Re: Need Advice

bgillis · ‎12-29-2005

It is important that I learn about options for converting ascii files produced from a limitedly distributed software application to DXF for use in AutoCAD. If this can be done within AutoCAD, I will recommend my company purchase one or more seats after a successful trial period. If it can be accomplished successfully using a reasonably priced conversion software, I will recommend the purchase of both.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bob Gillis

Anonymous · ‎12-29-2005

bgillis said the following on 12/29/2005 12:02 PM:
> It is important that I learn about options for converting ascii files
> produced from a limitedly distributed software application to DXF for
> use in AutoCAD. If this can be done within AutoCAD, I will recommend
> my company purchase one or more seats after a successful trial
> period. If it can be accomplished successfully using a reasonably
> priced conversion software, I will recommend the purchase of both.
>
> Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
>

What format are your ASCII files? P,N,E,Z,D ?

What DXF entity type do you require for each coordinate value? Just a
POINT entity?

There are much cheaper alternatives than AutoCAD if this is all you need
to do.

--
R.K. McSwain
http://rkmcswain.blogspot.com

bgillis · ‎12-29-2005

Honestly, I don't know what type of ASCII files they are. However, they are relatively simple text files in column format defining points in 2d space with several different sets of y values plotted against a single set of x values. The parent application essentially produces a series of overlain line graphs that are dumb and uneditable. My goal is to convert this to a format that is editable and capable of producing distances, line lengths and angles when queried. Ultimately I'd like to be able to construct a full scale graphical, quantitative, 2d model of the parent data. Due to the large number of points involved, they should ideally be connected by Plines to reduce the file size. The 2d model will be constructed using lines and arcs that are snapped to selected points or line intersections.

Bob Gillis

Anonymous · ‎12-29-2005

Bob,
Your best bet is to look into products such as
http://www.stylusstudio.com/text_file_to_xml.html to convert the ascii into
xml. You will want to do this instead of dxf. This will give you the
capability to translate the xml file to designxml or landxml. The data will
be better structured for use in a multitude of programs and can then be used
for anything from autocad to the web. You can even get tools for using the
xml file created for excell charts and reports. I have not used the
stylusstudio program before but it lools alot easier than performing xslt
transformations with ascii data alot easier than by creating a custom
program handle the processing.

Good luck,
--
CB

wrote in message news:5047324@discussion.autodesk.com...
It is important that I learn about options for converting ascii files
produced from a limitedly distributed software application to DXF for use in
AutoCAD. If this can be done within AutoCAD, I will recommend my company
purchase one or more seats after a successful trial period. If it can be
accomplished successfully using a reasonably priced conversion software, I
will recommend the purchase of both.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bob Gillis

Anonymous · ‎12-29-2005

I would think that all he needs is a lisp routine
to plot the .txt file into autocad?

--
Dave

"CB" wrote in message
news:5047487@discussion.autodesk.com...
Bob,
Your best bet is to look into products such as
http://www.stylusstudio.com/text_file_to_xml.html to convert the ascii into
xml. You will want to do this instead of dxf. This will give you the
capability to translate the xml file to designxml or landxml. The data will
be better structured for use in a multitude of programs and can then be used
for anything from autocad to the web. You can even get tools for using the
xml file created for excell charts and reports. I have not used the
stylusstudio program before but it lools alot easier than performing xslt
transformations with ascii data alot easier than by creating a custom
program handle the processing.

Good luck,
--
CB

wrote in message news:5047324@discussion.autodesk.com...
It is important that I learn about options for converting ascii files
produced from a limitedly distributed software application to DXF for use in
AutoCAD. If this can be done within AutoCAD, I will recommend my company
purchase one or more seats after a successful trial period. If it can be
accomplished successfully using a reasonably priced conversion software, I
will recommend the purchase of both.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bob Gillis

Anonymous · ‎12-30-2005

David Allen said the following on 12/29/2005 5:03 PM:
> I would think that all he needs is a lisp routine
> to plot the .txt file into autocad?

If the OP already has AutoCAD.

I interpreted the following as if AutoCAD were the subject:

will recommend my company purchase one
or more seats after a successful trial period

--
R.K. McSwain
http://rkmcswain.blogspot.com

Anonymous · ‎12-30-2005

Post one of the text files.

wrote in message news:5047324@discussion.autodesk.com...
It is important that I learn about options for converting ascii files
produced from a limitedly distributed software application to DXF for use in
AutoCAD. If this can be done within AutoCAD, I will recommend my company
purchase one or more seats after a successful trial period. If it can be
accomplished successfully using a reasonably priced conversion software, I
will recommend the purchase of both.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bob Gillis

bgillis · ‎12-30-2005

To the former comment, right. I do not currently have access to AutoCAD, so I am not able to write an Autolisp routine specific to converting my ascii files.

I will look into posting an example of an ascii file, but will likely have to get company permission first.

Thanks,
Bob

Anonymous · ‎12-30-2005

You don't even have to write a Lisp routine. Making a copy of the file and
making a few simple changes to it would probably let you run it as a script.
If the files are as you describe this would be no problem at all.

If you can't post the actual files try creating a file of about 10 points in
the same format and post that.

Allen

wrote in message news:5047917@discussion.autodesk.com...
To the former comment, right. I do not currently have access to AutoCAD, so
I am not able to write an Autolisp routine specific to converting my ascii
files.

I will look into posting an example of an ascii file, but will likely have
to get company permission first.

Thanks,
Bob

bgillis · ‎12-30-2005

Alright, attached is an example of the text file format. The parent program plots each set of values against the left-most column (length), and each curve/length point is connected by a line (preferably a polyline in AutoCAD).

Anonymous · ‎12-31-2005

bgillis wrote:

> Alright, attached is an example of the text file format.

I don't think this group allows attachments, because your attachment
doesn't appear. I wish none of them did except the group created just
for that, which is customer-files. Post it there, then let us know
here, and recommendations can be made.

Terry
--
The Ultimate Productivity Add-On for AutoCAD
ToolPac 9.0 from http://www.dotsoft.com

bgillis · ‎01-03-2006

Sample text file attached to "Need advice" under Customer Files.

Anonymous · ‎01-03-2006

Terry W. Dotson said the following on 12/31/2005 8:40 AM:
> I don't think this group allows attachments

Testing for that...

--
R.K. McSwain
http://rkmcswain.blogspot.com

Anonymous · ‎01-03-2006

What do the xxx's imply? Are they output by the program you are using as
some kind of label to indicate the type of data in the column of text?

Length(ft) Variab1(xxx) Variab2(xxx) Variab3(xxx) Variab4(xxx) Variab5(xxx)
10.00000 12.00000 46.2 11.20 19.00 33.22

<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

wrote in message news:5049621@discussion.autodesk.com...
Sample text file attached to "Need advice" under Customer Files.

Anonymous · ‎01-03-2006

BTW -- keeping the name of the software you are using a secret is lame don't
you think?

<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

wrote in message news:5049621@discussion.autodesk.com...
Sample text file attached to "Need advice" under Customer Files.

bgillis · ‎01-03-2006

Sorry, x's are space holders for the variable units.

Anonymous · ‎01-09-2006

Sorry. I was out last week. You presented the files as being X,Y data. Your
sample contains a Length column and multiple variable columns. I don't see
immediately how these would be plotted. Unless it would be something like a
line @ 10,12; Line @ 10,46.2; Line @ 10,11.2; etc.

Allen

wrote in message news:5049716@discussion.autodesk.com...
Sorry, x's are space holders for the variable units.

bgillis · ‎01-09-2006

Yeah, I wasn't very clear. The data would be plotted as a line from 10,12 to 20,4.2 to 30,0.52; from 10,46.2 to 20,41.5 to 30,54.9; etc. So basically each column of data plotted individually against length.

Bob

Anonymous · ‎01-09-2006

If the data could be rearrange so as to appear in that manner it would be
very easy to plot using a script file. A script file basically hold text as
it would be entered at the command line. It would look like this:

Line
0,0
@10,12
@20,4.2
@30,0.52
Line
0,0
@40,46.2
@20,41.5
@20,54.9

This takes the length as a positive movement in the X and the variable as a
positive deflection in the Y. Otherwise they could be entered as actual X,Y
coordinates. Same format without the @ symbol.

If you couldn't easily produce a file similar to that then a Lisp or VBA
routine would have to be written that could be pointed at the correct line
an column in the ASCII file.

Allen

wrote in message news:5054047@discussion.autodesk.com...
Yeah, I wasn't very clear. The data would be plotted as a line from 10,12 to
20,4.2 to 30,0.52; from 10,46.2 to 20,41.5 to 30,54.9; etc. So basically
each column of data plotted individually against length.

Bob

bgillis · ‎01-09-2006

Thanks Allen.

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