Blueprint markups?

[Xelas]

I often get PDFs with extracts from site blueprints. I need a simple way to mark up locations of required network jacks, power outlets, add text callouts, and sometimes add an arrow or two. I need to be able to quickly and easily plonk in the common symbols for data and power, rotate them to that they are oriented correctly, and have in floor, wall, and ceiling variants, add text adjacent to it to indicate port count and/or elevation, possibly change it's color to emphasize it or color-code by system type or something. I'd often add a text box adding some commentary. Bonus points if you can plonk it a photo or icon. Layers are cool and useful, but not a dealbreaker, same with measurements/scaling.

I don't need revision tracking, project management tools, portfolios, etc. at all.

Bluebeam Revu is neat, but ridiculous overkill for what we need and is expensive.
Adobe Acrobat really sucks at this. The GUI of the newest update is total shit, too, and makes it practically impossible to use, IMHO.
Visio does almost everything regarding stamps and commenting, but the PDF needs to be imported as a PNG, which wrecks scalability and ability to snap to geometry.
PDF Exchange has an easy way to make stamps, but no good way of handling text or metadata associated with a stamp (like you can do with Shapes from a Stencil in Visio). Yes, you can create a textbox as part of a stamp, but it's a PITA to edit that text after adding it and it can't be moved.

Visio's repositionable text - that small yellow dot near the "A" is the handle. The text " 50" AFF" then stays in that position relative to the shape when the shape is moved around. It's fairly easy to add this functionality to custom Shapes as well.


What is out there that works? Needs to work in Windows, no mobile apps please, and no cloud-based application-as-a-service stuff. It's a PITA (rightfully so) to get cloud-based stuff approved via InfoSec.

 

[SandyTech]

I'd normally recommend Revu as that's what we use internally but you ixnay'd that one. We've moved to Nitro PDF for most things internally and the markup tools in it seem like they'd probably get the job done for what you're wanting to do.

 

[sryan2k1]

Look into PowerPDF

 

[MadMac_5]

Adobe Acrobat really sucks at this. The GUI of the newest update is total shit, too, and makes it practically impossible to use, IMHO.

I don't have a solution for you, but I can commiserate. I tried using the "Measure" tool, and it was a massive pain in the ass since it never seemed to let me draw a STRAIGHT FUCKING LINE and measure the distance between where I started the cursor and where I placed it at the end. I reverted back to my old way of doing things, which is to take a screenshot at the highest zoom factor possible, use a marked part of the diagram to determine mm/pixel, and then use Paint.NET and its layer capability to mark up the diagram and export it as a .PNG. Acrobat's interface is also getting crappier and crappier, as it often takes me minutes to find the zoom controls for a PDF in the current interface. But don't worry, it has AI FEATURES to ensure buzzword compliance!

 

[headache]

I don't have a solution for you, but I can commiserate. I tried using the "Measure" tool, and it was a massive pain in the ass since it never seemed to let me draw a STRAIGHT FUCKING LINE and measure the distance between where I started the cursor and where I placed it at the end. I reverted back to my old way of doing things, which is to take a screenshot at the highest zoom factor possible, use a marked part of the diagram to determine mm/pixel, and then use Paint.NET and its layer capability to mark up the diagram and export it as a .PNG. Acrobat's interface is also getting crappier and crappier, as it often takes me minutes to find the zoom controls for a PDF in the current interface. But don't worry, it has AI FEATURES to ensure buzzword compliance!

Foxit's measure tool works pretty well, ime.