MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I am plotting geographical positions as "Points" in Autocad LT 2007.
Using an Excel spreadsheet, I take a Lat and Long, convert to a UTM grid, then apply a "false origin" to make the numbers more manageable. (2 or 3 digits rather than 6).
Then copy and paste to Autocad and use the POINT command to plot them all at once.
This works fine but what I would really like to be able to do is to copy a text label across at the same time, to label each point with a description.
I know this is a bit of obscure post but any info would be useful, even if it helped me frame the question better so I could post on it a more specialist forum.
I have tried Google but the number of Autocad hits are huge and I cannot seem to filter them to find what I need.
I've got a feeling that for anything more complicated than you're doing you might need civil, rather than just autocad. Only time I ever did it was outputting directly from a total station to create a spreadsheet which was then imported in to civil 3d.
something like this would do it - then import the DXF
http://www.delicad.com/anglais/rapiddxf4.php
or this http://www.ransen.com/pointor/Points-To-DXF.htm
looks like this program might do out for you...
http://www.cadopolis.com/autocad_addons/delicad_rapiddxf.shtml
Didn't check cost though
Could you do it the other way round and import your CAD model into a GIS package (ArcGis or similar)?
No use then?
erm, some sort of lisp routine would do it, but you'd prob need to write it yourself.
I've got one which will output points to a table, so the reverse of that i suppose.
It would need to be something like a block containing a point and a visible attribute listing the descrition, youd need the reverse of an attribute extraction file.
I would have suggested a LISP routine, but if you're in LT then that's no use as you need full AutoCAD to run LISP.
Personally, I'd define an attributed block (of a point and a Text attribute), then use a script to insert the blocks based on the calculated UTM coords and the Name. It's just like running the the Insert command from the command line.
i.e.
insert Core 123456.78,1234567.89 1 1 0 Point1
insert Core 234567.89,2345678.90 1 1 0 Point2
You still need to convert the Lat/Lon to UTM E/N but just mock the rest up in excel, save as .scr and run as a script.
Email me (address is in my profile) if you want any more help - the company I work for makes Charting and GIS software that does all this sort of stuff (but it's LISP based, needs AutoCAD MAP and is very pricey!)
Chris
Thanks for your all your help gents. STW never lets you down no matter how obscure the question!
I've had more response on here than on a CAD forum.
Sheriff thanks for the info but you lost me at LISP! I am an absolute novice and thought there may a command hidden away somewhere.
I will have play with some of the demos and see if they can do what I need easily. It might be simpler to do it long hand.
Thanks again
Whats the text label going to contain? Co-ords? If so then can you not just go with fields. I think I kind of get what you're doing but I've done it in the past the other wa around for building co-ordinates but had loads of issues with it so left it.
That Pointor looks interesting I'll be having a go with the demo and might pay money for it.
For free (but fiddly):
If you're comfortable editing tab and comma-delimited files you could have a go with [url= http://www.sokkia.com/general/downloads.aspx ]Sokkia Prolink[/url] (bottom of the page).
It's a bit of a shonky programme (has a tendency to close if it encounters an error) and you will have to play around a bit to get the csv/txt input file in the right format (number of columns) but it does output a dxf file with labelled points at the end of the day (points and text labels, not blocks with attibutes).
Mapsource exports to dxf, but I'm sure you would have done that if you had it, also the paid-for version of [url= http://www.trackmaker.com ]GPS Trackmaker[/url] does GPS data to dxf and can read correctly formatted txt files.
Also, our registered surveyor spends a lot of time (and rightly so) bleating about the hazards of transformations/projections from one system to another, especially geoids (dms wgs84) to planes (utm wgs84), so be careful if you want accuracy.
Also, our registered surveyor spends a lot of time (and rightly so) bleating about the hazards of transformations/projections from one system to another, especially geoids (dms wgs84) to planes (utm wgs84), so be careful if you want accuracy.
Amen to that - Geographers tend not to do Maths very well!
I didn't realise Mapsource could output dxf. That might be the simplest solution. (Everyone can get access to Mapsource through the update download on the Garmin website, Google it!)
Not looking for super high accuracy, any datum issues wouldn't be much of a worry.
The Mapsource solution gets around some of the issues anyway, as the source data will be WGS84 Lat/Long.
Really just looking for an easy way to plot labelled positions on a metric grid and to quickly, easily measure distances, make notes etc. on a hard copy.
I'm probably trying to use a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Just thought as I had access Autocad I would utilise it.