches

 Choose Adobe PDF > Batch Conversion, and follow the instructions.
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