https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=428116
Bug ID: 428116
Summary: Implement support for measure annotations
Product: okular
Version: unspecified
Platform: Other
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: wishlist
Priority: NOR
Component: PDF backend
Assignee: okular-devel@kde.org
Reporter: d...@thinkmoult.com
Target Milestone: ---
In the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, a huge part of our
workflow is annotating PDFs.
Linux currently does not have a desktop tool for annotating drawings, similar
to commercial offerings like Bluebeam, or PDF XChange Editor, etc that allow us
to work in the AEC industry. It would be awesome if we could have a free
software option :)
The basic features required for AEC, most of which is already supported are as
follows:
- Able to annotate text, callouts, arrows, lines, and polygons, with a variety
of stroke and fill RGBAs and thicknesses
- Able to "stamp" a preset graphic or text
- Extract a subset of pages in a PDF, add new pages to a PDF, reorder pages
Those features already exist in PDF offerings. However, there are a few more
features that the AEC industry needs that do not exist to my knowledge:
- Annotating a dimension line with automatic dimension, applying a scale
factor to represent the scale in real world units
- A ruler calibration tool to calculate an arbitrary or unknown scale factor
- A polyline measurement tool to calculate the summed length of a polyline,
with scale factor applied
- A polygon measurement tool to calculate the perimeter length, and area of
the polygon, with scale factor applied
- Naturally, support for both imperial and metric real world units
- The ability to compare two PDFs side by side
- The ability to overlay a PDF over another, to spot changes between them,
perhaps colour coded, or visualised in another way
There are some more features like 3D PDFs, but the vibe I get is that nobody
likes it as a developer :) It's also a lower priority, so don't worry about
that one!
Some picture examples of commercial tools:
[one](https://support.bluebeam.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/9-12-3.jpg),
[two](https://carolhagen.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/independent-units-measurements-in-bluebeam-revu.jpg),
and
[three](https://cdn.forconstructionpros.com/files/base/acbm/fcp/image/2014/02/960w/bluebeam-studio--collaborate-r_11305813.jpg).
I've spoken to the [mupdf](https://mupdf.com/) devs. They advise me that the
[PDF specification](https://ghostscript.com/~tor/pdfref17.pdf) which is 1,310
pages long (what a nightmare!) specifies this type of measurement / scale
factor functionality (pages 627 - line annotations can have a measure
dictionary attached, and page 744, like an entire chapter about this stuff).
Please let me know what is and isn't feasible, and if there is some work being
done around this area in the FOSS world that I've missed.
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