On the PDF page I said that I was unable to find a downloadable copy of OttoPDF anywhere on the internet. Now, thanks to a visitor from Austria and another from Canada, I can say that at least one copy is still available.

The catch? You’ll need a .NET passport (a Hotmail account would also do) because the file is hosted on an MSN group called “Ottomagic“. In all probability you will have to join this group before you can download the file.

So, now that you have the link, is it really worth going through the process? Given the fact that the software is just 615 kilobytes my own view is that it’s definitely worth a try. The one drawback with OttoPDF is, it can’t handle drawings that use TTFs (True Type Fonts) – it only works with AutoCAD’s native SHX fonts. Other than that, it’s a brilliant idea and a wonderful program.

I’ve been getting a lot of hits lately from people searching for OttoPDF. This is a free standalone software that converts a *.dwg into a PDF. I was a little surprised actually, because I’ve written just a tiny review a long time ago.

Investigation revealed that MyndKryme has pulled down the freeware version and is, instead, promising a better shareware version sometime in the future. Searching the Internet for an old version to download was futile. The program has effectively vanished. So it seems that cad users everywhere were on the lookout for a downloadable – hence the traffic.

I checked the original download (from 2 years ago) and read the copyright notice which, interestingly, grants the user permission to “…use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely…” That makes it’s total disappearance even more difficult to fathom.

Anyway, since David McKenzie (the author of the program) obviously doesn’t want to distribute it as freeware anymore, I’m looking for alternatives to OttoPDF so that visitors to this site are not totally disappointed. Watch this space…

A freeware program that converts AutoCAD drawing files into Adobe Acrobat PDF files without using AutoCAD. It supports sheets upto E size, variable pen widths and it can “print” the file at varying resolutions in colour or grayscale. The new version of OttoPDF supports compression of PDF files when used in batch mode. The only drawback to this program is that OttoPDF can’t deal with TrueType fonts although it will work perfectly with AutoCAD’s native SHX fonts.

480 kilobytes

« Update »

OttoPDF is no longer available from the author’s site. Please see the related posts for more information and download links.