(Editor's note: This tip on using PDF in ArchiCAD is the seventh in a weekly series of blog posts about CAD and BIM software that comes to us from the very detailed technical tips on AECbytes.com.)

Any program that allows you to print will also allow you to create PDF files. ArchiCAD is no exception -- but there are several other ways you import and edit PDF in ArchiCAD:

• All PDF files, including textual or vectorial drawings, can be imported into the Floor Plan, or any Section/Elevation Window, Detail Drawing, Worksheet or Layout. However, this must be done one page at a time.
• You can scan drawings and other documents, upload them to ArchiCAD and create PDFs from there.
• When a PDF is placed as a drawing, the Drawing Manager can be used to update it semi-automatically. It has a polygon-based boundary frame, which can be resized to crop the page image and holes can be cut out by choosing Editing > Subtract from Polygon.
• If a PDF is placed onto a Layout sheet, it will size itself to match the original print size, which is particularly helpful in keeping the scale of a drawing intact. If you want to change the size, you can do so numerically to continue to maintain the scale.
• ArchiCAD's text-editing capabilities include Rich Text Format options. Such files can be converted to PDF files, though there are some limitations in page size.

For more details on how to work around these limitations and more on working with PDF files in ArchiCAD, check out Using PDF in ArchiCAD.