Points from a text file.

One of the tasks a Map user has to do is bring in points from a text file or a database. With the civil 3D tools in Map R2005 & 2006 you could use the civil points tools to do this but it required the point file to be in a certain format and we end up having to work on getting it to work correctly a few times when we don't use it all the time. But thanks to a reminder from a poster on the AutoDesk discussion groups for reminding me of an old forgotten AutoCAD command, the "Multiple" command. What this command does is repeats a command that you provide in the command line until you press the escape button.
The thing you need too do is make sure the text file contains nothing but the coordinates for the points, if you have attributes or a point number mixed in with the coordinates you need to delete them from the file. So your text file is something like this:

1705145.103,829479.6554,0
1708780.203,825996.5793,0
1709520.941,823934.5335,0
1710569.845,824786.8715,0
1710583.068,824685.7594,0
1709493.485,828888.0862,0
1709298.454,831331.2523,0

Now with the file open select all the points and use ctrl+C to copy the lines to the windows clipboard. Back in your drawing give the MULTIPLE command, then the POINT command then paste the text from the clipboard by using ctrl+v when it asks "Specify a point". The points should be created based on the text file. You then have to press the escape key to end the MULTIPLE command.

Command: multiple
Enter command name to repeat: point
Current point modes: PDMODE=35 PDSIZE=0.0000
Specify a point: "ctrl&v to paste the text file here".

A simple way to add points, keep in mind your point mode settings so you can see the points but this is a quick way to bring simple points into your map.

Vacation time and web maps.

Ok so I was on a little vacation that's why no new posts to the blog but I promise a few tips or hints in the next couple of days.
One thing I notice before leaving on my trip was how the different mapping services on the web work for getting directions, and the different results they return. I'm talking about google Maps, Yahoo Maps and Mapquest when you query them for driving directions. Now my trip started here in my home town to friends in Pine Bluff, AR then to Degray Lake AR. OF course I knew the way to Pine Bluff but wanted to check the easy way to get from there to Degray Lake. After all I would be driving a new (new to me) Motorhome and needed some idea of how long it was going to take and how much gas to have on board before starting out. BTW the trip went great.

So I plug the info into the web pages and pretty much get the same info from them other than different ways to get on the interstate from here at the home town. Comes to find out that the directions from Pine Bluff to Degray Lake would work ok but that's not the way our friends took us. Seems there was a new road build a while back (2 years) and it by passed a lot of small towns that the web services had us going around by means of interstate.

I also notice the different directions when headed up to NY for my trips, each mapping service returns the same interstate routes but different routes to get on and off the interstate. So where are these web mapping services getting the info from and how are they querying that info to get the results? I suspect they get some info from TeleAlas but it's not current with in a year or two and some data may be from any local source they can get for free. The problem comes with buying data from someone or some place and having it current and up to date. Anyone that has downloaded data for their maps know it may not be up to date. The data is current only during the time frame that it is captured. It has to be processed, converted to other formats then marketed to the map services.
Would it not be great if every one used a standard format for mapping then when we in the mapping field completed a new project we pushed a button on our desktop and it uploaded and updated all the other mapping services out there. My point is take a look at the "OSGeo" site and see the support that AutoDesk is giving for this one button updating.