Product Review 〉〉
Autodesk Map Autodesk Map brought geographic information systems (GIS)
to
the
average
AutoCAD user. It was the product that made GIS look familiar to us. Prior to Map, there were many products available for use in a GIS, but generally people did not look to Autodesk for GIS solutions. When the topic of a GIS came up, most of us thought of companies such as ESRI and Intergraph.
A
utodesk Map is a powerful product that can be useful to virtually anyone from the first day it is loaded onto the user’s machine. It can be used for tasks that range from importing different file types into AutoCAD to creating a complete GIS.
Data Conversion Autodesk Map gives AutoCAD users the ability to import files from many different formats including ARCINFO, ARCView, MapInfo, and MicroStation files. There are several settings that can be used during the import process. The user is able to: • specify the layers to be used in Map • import data from the incoming file to object data tables • import points as points or blocks • perform a coordinate conversion 16
Any combination of these settings can be used during the import process, depending on your needs. After creating your settings, you can save and reload them to be used later. If you are not concerned about the settings, the import process is as simple as opening a normal DWG file. The export command allows you to take AutoCAD files and create ARCINFO, ARCView, MapInfo, and MicroStation files. You are able to export the entire drawing or pick specific objects. As with the import command, you can customize your settings and save them for future use. The import/export options in Map are powerful tools. These options eliminate the problem of not being able to view and use data just because it is in a different file format.
Cleanup Cleaning up data is not the most glamorous task, but it is a necessary step in the process of creating a GIS. Scanned and digitized drawings generally need the most cleanup. Undershoots and overshoots are two of the most common problems, but there are also many others such as open polygons and double digitized lines. No matter how careful somebody is, there usually is some cleanup to perform. Autodesk Map automates the cleanup and even lets users decide how automated they want the system to be. The most labor-intensive method is to have Map mark all of the errors, but not fix them. This method gives the user the most control, but also results in the most work. The other end of the spectrum is the method whereby Map automatically finds http://www.augi.com
