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Does anybody know of a paint program that could simply allow me to apply colors to a PDF file? Basically, what I want...is to be able to take a PDF of an elevation or floorplans and, instead of using markers and colored pencils, be able to "paint" right onto the PDF file. Some guidance on where to look would be appreciated.

Hello Ben:

I dunno about a adding them to a PDF file -- but you can certainly add them to the DataCAD drawing before you make the PDF! Hit the H for Hatch/SPB Fill/Settings and you can use solid colors to do fills, or you can use bitmaps. For window glass, you can use a blue sky with clouds across all the windows at once:

Draw rectangular polylines in all the windows (on a new layer, and copy & paste to go faster), and then make one a Master, and then make all the rest "Voids" -- since they are outside the Master, they will get filled all in one fell swoop. The bitmap extents get used across the group, so each window is unique. They look like they are "reflecting" one sky.

A shameless plug: I did a color palette of the Benjamin Moore Historical Colors, and these work well for this application. One of my dual monitor screen captures showed an elvation that I used these on. (Of course I did the screen capture before I had done the sky in the windows...) Also , Larry Reeves added shadows and color highlights, and color to the trees (which I could have also done in DataCAD), so these were a hybrid -- the big areas were done in DataCAD, and then enhanced by hand. But depending on the level of detail, you can do all this in DataCAD. Just add the appropriate layers to do the fills and hatching on.

A caveat with using any colors -- your printer will not likely match some or all of the colors precisely, so you might have to do some trial and error plots. OTOH, if it is only getting used on the screen, then the colors will look closer on your client's screen, then they do printed.

Thanks Neil,

Honestly, DataCAD is not where I want to do this. Main reason being that I want a simple program that my boss can use...he's not CAD literate AT ALL...and I certainly have neither time nor patience to teach him. Anyways, it doesn't actually have to be added to the PDF, but has to be able to at least import a PDF for coloring.

Maybe I'm nuts, but it seems that a program that could simply "paint" on a PDF (or imported PDF) would be simple and widely popular.

Guess I'll keep looking....thanks.

Well, something like Photoshop would do the trick. These types of programs can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make them. Of course, they aren't cheap either. Maybe Paintshop Pro or Irfanview might do it, but I haven't tried them for PDF importing.

My boss has used Corel Draw to import PDF's I have made in DataCAD. He then adds color and text and creates our Stock Plan Brochures.

PaintShop Pro will read PDF files, just save them as a Jpg and then ad color as a "multiply" layer. PhotoShop also works, but cost 5X more.

If you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you can saveas to a JPG file, which works best.

You can see a couple 2D renderings in my gallery on the main DataCAD page, under Mark Galbraith.

DataCAD works best for what it's desgned for, CAD drawings, as for 2D and 3D renderings, I export to other software.