Suggestion : Automatic object counting tool in pdf drawings

[xchangeSBO]

Hi everyone,

I'm an MEP engineer in construction and a regular PDF-XChange Editor user. I'm looking for a solution to a common challenge in our industry: automatically counting repeated objects in PDF drawings (like electrical sockets, data points, extraction grilles, etc.). Currently, we're doing this manually, which is extremely time-consuming.


What I'm envisioning is something similar to OCR, but for technical objects, where you could:
1. Define/select an object you want to find
2. Automatically count/highlight all instances
3. Account for different orientations/rotations of the same object
4. Count as many different object as you require

Does anyone know if such a tool exists? If not, I believe there would be significant interest in this functionality from the construction and engineering community.

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
XchangeSBO

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello xchangeSBO,

Welcome to our forums and Happy New Year.

The OCR engines we use are trained on text, and can not really be trained for specific other shapes, so I do not think that what you are asking for is really feasible, but I will also ask a colleague from the dev team to take a look and advise if they can think of some alternative approach to your goal. I myself can not think of a way to achieve that.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

Hi xchangeSBO,

IU am pleased to be able to tell you that this is indeed something we can and will do. The request has been officially approved an ticket for it raised. While the ticket itself is for internal use only, if you ask here about RT#7248: Feature Request :: Editor :: Automatic object counting tool in pdf drawings someone can get you an update on its progress.


I do not have an ETA for delivery at this juncture, we shall have to wait and see. Enjoy when the time comes.

[xchangeSBO]

Hi Stefan and Paul,

Thank you both for your quick and detailed responses, and Happy New Year to you too!
Paul, this is fantastic news! I'm thrilled to hear that this feature has been approved and is in development. It's really encouraging to see PDF-XChange taking user feedback seriously and working on solutions that address real industry needs. I'll definitely keep an eye on the progress of ticket RT#7248.

Stefan, I appreciate your technical insight about the OCR limitations. It helps understand the challenges involved in implementing such a feature. The fact that your team is still willing to explore alternative approaches shows great commitment to innovation.

This tool will be a game-changer for many of us in the construction industry. I look forward to testing it once it becomes available and would be happy to provide feedback from an MEP engineering perspective.

Thanks again for your support!

Best regards,

Xchange SBO

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

[Jakylnet]

Hi!

Has this progressed in resent months?

I was thinking about developing my own tool for this kind of use but if you guys are planning to release this soon...

-Jakyl

[Stefan - PDF-XChange]

Hello Jakylnet,

I've just taken a look at the ticket and it is still open. When it gets resolved we will post an update here with more info.

Kind regards,
Stefan

[Vasyl - PDF-XChange]

Hi Jakyl.

Can you provide a sample MEP drawing pdfs so we may see the real cases? Additionally, please highlight typical objects you would like to be detected automatically.

You can send such pdfs to support@pdf-xchange.com.

Thanks in advance,
Vasyl.