This tutorial by Nick Williams, a MapInfo trainer at, provides an overview of how to create, edit, and convert features within MapInfo. Nick’s previous tutorial was on. An introduction to GIS features In GIS software such as MapInfo, a layer can only contain the features from one dataset or table. The dataset may either contain raster images or vector data, but not both. Vector data in MapInfo is comprised of points, lines and polygon features. There is a notable difference between MapInfo and other GIS software as a MapInfo table (.tab file) can contain a mixture of object types. However, the user needs to consider if it is good data management for a data set to contain mixed feature types. For example.
$ begingroup$ The best answer to this question depends on the intended use and other constraints. The most important determinants are (1) whether this will be a one-off test or if many points will be tested for a given polygon; (2) where the points are likely to fall; and (3) whether the test needs to be absolutely accurate. Follow Step 1 and Step 2 from Option A. Open the attribute table of the output from Step 1. Click Table Options > Export. Click the Browse button to specify the output file name and location. Select 'Text file' as the type of the output file, and click Save.
A local authority should have separate data sets for kerb lines and street furniture which are typically points. A utility company may wish to have to group all OS Mastermap together as a single grey background layer. Drawing Toolbar Features are created and edited using the Drawing Toolbar: The buttons in the left section are used to draw new features. They are from left to right:-. Points.
Line. Polyline. Arcs.
Polygon. Ellipse. Rectangle. Rounded rectangle. Text,. Frame (Layout Space). The buttons in the middle section are-.
Reshape polygons. Add Nodes to polylines and polygons.
The buttons in the right section are to modify the style for:-. Points. Lines. Polygons These change the style of selected objects. See the Style section on how to change the style for an entire layer.
Creating features To draw new features To draw new individual features:-. Make the layer editable using either the layer Panel or by clicking and selecting the Editing Pull Up in the status bar. Use the buttons to the left of the Drawing Toolbar to draw new features Additional Modes Orthogonal Mode You can draw orthogonal (right angle) polygon line segments when you press the Ctrl key. This restricts new segments 45 degree increments relative to the last line segment.
This is useful when you want to draw perpendicular lines. AutoTrace Mode AutoTrace automatically traces the nodes of a new polyline or polygon over existing features. You need only specify the start and end point of the trace, rather than manually enter each node. Snap Mode must already be activated to use AutoTrace:- To trace the nodes of an existing polyline or polygon:.
Press the S key to activate Snap Mode. Press the T key to activate Autotrace. Click on the first node of the polyline/polygon you want to trace.
Move the mouse to another node of the same object:-. Polyline: Hold down the Shift key or the Ctrl key and click.
Polygon: Hold down the Shift key for the shorter trace path or the Ctrl key for the longer. Trace path and click. Continue until you have traced the entire polygon/polyline and right-click to end.
Creating Points from co-ordinates ( x/y data) A common GIS task is to map a list of points with co-ordinates that may be supplied in a data format (e.g.xls,.csv etc.). A Comma Separated Value file contains data sets separated by commas, where each new line represents a new database row, and each database row has one or more fields separated by a comma. They can be organised into cells or columns by spreadsheet or database programs. CSV files are commonly used for transferring data between databases in a simple text-based format. MapInfo can import most data interchange formats and then produce points from the co-ordinates. Press the file open button or select File, Open. In the File Open dialogue, use the Types of File pull down to select the file type (e.g.csv,.xls etc.).
Ticking the “create copy in MapInfo for read/write” box allows the table to be edited; otherwise it will be display only. The CSV Information box, select whether the data is comma or tab delineated and whether to use the first line of the data for column headings. The file will now open in the Browser View. Use the menus to select Table, Maintenance, and Table Structure to check the column types.
It is important that the co-ordinate columns are either integer, decimal or float format. Use the menu to select Table, Create Points. The Create Points dialogue box opens:. In the Create Points dialogue, select the column that contain the X and Y co-ordinates (Get co-ordinates from column). Select the projection. Multiply the co-ordinates by: MapInfo uses 6 figure co-ordinates for British National Grid.
If the co-ordinates are in this format then leave this as 1. Co-ordinates that are in a different format may need to be multiplied by 10 (for 5 figure co-ordinates) or 0.1 (for 7 figure co-ordinates) etc.
Overwrite Existing Points: This is useful for correcting a previous attempt to create points that resulted in an error, otherwise leave this unticked. Press Ok, the points are created, but they are not immediately visible.
You will need to either create a new map window; or add them to the current map window. It is a good idea to open an existing layer (e.g. A boundary, OS background etc) to check the points have been created in the correct location. Common errors include not specifying the correct projection, not multiplying or dividing the co-ordinates correctly. These result in the points being created in a significantly different area:- Editing Features. Make the layer editable using either the layer Panel or clicking and selecting the Editing Pull Up in the status bar.
Use the buttons in the middle section to reshape regions and polylines. Use the buttons to the right of the Drawing Toolbar to edit the style of the selected object. I will demonstrate a few of the editing features:-. Selecting the polygon makes the resize grips appear.
Clicking and dragging these resizes the polygon, but does not change its shape. Pressing the Reshape button changes the grips to Reshape Mode. There is a grip on every node in the shape. Selecting and dragging a grip, moves the node it is resting on, therefore re-shaping the polygon:. Press the Add Node Button and then select a point on the polygon’s outline to add an extra node.
AutoCAD Civil 3D:: Export Polylines As Shape File? Jul 18, 2013 I am trying to export polylines as a shape file. When I use the mapexport command, it asks me to save the file but the dialog box does not open after I name and save the shape file.
How do i get this dialog box to open so I can use the map export command? I have Civil 3D 2014. Similar Messages:. ADVERTISEMENT Dec 13, 2011 I have a large drawing with 5 meter contours that are 2D polylines on elevation. In Civil 3D 2012, when the crosshairs touch a polyline the drawing hangs for quite awhile.
I've cut a piece out of the drawing so it is 28mb instead of 121mb and now the hang time is much less but it still does it. It does not happen in AutoCAD 2012. Windows 7 x 64 Intel i7-4770 CPu @ 3.40 GHz 24 GB RAM NVIDIA Quadro K2000D Civil 3D 2014 (i.108.0.4, SP1) Aug 28, 2012 How can to export my SDF file to ESRI Shape file? In AutoCAD Map menu have a commands, but those works only for drawing objects. Have any way to export SDF to Shape? Sep 5, 2012 In Civil 3D, what is the best method to import ESIR GIS shapefiles or geodatabases into an existing CAD drawing?
It is possible to export shape files from GIS to CAD, but how within Civil 3D, are shape files imported into a drawing? Jun 4, 2013 I am currently using AutoCad Map3d 2013. I am trying to export some features to esri shape file. When I use the export command it does not export all the features, only a few of them. I tried each different way point, line, polygon (treat closed polylines as polygons). I just did this the other day and worked out fine.
Sep 17, 2008 I have a polygon with a hole in it. I want to export this exterior polygon to a shapefile. I want the shape file to display as a 'donut' if you get my meaning. The shape keeps coming in completely hatched ignoring the island within.
Is there a way to do this with the 2008 software? Jan 4, 2012 I have a series of boxes or polygones that I would like the program to find the 1/2 distance and create two seperate polylines from the one object. Example: I have a square with pt1,pt2, pt3 and pt4 respectively. After I have ran the program it would create a diagonal from pt1 to pt3 and join the rest of the lines now to create the one polyline. Also it would do the same to create another exact polygonal shape for the other half.
![Poly Poly](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125483498/434761286.jpg)
Thus creating two shapes of equal value from one. Feb 4, 2013 i have any problem about export point from dwg to.txt file.i have point file.dwg from my friend,but i confused why that point can't export, show warning 'No point were transferred from the source' point is in layer 0.I attach the dwg file. Mar 21, 2012 i have lidar contour file that is a shape file, when i import this file using map with data connect i is imported with the correct elevation but is not useable for presentation only, when i import it with the map import command it does not retain the elevation on the polyline that it imports.
Apr 12, 2013 I am attempting to import a shape file in Civil 3D 2014 and get an FDO error (see attached). I have performed this task nearly everyday for an entire year in 2012 with the same file, method, etc. I change my workspace to 'Planning and Analysis', select 'Map Import' and select my shape file.error! Apr 12, 2012 I have an interesting problem. I have imported a shp file from a state agency. This file contains contours for an area.
When I tag the pline, it shows a 'zero' elevation, but shows a numeric elevation within the DXFELEV feature.I am needing to convert these to pline with elevation to work on in autocad. how to get polyline w/ elevations to export from c3d? Jan 9, 2014 I'm using AutoCad 2013 Civil 3D. I'm trying to import the attribute table from a GIS shapefile into AutoCAD. I tried it in Map but could not get it to work. I could not find and object file in creating a quirey.
Jul 22, 2013 How to export shp file to txt,i want to x,y,z format from shp file., Nov 13, 2012 I´m trying export to dwg, and I can see all the process, but the export file is not saved. I´m using the Autocad Civil 3D 2013 and this just happens in one specific file. Mar 12, 2013 I cannot find a function in 2011 Civil 3d to export an alignment as an. RXL file onto the computer. I know that I can export an RXL directly into a Survey Controller via Trimble Link.
Jan 13, 2010 I am able to export to SDF but I get nothing when trying to go the two shp formats available. Was a 'parcel', but i exploded to polyline. Do i need a patch to make this work? I am a C3D newbie and am struggling wit h user interface, but know that map export command line looks like it is supposed to work.
Apr 19, 2013 I want to export my slope - table - legend to an excel or txt file. (Of course only the values) Civil 3D (2013) Oct 22, 2013 I have recently encountered a problem when exporting C3D to V8 dgn.
The proxy graphics are set to 1, and I'm using a 3D seed file. Once the file is exported, the dgn file size is no larger than the seed file, and I am being told that the file is completely blank. I've run a recovery, audit - everything I can think of the correct this. I even had a co-worker try and generate a dgn from the same file with the same result. Civil 3D 2012 Win 7 Pro 64 bit, 8 GB RAM Intel Xeon E3-1220 V2 @ 3.10 GHz Dell T1650 Civil 3D 2012 Win 7 Pro 64 bit, 8 GB RAM Intel Xeon E3-1220 V2 @ 3.10 GHz Dell T1650 Jul 24, 2013 I need to export 3dpolylines from C3D 2013 to an ERSI SHP file. Using the mapexport command I’m able to do this, however, the lines in the shp file don’t retain the layer name and colours that are in the C3D file. Do I need assign ‘object data’ (or something similar) to the 3D polylines before exporting the shp file.
Jan 2, 2014 As the above mentioned, I have a drawing drawn using polylines with width from someone. The width of the line are suppose to represent area, To put things into prospective, here is an example: The polyline is 10 unit long and with a width of 2 unit wide. If i explode that polyline, it will become a single polyline without width. The line are suppose to represent 10 unit long and 2 unit wide; representing an area. My question is is there a way to change the line above directly from polyline with width to a close polyline (4 x polylines) of 10 unit long and 2 unit wide.
Jun 21, 2012 i need to export 7 million points from a tin surface to text file with only NEZ in comma delimited format for Surfer 9 software. Right now i have the civil 3d surface. But the export to csv stock reporting tool sucks. Why the hell do you open the file and why leave an empty row between data points?
So it's not usable. Also i have 12gb ram at work and it can't export surface points to autocad format ran out of memory. This is with surface display showing points and just the 'dot' style so it's autocad points after export. I was originally planning on using 'dataextraction' command in autocad to export to csv. Worked on a small batch of file.
So i think may work for the bigger file. But i would never know because i can't even get the points into autocad.
Also yeah i would love to simplify the surface but it's so buggy that you asked it to remove 80% of the points it only remove 100k points at most out of 7 million. So not usable. Last resort is i can program something in vb.net but not much motivation on doing so.
Jan 10, 2014 Is it possible to export a TIN file so a GIS user can use it with some Carlson software? He's having trouble using.XML's or DEM's. If I could find where ACAD stores the.TIN file for my surface, I'd just send that to him. Oct 9, 2013 How to draw 3D polylines, or convert single lines to polylines? This.JPG Apr 13, 2012 I am trying to utilize Trimble's ability to export Points to an XML file.
The XML file contains some additional Attribute data. I have created the new Point UDP's and also Created a new Point File Format. Here lies the Problem, when I go to the Insert Tab in the Ribbon and pick import from XML. It gives me no choices to select a Point File Format?
It just imports the file with just PNEZD data only, and not my additional Attributes. Mar 12, 2013 We just upgraded to 2013, and one computer is having a weird issue. There is nothing in the drawing.
He draws two polylines. When he goes to fillet them, it says they are non-coplanar.
The properties palette says both polylines are elevation 0. Why this is happening and how I can fix it? Jul 7, 2011 In the ipt. Sheet metal file, we create the flat and export face as a dxf file to use in our cnc software. The problem is that our shop guy cannot open the dxf in the cnc software (he gets an error) unless we open the dxf in Autocad and explode it and resave. For some reason, Inventor creates the dxf with the perimeter of the part as a polyline. Is there a setting that could keep it from making it a polyline.
It is time consuming to have to go into Autocad, explode and resave every sheet metal part. We use Inventor 2010. Apr 9, 2013 The Straighten method seems to always default to the first vertex of the polylne, which is great if you want to start there but what if you wanted to delete the 10th to 15th vertex?