If you need to import PDF and draw on top of it using a scale that matches, follow these steps. We will walk you through how you can re-scale the imported image to match the scale of your drawing.
Set the Scale for Your Floor Plan in SmartDraw
Set the scale to what you want it to be in SmartDraw. Click on the Page tab and choose a scale under Units & Scale. You can pick from common scale options or set a custom scale under Custom.
Let's say you're working on a large scale site plan, we can set a custom scale that has 1 inch on screen equal 75 feet.
Import Your PDF
Next, import your PDF. Under the Home tab, choose Insert and click PDF. Find the PDF on your computer and import it. This method will also work with imported PNGs and JPGs.
Select Your Reference in the Imported Image
To help you scale the PDF, we'll want to match a line drawn in SmartDraw with an object with known dimensions from the imported file. So before we can resize the image, pick an object that you know the dimensions of to use as a reference.
If you started with a Google map capture, you can use the scale shown in the lower right corner of the map.
If you are working with a blueprint from somewhere else, it will either have a scale itself or the labels on rooms or objects should be your guide.
Draw a Guide Line in SmartDraw
Once you picked your reference object on the imported visual, draw a line that matches the length of that specific segment.
For example, let's assume you imported a Google map image and there's a visible line that represents 200 feet. This will be your reference.
Draw a line in SmartDraw that matches the length of the reference segment. Use a highly visible color, like bright red, and consider increasing the line thickness to make it stand out. This line will serve as your guide for resizing the imported image.
To make sure the dimensions are correct, you can type the length directly into the the dimension line or use the dimension entry at the bottom of the page.
Resize the Image to Match the Guide Line
The final step will be to resize the image so that the object in the drawing matches the width of the guide line.
Grab the grow handles (black squares around any selected object) and resize your imported image until the object (or scale line) in the image matches the one your drew in SmartDraw.
In the example above, we scaled up an imported Google maps image so the 200 ft scale marker on the map matched the 200 foot line we draw using the scale we set in SmartDraw.