Is there a way to combine pages of a document along matchlines?

Thomas Perri

I have a map with multiple pages, connected with matchlines in all four directions. Is there a way to automatically assemble the pages into one large document? I am attaching a pdf that I manually created by cutting and pasting the pages but its too time consuming to do.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

Overall View Map.pdf

James Schmidt

I've had a few instances where I had projects that went for Miles…. I'm in the Industrial Construction world most of the time and I did find a way to stitch together detailed plans. It is a process, but it can be done and makes for an amazing overall site map.

I had multiple pages with match lines that I took screenshots of and then I used an ANSI_J6_(34.00_X_74.00_Inches) sheet, as the palette for stitching them together. After you get your page set up with your title block or whatever kind of coordinate grid you want, find the first in the series of DWG’s that has the starting point and the first Match Line (Right to Left or Left to Right, it doesn’t really matter) just work in the same direction.

It is important to note that you should set the percentage of Zoom at the same percentage for each snapshot you take. I like to use 80% so I can keep everything in the field of view.

Take your snapshot by selecting the snapshot Icon or simply type the letter “G” and the tool will be active and ready to use. Note: do not zoom in or out while doing this screenshot. Keep it at 80% so when you paste it into the larger J6 sheet it will be the same size in relation to the other Snap Shots that you take – All at 80% - or whatever percentage works for your situation, (always use the same percentage to make sure the scale will work, and never resize the snapshot once pasted).

Get as close to the portions of the visible lines that you want to see, and one click at a time, work your way around the item you’re capturing so you can see the match line and possibly the text so you can read what it is after it is pasted. North Arrows are important for the next step if you have a lot of twists and turns.

Orient the snapshot to where it will fit on the page and allow you to marry up the other Snap Shots, Match Line to Match Line. For aligning the Match Lines, once a Snap Shot is active, open “Image Properties” – Under the Layout section, and use “Rotation” to move the Snap Shot in to the desired position. Note: The Rotation values are in Tenths – 00.0 so you can fine tune the rotation to match that of the other Snap Shot. This may take a few tries but once you try it you’ll get the idea.

Once you have a couple of them placed you can group them by clicking on both Snap Shots so they are active, then you can right clicking on one of them and select “Group” or simply hit (Ctrl+G). This way they stay together.

Add your remaining snapshots Grouping them as you go so they don’t get resized or shifted out of place. (Ctrl+Z will be your best friend to undo any missteps. Once they are all together and Grouped you can flatten them and set the scale. BAM! Done.

It should look something like this. (18 sheets with Match Lines on one sheet).

I added a screenshot of the area from Google Maps above it for reference and sized it to match my work. There is takeoff and hyperlinks as well as Typewritten text with Action Links to the other related pages.

Hit me up if you have any questions, and I’ll try to help if I can.

Good luck!

Thomas Perri

Thats fantastic James - thank you!

James Schmidt

No problem @Thomas Perri , Glad I could help! Shoot me a message if you need any further guidance.

It can be frustrating so please give yourself some grace and keep moving forward. Have a good rest of your day and an amazing weekend.

Cheers!

Luke Shiras

I can see why you'd want something easier to stitch together so many enlarged plans.
Have you tried using the Align Points option within the Overlay Pages dialog?

https://support.bluebeam.com/en-us/revu/features/align-pdfs-with-overlay-pages.html#

James Schmidt

Can Overlay do that?!

That would be great, I imagine that you would have to connect your 3 points to imaginary points on the document your looking to continue onto.
Interesting. @Luke Shiras have you done this before? How did it work?

Luke Shiras

I've done it when overlaying mechanical and architectural plans.
Here's a video that helps visualize the process.

https://youtu.be/4FUidZ6UUIw?si=QHKiC_z0Wrj1OoZg

James Schmidt

I see, one of us may be misunderstanding what @Thomas Perri was trying to do.

I thought he was attempting to do butt match lines up to one another.

I blew up the screenshot above right next to the Tacoma Dome where you can see the match lines more clearly on the BIG ANSI_J6 sheet.

I operate under the assumption that with all the things I think I know, I could be wrong.

Regardless, that was a great video, thanks for sharing.

Luke Shiras

It does require three points to match and if the source sheets hard-stop at the match line, then there won't be three common points to align. So you may be right also.

James Schmidt

I tried several things (not overlaying) to marry up those enlarged plans and the workflow above seems to be the best way to do it resulting in a functional drawing.

Have a great day, and keep Bluebeaming!