The past few days I was out of town attending a users conference on an ESRI based 3rd party software. It was an amazing time and learned a few things about the "Vendor" that held it. But the most amazing thing was talking to the other users there. Most of them also have a seat of AutoCAD or AutoDesk MAP. I didn't find any that had the current version but most were R14 versions, and using it only to view subdivision plots/parcels. They were former AutoCAD users that switched over to ESRI GIS. I can't blame them for switching at the time, the "vendor" customized the software to meet their needs. Currently it's hard to get an AutoDesk 3rd party to understand our industry and what the users need let alone to create custom versions for them at a reasonable cost.
What I am most shocked at is the users forgot about AutoCAD and how to use it. As I said most of them used it to VIEW drawings only. They have no idea of how to get new parcels into an ESRI GIS system or that the newest versions can make the task simple. So come on people if you are a former AutoDesk shop that switched to ESRI keep up with the software. The cost of just one subscription of AutoDesk MAP will pay for it's self with the time saved on trying to redraw those subdivisions plots you get from the developers.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
A few undocumented commands
Time to pass on a few tips to the AutoDesk Map users out there. Over the years I came across a few undocumented commands that are useful, so here are a few that you may find useful also. Keep in mind they are unsupported in Map and came from a few other vertical applications.
The first one is the INSPECT command. Enter the command at the command line and your crosshairs turn into a pickbox, how instead of picking an object hover the cursor over an object, a tool tip box displays the object type and the layer that the object is on. Depending on what you hover over additional info may be displayed. To end the command just pick with the left or right mouse button. This little tip is useful if you need to check to see what an object is with out selecting it and waiting for the properties palette to display.
The next three neat little commands come from the ADT folks and go hand in hand. AecIsolateObjects and AecUnIsolateObjects, these two do what the name implies. AecIsolateObjects allows you to select objects and it isolates those objects or hides the rest of the objects in the drawing. It works a lot like the express tool layer isolates but on steroids. The AecUnIsolateObjects will bring the display of objects back. Now lets say you want just the opposite of the isolateobject, instead of hiding everything that is not selected you want to select an item and hide that in the display. Well try the AecHideObjects command. Any object you select using this will be hidden from display. To bring it back into display use AecUnIsolateObjects. Those three commands can come in handy if you need to view or plot a map and want to hide a couple of items, instead of creating a new layer, changing the objects to that layer then turning that layer off and plotting and hoping you remember to place the object back on the correct layers afterward.
The last one I will pass on is the "Notes" command. Entering notes on the command line will allow you to select some objects and then a dialog box displays to let the user add notes to that object. The notes are can be anything from a reminder to register for the AUGI ATP coming up or to let the designers/engineers know something about the objects. Another thing you can do if you select one object only it allows you to add a file link to the object. Lets say you are designing a waterline that is going in a subdivision, you create a man hole that you want to keep track of the elevation off along with the other man holes. If you have a document that lists the info you can attach that document in the "notes" and later go back and open that document from inside the dialog box. By double clicking it. You can also add an image file to the notes, so say you have a picture of the area before any grading work is done and another after the work is completed. By adding the file references in the notes you can open those image file with a click of the mouse. This works the same way as creating hyperlinks but allows you to link to more than one file and doesn't have that annoying hyperlinkslink icon popping up every time you hover over it.
So there you go a few undocumented commands that may help you out. Create a toolbar with those on a few buttons or place them on a tool palette. Even if you do not use them all the time they may come in handy once in a while to at least get a wow out of a coworker that does not read my blog.
The first one is the INSPECT command. Enter the command at the command line and your crosshairs turn into a pickbox, how instead of picking an object hover the cursor over an object, a tool tip box displays the object type and the layer that the object is on. Depending on what you hover over additional info may be displayed. To end the command just pick with the left or right mouse button. This little tip is useful if you need to check to see what an object is with out selecting it and waiting for the properties palette to display.
The next three neat little commands come from the ADT folks and go hand in hand. AecIsolateObjects and AecUnIsolateObjects, these two do what the name implies. AecIsolateObjects allows you to select objects and it isolates those objects or hides the rest of the objects in the drawing. It works a lot like the express tool layer isolates but on steroids. The AecUnIsolateObjects will bring the display of objects back. Now lets say you want just the opposite of the isolateobject, instead of hiding everything that is not selected you want to select an item and hide that in the display. Well try the AecHideObjects command. Any object you select using this will be hidden from display. To bring it back into display use AecUnIsolateObjects. Those three commands can come in handy if you need to view or plot a map and want to hide a couple of items, instead of creating a new layer, changing the objects to that layer then turning that layer off and plotting and hoping you remember to place the object back on the correct layers afterward.
The last one I will pass on is the "Notes" command. Entering notes on the command line will allow you to select some objects and then a dialog box displays to let the user add notes to that object. The notes are can be anything from a reminder to register for the AUGI ATP coming up or to let the designers/engineers know something about the objects. Another thing you can do if you select one object only it allows you to add a file link to the object. Lets say you are designing a waterline that is going in a subdivision, you create a man hole that you want to keep track of the elevation off along with the other man holes. If you have a document that lists the info you can attach that document in the "notes" and later go back and open that document from inside the dialog box. By double clicking it. You can also add an image file to the notes, so say you have a picture of the area before any grading work is done and another after the work is completed. By adding the file references in the notes you can open those image file with a click of the mouse. This works the same way as creating hyperlinks but allows you to link to more than one file and doesn't have that annoying hyperlinkslink icon popping up every time you hover over it.
So there you go a few undocumented commands that may help you out. Create a toolbar with those on a few buttons or place them on a tool palette. Even if you do not use them all the time they may come in handy once in a while to at least get a wow out of a coworker that does not read my blog.
Friday, August 11, 2006
The "Merge" command, A new meaning to the Bloggers
No this is not the merge command to merge mpolygons together and still maintain the data linked to them but the merging of some of the worth while blogs out there on the web that deal with civil and C3D stuff.
I want to offer my congratulations to the merging of a few other blogs that I read on C3D. Seems Jason Hickey "Beneath The Lines" and Dana Probert "Civil 3D Rocks" are merging up with James Wedding over on "Civil3d.com" Looks like a merger that will have a big payout for those into C3D, wonder if it's too late to get stock in it. :)
I want to offer my congratulations to the merging of a few other blogs that I read on C3D. Seems Jason Hickey "Beneath The Lines" and Dana Probert "Civil 3D Rocks" are merging up with James Wedding over on "Civil3d.com" Looks like a merger that will have a big payout for those into C3D, wonder if it's too late to get stock in it. :)
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