Known limitations
This section deals with known limitations in browser compatibility, development, configuration or Portable Document Format (PDF) configurations to date. Problems with the development or configuration listed here will be addressed and updated as development continues.
Issues with PDF configuration will be addressed and suggestions and/or guidance to ensure you can assist teams in producing good quality PDFs.
Browser compatibility
Astrea utilises the File System Access API to be able to access files from the browser.
As such we heavily recommend the use of Chrome or Edge to ensure functionality, we have done extensive testing with both browsers.
Currently supported browsers
| Browser | Since Version (approx) | Support Level |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome (Desktop & Android) | v86+ | Full support |
| Microsoft Edge (Chromium) | v86+ | Full support |
| Opera | v72+ (Chromium 86+) | Full support |
| Brave | v1.17+ (Chromium 86+) | Full support |
| Vivaldi | v3.5+ (Chromium 86+) | Full support |
| Safari (macOS) | v15.2+ (partial) | Partial (mainly Origin Private File System; no file pickers yet) |
| Firefox (Desktop) | — | No support |
A list of Chromium based browsers can be found on Wikipedia/Chromium.
Please note we cannot guarantee support in all browsers.
Desktop first
Astrea's usecase is entirely desktop driven, due to the limitations of ensuring quality reviews via mobile devices. For this reason we do not support or recommend using this on mobile devices.
Our recommended resolution is 1920 x 1080.
| Resolution | Notes |
|---|---|
| 1920 x 1080 | Recommended resolution |
| 1600 x 900 | Usable, some UI misalignments |
| 1536 x 864 | Usable, some UI misalignments |
| 1440 x 900 | Usable, some UI misalignments |
| Below | Not recommended for use |
If you use lower resolutions than those recommended, you will have problems with UI elements.
Over the duration of the user testing period, the apps responsiveness will increase to support screens to lower desktop and laptop resolutions, but please note, the application will never be mobile supported.
Portable Document Format (PDF) configuration
Certain limitations exist with PDF files that have have not been produced from digital text, but by:
- Scanning a physical page.
- Converting images into a PDF page.
- PDF printing from CAD software using vector based text.
All of these formats produce visible text but do not allow the PDF format to identify that information as text.
Scanned or image PDF solutions
It is still possible to run Astrea on these documents if you can run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on those files, however we cannot guarantee that the OCR nor the report will produce optimal resuults as this can vary from file to file for numerous reasons.
CAD to PDF solutions
The most common issue that CAD software (AutoCAD, Revit, Microstation, etc.) or the PDF print driver is converting text objects into vector outlines during export. This usually happens when:
- SHX fonts are used. They are not embeded as true text in PDFs and are converted to vector geometery.
- The PDF export/plot settings specify "Convert text to geometry".
- Fonts used in the CAD drawing are not installed on the system generating the PDF, so the exporter converts them into curves.
Solutions
When working with configuring CAD software to properly render text, it is important to follow the following general guidelines:
- Use TrueType fonts instead of SHX where possible.
- TrueType (TTF) fonts typically embed as selectable text in PDFs.
- SHX fonts are lightweight and old but do not carry over as text in PDFs.
- Ideally for all text in a drawing ensure you are utilising TTF fonts. If performance is an issue or a concern, ensure TTF is used in the title block, revision block, key and information section of the drawing(s).
- Configure your plot/export settings.
- For example, in AutoCAD, use the DWG to PDF.pc3 plotter and make sure that settings that affect font are configured correctly.
- Particularly avoid options such as "Convert all text to geometry".
- Install missing fonts prior to export.
- If the PDF driver cannot find the font being used, it often converts to outlines.
- Post-process with OCR
- Various options exist for this, however, as previously noted, no guarantee can be made as to the quality of the conversion nor the reporting as a result of this.
Many clients are now including requirements to ensure text is searcahble for various reasons such as:
- Efficiency for searching, metadata extraction, version control.
- Accessability and searchability for regulatory, legal or operational reasons.
- Specific terminology such as "electronic", "printable", "selectable" or "searchable is often used to mean fonts are recognised by PDFs.
- The following example accessability standards cover searchable, copyable text layers:
- European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive (EU) 2019/882)
- Web Accessibility Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2102)
- EN 301 549 – European accessibility standard
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Section 508
It is often best to ensure that all CAD software is properly configured and each discipline test prints text where possible.