Comparing Documents

The Compare feature can be used to compare two documents that you have access to, for example, if you have drawings for HVAC and electrical or two revisions of the same document, you can now see how they align. The two documents are overlaid on each other to enable a side-by-side comparison. You can only compare two files, and they must be of the same format, such as PDF to PDF or DWG to DWG.

When working with vector files, such as DWG, an intelligent overlay occurs so that differences are automatically highlighted. For non-vector files the content is not compared, just overlaid.

For large files the comparison can take some time to prepare.

If a file has been scanned to PDF, it might not line up accurately on top of another scanned file. Ideally the comparison function should be utilised on digitally saved files.

Step by Step — Compare two different documents

Compare two different documents when you want to see how they align.

  1. From the Documents register, select the two documents to compare.

  2. Click Actions, and then select Compare.

    Compare documents selection in Action menu

    The two documents are shown overlaid in the Viewer.

Step by Step — Compare two revisions of the same document from the register

When you are in the Documents register, you can access the Compare feature to view two revisions of the same document side by side.

You can only compare two files.

  1. From the Documents register, select one or two revisions of a document.

  2. Click Actions, and then select Compare. If you selected two documents, the two revisions are overlaid on top of each other. If you selected only one document, continue with the next step.

  3. At the prompt, select another revision of the document, and then click Compare.

    The two documents are overlaid on top of each other in the Viewer. Items shown in blue indicate the newer revision. Items showing in orange indicate the older revision. Items showing in black indicate no change.

Step by Step — Compare two revisions of the same document from the PDF Viewer

You can compare the current document in the PDF Viewer to a previous revision without returning to the Documents register.

You can only compare two revisions.

  1. With a document open in the viewer, expand the Compare drop-down list.

  2. Select another revision of the document. The two revisions are overlaid on top of each other in the Viewer. Items shown in blue indicate the newer revision. Items showing in orange indicate the older revision. Items showing in black indicate no change.