NX-generated PDFs Not to Scale?

[ROK99]

We're currently on NX9, but this has been a problem for a few versions.

Our shop floor would like a full-size print to be used as a template. We do not have a plotter large enough (unless people want to start measuring and taping pieces, etc). We've talked to an outside vendor that can do it, and asked us to send a PDF.

We have tried creating the PDF a couple different ways, but it never ends up 1:1.

Is this a known problem going from NX to Adobe? Adobe misreads the NX file? A setting we can fix?

Anyone else deal with this?
Thoughts?

 

[daluigi]

There's a .NET file in the GTAC library called "show assembly and all component body bounding boxes", I guess it's a good start if not what you need.

 

[ROK99]

Huh? I don't understand how that would adjust my PDF settings...

 

[JohnRBaker]

Are you creating the PDF of a Drawing sheet? If you add your view to a Drawing sheet with the Drawing scale set to 1:1, then export a PDF of the Drawing sheet and print from within Adobe Reader there should be an option to print at 100% scale. I just tested this on a small sheet (something that I could print using our normal office printer) and the results, at least using an engineering scale to check it, came out 1:1.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Toost]

How do you know it's not to scale ?
I wonder if it isn't the other way round, NX puts out PDFs to scale, but the printer doesn't.
Be careful to "untick" the "fit to paper"option when printing the pdf It will shrink the pdf such that the whole pdf fits on the print area.
I have not seen any scale errors in the NX pdf's.


NOTE! YOU MUST use the File - export - Pdf !
DO NOT attempt File - Print- then some pdf printer, this will NOT be accurate!

I think that Daluigi posted that comment in the wrong thread

Print the attached pdf and measure using a accurate measuring tool. I tried using a caliper and cannot see any error.


Regards,
Tomas

 

[ROK99]

We always use Export > PDF,
Scale 1:1.
Sending to engineering plotter.
Never mess with "fit to page" or anything like that.
Spent a lot of time pouring over any detail that could move the scale away from perfect.

Our Rings are about 6 feet in diameter, so we put 4" x 4" squares in the corners with dimensions between them, and then check after the print. They are off by almost an inch.

The shop floor, frustrated, redraws it in AutoCAD, and those PDFs come in within .06 (which is probably plotter tolerances and paper stretching). So we keep coming back to there is a problem in the NX workflow.

We are not doing it from drafting. Thought it would perfect in Modeling? You can't even scale that?

We can try it in Drafting.

 

[Toost]

The pdf print option is per default "fit to page". One must untick that.

"We are not doing it from drafting. Thought it would perfect in Modeling? You can't even scale that?"
say what ?
-Isn't it a drawing that you export to pdf ?
-It's a model view ?
- How do you then set the scale ????


Regards,
Tomas

 

[ROK99]

As I mentioned, we have poured over every possible setting. I can assure you we do not have "fit to page" turned on. Especially, since a 7-foot print does not have a "page" to fit to.

We told a professional printer they would get our business if they could print it to 1:1 scale. I'm sure they would uncheck "fit to page." They said the PDF is not right and they had to keep messing with mathematical percentages to get it pretty close.

Yes, you can export a PDF from Modeling. How do you set the scale in Modeling? Exactly my point. No scale - it is life size.

To be sure, I just did it from Modeling, and then from Drafting. I overlaid the 2 PDFs using: BCT Inspector Viewer, and they were perfectly on top of each other.

We will come up with a work around.

I appreciate your efforts. I printed your A-Size and that measured great. But the biggest dimension on there was 150mm. We are talking 2000mm.

I was wondering if anyone else noticed this at this magnitude.

Thanks again

 

[multicaduser]

How much out of scale are they and what media are they printed to? We discovered a long time ago that paper changes sizes and can grow or shrink substantially with humidity. Mylar was the only accurate medium at very large sizes, that's why old automotive prints that were a hallway long were printed on that media.

NX9.0.3.4 MP1/Windos 7 Service Pack 1

 

[Toost]

create a drawing which is large enough for your view , don't bother about a border. add the view and
export that drawing to Pdf.

The example i attached is an A4 since that is the printer i have. I have not verified things larger than < 1000 mm but they have been to scale.
( i have discussed this at three different companies and the plot has then been ok.)

Regards,
Tomas

 

[Rob_N]

how about this?



edited, never mind

when i open in adobe reader, the 100m grid only measures 2.3in
weird...