PDF import: "Import" behaves different from "-Import"

Scripting
1

I am working on a script to import PDF files.

Using the Import command to import a PDF it works well, with both mm or inch templates.

Using -Import works well when importing into a mm file, while some, not all, texts have the wrong size when importing into an inch file.

This works:

image
image397×344 8.55 KB

This doesn’t:
-Import “filename.pdf” PreserveUnits=Yes PDFScale=1 Unit=inch RhinoScale=1 LoadText=Yes ImportLineWeights=Yes Enter

I cannot attach the PDF file because it’s confidential. I can send it to the support if it helps.

2

Hi Stefano,

Please zip and send the PDF privately here https://www.rhino3d.com/upload and put a link to this thread in the comments and we’ll take a look. We’ll also need your SystemInfo (run the SystemInfo
command in Rhino). Thanks!

3

Hi Japhy,

I have uploaded the file.

I was not able to reproduce one of the problems, the one in the subject: today running the same command from ui or from command line does produce the same results. I remember trying both sequences after restrting Rhino, and I was getting different results. I guess it was Friday and the different results were in my mind.

The second problem, all texts are good when importing into mm, while some texts are good and some are out of scale when importing into inch, still reproduces.

Here is a quick macro to reproduce the problem. The only commands that matter are New and Import. The other commands are there to make it easy to copy and paste and immediately see the problem.

This works:

point 0,0
-new no "<installation folder>\Template Files\Large Objects - Millimeters.3dm"
-Import "<filename>.pdf" PreserveUnits=Yes  PDFScale=1  Unit=inch  RhinoScale=1  LoadText=Yes  ImportLineWeights=Yes Enter
SetActiveViewport Top MaxViewport selnone seltext selline invert hide
zoom 14,25 5,12

This doesnt:

point 0,0
-new no "<installation folder>\Template Files\Large Objects - Inches.3dm"
-Import "<filename>.pdf" PreserveUnits=Yes  PDFScale=1  Unit=inch  RhinoScale=1  LoadText=Yes  ImportLineWeights=Yes Enter
SetActiveViewport Top MaxViewport selnone seltext selline invert hide
zoom 14,25 5,12

SystemInfo

Rhino 9 SR0 2026-6-23 (Rhino 9 BETA, 9.0.26174.12303, Git hash:master @ 8cd1747b0e2a5abafffff683b0f00f4bbe7bf2a9)
License type: Evaluation, build 2026-06-23
License details: Cloud Zoo
Expires on: 2026-08-07

Windows 10 (10.0.19045 SR0.0) or greater (Physical RAM: 32GB)
.NET 10.0.9

Computer platform: LAPTOP  - Plugged in [80% battery remaining]

Non-hybrid graphics configuration using DirectX
  Primary display: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (NVidia) Memory: 8GB, Driver date: 5-19-2026 (M-D-Y). DirectX(11)
    > Integrated accelerated graphics device with 1 adapter port(s)
        - Windows Main Display is laptop's integrated screen or built-in port

Secondary graphics devices.
  Intel(R) UHD Graphics (Intel) Memory: 1GB, Driver date: 12-23-2021 (M-D-Y).
    > Integrated graphics device with 4 adapter port(s)
        - Secondary monitor is laptop's integrated screen or built-in port
        - Secondary monitor attached to adapter port #1
  Intel(R) UHD Graphics (Intel) Memory: 1GB, Driver date: 12-23-2021 (M-D-Y).
    > Integrated graphics device with 4 adapter port(s)
        - Secondary monitor is laptop's integrated screen or built-in port
        - Secondary monitor attached to adapter port #1

DirectX Settings
  Safe mode: Off

OpenBLAS: OpenBLAS 0.3.30 DYNAMIC_ARCH NO_AFFINITY SkylakeX MAX_THREADS=64.

Rhino plugins that do not ship with Rhino
  C:\Users\StefanoMenci\AppData\Roaming\McNeel\Rhinoceros\packages\9.0\BlockEditNew\2.1.5\blockeditnew.rhp	"BlockEditNew"	2.0.0.0

Rhino plugins that ship with Rhino
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\Commands.rhp	"Commands"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\WebBrowser.rhp	"WebBrowser"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\rdk.rhp	"Renderer Development Kit"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\RhinoScript.rhp	"RhinoScript"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\3dxRhino.9.rhp	"3DxRhino.9"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\IdleProcessor.rhp	"IdleProcessor"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\UpdatesAndStatistics\UpdatesAndStatistics.rhp	"UpdatesAndStatistics"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\RhinoRenderCycles.rhp	"Rhino Render"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\rdk_etoui.rhp	"RDK_EtoUI"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\NamedSnapshots.rhp	"Snapshots"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\MeshCommands.rhp	"MeshCommands"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\Import_PDF.rhp	"PDFReader"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\RhinoCycles.rhp	"RhinoCycles"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\RhinoCode\RhinoCodePlugin.rhp	"RhinoCodePlugin"	9.0.26174.12303
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\Displacement.rhp	"Displacement"	
  C:\Program Files\Rhino 9 WIP\Plug-ins\SectionTools.rhp	"SectionTools"
5

This was logged as a private YT because of your files. Here is the ID for future reference.
RH-96598/PDF-Import-Inch-Not-Working

The general workaround is:

  1. Import the PDF into the MM template.
  2. Then change the unit to Inches, no need to scale. 1=1
  3. Now zoom in on a dimensioned area.
  4. Select the entire model, scale to line that is dimensioned as 10’-6" to 10-'6" along with the rest of the model.
    Now your model is 1:1
  5. In Options → Annotation styles uncheck or disable Layout space scale
    (this is common with any imported geometry and annotations that were created outside of Rhino.)
  6. Add and layout and scale the details 1/8"=1’ or 1:96

Hope this helps.
You will be notified here when there is a fix and something to test.

Sincerely,
Mary Ann Fugier