How to Extract / Get Data from objects

[langrobbins4254]

Hello all, we have a drawing that has lines blocks with data attached to them and we were wanting to get this data in text format. I have used Map a little, mostly for importing shape files, so I am not sure how to get the info we need. Here is what we have: a drawing with storm and sanitary pipes and structures, the structures are all blocks with size, material type, condition and rim information attached, lines with pipe size, material type and up stream invert and down stream invert. I have created an annotation template to list the information we need and that works fine. We would rather be able to extract the rim information from the structure blocks and the up and down inverts of the pipes to a text or excel file. We do not have the dhape files for the drawing, just the drawing itself. We are using Civil 3D / Map 2008 with Windows XP. Any help and insights would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Lang

[phmurphy]

I don't completely understand your goals, but I think you need to do a report query.  Map>Query>Define Query and use the Report option.

[Gary_Braun]

Have a look at Data Extraction under your Tools menu.  Or, attach the drawing and query it to a report.txt and open that up in Excel.  Both methods will probably get you what you want.

[parkr4st]

Understand you have drawing objects lines and blocks with data attached and want to get the data into a database of some sort? 

As well as the methods posed you should be able to mapexport to a *.shp taking the data in the process. You then can open the *.dbf file in various spreadsheet or database programs and work with the data there or use the data to theme  and annotatewith in C3D.

Dave

[langrobbins4254]

You are correct, we have lines and blocks that have data attached to them and that is what we wanted to export to a text file of some sort. I did try doing just a map export and selected all the objects that have data attached, the shp file had nothing in it though.. I have done that in the past and it worked fine. Not sure what the difference is with this drawing comparred to the drawings I have done that with in the past. For now, we are just putting plain acad text in the drawing and going to the properties of the objects to get the data we need and just copying and pasting the values. Very time comsuming, but it is working. Thinks for all the info folks.

[Murph_Map]

When you say "data attached to them" do you mean Object Data tables, database links, block attributes or xdata? When you use the mapexport to shp or any other format you have to select the data to be exported as well. Pick on the Data tab and click on the attribute button.