Recommended test
- Choose Reference or press I.
- Open a PDF or PDF-compatible
.aifile under 50 MB. - Select a page or artboard and choose Add reference.
- Move and fade the result, then calibrate two known points in millimetres.
- Save and reopen the Cadivari project to confirm the flattened reference remains embedded.
ILLUSTRATOR
PDF compatibility is required
Cadivari reads Illustrator files only when they contain an embedded PDF representation. If import reports that no usable PDF representation exists, resave the file from Illustrator with Create PDF Compatible File enabled.
The original remains untouched
Parsing and rendering happen locally. Cadivari stores only the selected flattened page inside the project and does not upload or rewrite the PDF or AI document.
RENDERING
High-resolution visual reference
The chooser uses a lightweight preview. On import, Cadivari renders the selected page again at higher resolution, within guarded dimension and pixel limits. The result uses the existing reference entity, so visibility, opacity, exact size, movement, and two-point calibration work without a separate document workflow.
CURRENT SCOPE
Visual reference rather than editable linework
- PDF and AI pages are flattened to an embedded PNG
- Native AI files without embedded PDF data are rejected
- Password-protected or damaged PDFs cannot be imported
- Original layers, paths, text, and Illustrator editing metadata are not preserved