topic Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos in Civil 3D Customization Forum

Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 16:46:23 GMT

Hi, I'm Looking for some lisp code to extract EXIF data (Lat's and Long's) from photos and pop a block into that spot in civil 3D. Not every photo will have this EXIF data but for the ones that do. I'd like to do this without going to an EXIF tool to create a CSV then import it into Civil if possible. Any ideas?

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

Jeff_M — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 20:11:26 GMT

@RickfromtheNorth Have you seen this?

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/using-autolisp-visual-lisp-to-geo-locate-geotagged-images/td-p/10242340

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

CodeDing — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 22:41:26 GMT

@Jeff_M wrote:
@RickfromtheNorth Have you seen this?
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/using-autolisp-visual-lisp-to-geo-locate-geotagged-images/td-p/10242340

10/10 would recommend

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:40:05 GMT

I'll check it out thanks

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Fri, 02 May 2025 23:34:28 GMT

So this code works but puts block coordinates in the improper location, My EXIF data is lat and longs in DMS, not sure if this is converting to DD? then I need to project that value forward into my current coordinate system in my drawing. Sample Photo EXIF Data Details and code, Block name is Test and it is not dynamic.

This is where it should end up at least in my drawing

;; Retrieves EXIF data from specified image file (defun ExifData (file / err idata iprop oimg) (if (and (setq file (findfile file)) (setq oimg (vlax-create-object "WIA.Imagefile")) );and (progn (setq err (vl-catch-all-apply (function (lambda nil (vlax-invoke-method oimg 'loadfile file) (setq iprop (vlax-get-property oimg 'properties)) (vlax-for x iprop (setq idata (cons (cons (vlax-get-property x 'name) (vlax-variant-value (vlax-get-property x 'value)) );cons idata );cons );setq );vlax-for );lambda );function );vl-catch );setq (foreach obj (list iprop oimg) (if (= 'vla-object (type obj)) (vlax-release-object obj) );if );foreach (if (null (vl-catch-all-error-p err)) (reverse idata)) );progn );if );defun ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; Browse for Folder ;; Displays a dialog prompting the user to select a folder. ;; msg - [str] message to display at top of dialog ;; dir - [str] [optional] root directory (or nil) ;; bit - [int] bit-coded flag specifying dialog display settings ;; Returns: [str] Selected folder filepath, else nil. (defun LM:browseforfolder ( msg dir bit / err fld pth shl slf ) (setq err (vl-catch-all-apply (function (lambda ( / app hwd ) (if (setq app (vlax-get-acad-object) shl (vla-getinterfaceobject app "shell.application") hwd (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-get-hwnd (list app)) fld (vlax-invoke-method shl 'browseforfolder (if (vl-catch-all-error-p hwd) 0 hwd) msg bit dir) ) (setq slf (vlax-get-property fld 'self) pth (vlax-get-property slf 'path) pth (vl-string-right-trim "\\" (vl-string-translate "/" "\\" pth)) ) ) ) ) ) ) (if slf (vlax-release-object slf)) (if fld (vlax-release-object fld)) (if shl (vlax-release-object shl)) (if (vl-catch-all-error-p err) (prompt (vl-catch-all-error-message err)) pth ) ) ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; Entmake's an arbitrary GeoMarker ;; returns - ename, of marker (defun GeoMarker ( / ) (entmakex '((0 . "POSITIONMARKER") (100 . "AcDbEntity") (100 . "AcDbGeoPositionMarker") (90 . 0) (10 0.0 0.0 0.0) (40 . 1.0) (1 . "") (40 . 0.5) (290 . 0) (280 . 0) (290 . 1) (101 . "Embedded Object") (100 . "AcDbEntity") (100 . "AcDbMText") (10 0.1 0.1 0.0) (40 . 1.0) (1 . "") (210 0.0 0.0 1.0) (11 1.0 0.0 0.0) (42 . 9761.9) (43 . 6666.67))) );defun ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; Turns a (long lat) into coordinates ..ONLY useable if dwg is Geo-Located. ;; pt - point as (long lat), ;; returns - point, as (X Y Z[0.0]) ...since longitudes represent "x" values & Latitudes represent "y" values (defun LL->PT (LL / e ev return) (if (and LL (setq e (GeoMarker))) (progn (setq ev (vlax-ename->vla-object e)) (vlax-put-property ev 'Longitude (rtos (car LL) 2 7)) (vlax-put-property ev 'Latitude (rtos (cadr LL) 2 7)) (setq return (list (getpropertyvalue e "Position/X") (getpropertyvalue e "Position/Y") 0.0 );list );setq (entdel e) return );progn );if );defun ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; Returns full links for all jpg, png, and bmp photos inside provided folder and all subfolders. (defun PHOTOS_GetPhotoLinks (folder / GetLinks) (setq GetLinks (lambda (fldr patt) (apply 'append (cons (mapcar '(lambda (f) (strcat fldr "\\" f)) (vl-directory-files fldr patt) );mapcar (mapcar '(lambda (f) (GetLinks (strcat fldr "\\" f) patt)) (vl-remove ".." (vl-remove "." (vl-directory-files fldr nil -1))) );mapcar );cons );apply );lambda );setq (apply 'append (mapcar '(lambda (str) (GetLinks folder str)) '("*.jpg" "*.png" "*.bmp") );mapcar );apply );defun ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; Converts Vector from EXIF data to Decimal degrees. (defun PHOTOS_Vec2Dec (vec / v dec m) (vlax-for v vec (setq v (vlax-get v 'Value)) (cond ((and dec m) (setq dec (+ dec (/ v 3600)))) (dec (setq dec (+ dec (setq m (/ v 60))))) (t (setq dec v)) );cond );vlax-for );defun ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; If an image file has GPS data, return list of file & lon/lat (defun PHOTOS_GetGeoData (file / data lon lat lonDir latDir) (if (and (setq data (ExifData file)) (setq lon (cdr (assoc "GpsLongitude" data))) (setq lat (cdr (assoc "GpsLatitude" data))) (setq lonDir (cdr (assoc "GpsLongitudeRef" data))) (setq latDir (cdr (assoc "GpsLatitudeRef" data))) (setq lonDir (if (eq "E" (strcase lonDir)) + -)) (setq latDir (if (eq "N" (strcase latDir)) + -)) (setq lon (lonDir (PHOTOS_Vec2Dec lon))) (setq lat (latDir (PHOTOS_Vec2Dec lat))) );and (list file (list lon lat)) );if );defun ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;; Retrieves and Geo-Locates all geo-tagged photos from user-specified folder. (defun c:PHOTOS ( / blkName blkDWG defaultBrowseLocation errMsg blkPath strPrompt folder photoLinks lyrName lyrColor e str) ;; Variable Inputs (setq blkName "Test" ;<-- the block to insert for all photo locations (do NOT use dynamic block) blkDWG "C:\Blocks\Test.dwg" ;<-- if block not in current dwg, where to find it lyrName "Photo" ;<-- layer where blocks will be inserted lyrColor 7 ;<-- if necessary to create layer defaultBrowseLocation "C:\Blocks\" ;<-- the default path that LM's folder browser opens to );setq ;; Initial check(s) (cond ((eq "" (getvar 'CGEOCS)) (setq errMsg "\nDrawing must be Geo-Located.")) ((zerop (getvar 'TILEMODE)) (setq errMsg "\nMust be in Model space layout.")) ((and (null (tblsearch "BLOCK" blkName)) (not (and (setq blkPath (findfile blkDWG)) (null (progn (command "-INSERT" blkPath) (command)))))) (setq errMsg (strcat "\nUnable to locate drawing, " blkDWG)) ) );cond (if errMsg (progn (prompt errMsg) (alert errMsg) (exit)) );if ;; Begin work (setq strPrompt "Navigate to foldere where you would like to retrieve all Geotagged photos.") (if (and (setq folder (LM:browseforfolder strPrompt defaultBrowseLocation 512)) (setq photoLinks (PHOTOS_GetPhotoLinks folder)) (setq photoLinks (mapcar 'PHOTOS_GetGeoData photoLinks)) (setq photoLinks (mapcar 'list (mapcar 'car photoLinks) (mapcar 'LL->PT (mapcar 'cadr photoLinks)) );mapcar );setq (setq photoLinks (vl-remove-if '(lambda (x) (null (cadr x))) photoLinks)) );and (progn ;; Be sure layer exists (if (not (tblsearch "LAYER" lyrName)) (entmake (list (cons 0 "LAYER") (cons 100 "AcDbSymbolTableRecord") (cons 100 "AcDbLayerTableRecord") (cons 2 lyrName) (cons 70 0) (cons 62 lyrColor) (cons 290 0))) );if ;; Place Blocks, Add hyperlink (foreach photo photoLinks (setq e (entmakex (list (cons 0 "INSERT") (cons 2 blkName) (cons 8 lyrName) (cons 10 (cadr photo))))) (vla-add (vlax-get-property (vlax-ename->vla-object e) 'Hyperlinks );vlax-get-property (car photo) );vla-add );foreach (setq str (strcat "\nPHOTOS Complete, " (itoa (length photoLinks)) " photos linked.")) (prompt str) (alert str) );progn );if (princ) );defun

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

CodeDing — Fri, 02 May 2025 23:36:57 GMT

@RickfromtheNorth , can you provide example photos of the image?

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Mon, 05 May 2025 14:18:09 GMT

I can't really supply the image but here are some screenshots of properties.

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

CodeDing — Mon, 05 May 2025 15:00:52 GMT

@RickfromtheNorth ,

Unless someone else can help better, I would need the image to diagnose what's going wrong.

Or you could help me find another image online that contains DMS coordinates?

But that's what I need to diagnose further.

Best,

~DD

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Mon, 05 May 2025 17:37:49 GMT

Sent you a message with photo attached.

Thanks

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Tue, 06 May 2025 21:51:46 GMT

DWG File with block called Test inside it.

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

CodeDing — Tue, 06 May 2025 23:47:09 GMT

@RickfromtheNorth ,

Thank you for the drawing. I was able to solve the issue you were having.

The ANGBASE and ANGDIR System Variables were causing the Geo-Position Markers to not end up at the correct position. You can manually test this by trying to input a Latitude and Longitude into any Geo-Position Marker via the properties menu. The values will instantly change. Then, when you change ANGBASE and ANGDIR both to 0, it works properly.

Attached is an updated LSP file that should solve your problem moving forward!

Best,

~DD

Re: Extracting EXIF data from photos

RickfromtheNorth — Wed, 07 May 2025 14:57:29 GMT

Hey this works good, couple of questions firstly I would love for this to insert a dynamic block so I can add a flip command for the text if I rotate the block and secondly I would like the photo name to be put into the Attribute of the block. This is looking great so far thanks for all the help in figuring this out.