topic Re: Export Custom Object Data in Civil 3D Forum

Export Custom Object Data

nathanspooh — Tue, 05 May 2026 13:34:28 GMT

I have tried the steps in the 2017 post by hgj1357 and the solution and it does not work for my situation. I can not add a 3rd party tool on employer PCs.

I want to export the properties with the added object data from a CAD file that came from a GIS .shp file inserted with mapimport. I have a mixture of lines and polylines all with the same type of object data that I need an inventory for.

Thanks!

Re: Export Custom Object Data

ianjchap — Tue, 05 May 2026 13:43:03 GMT

Hi @nathanspooh,

Try this previous post which I used for something similar:-

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/civil-3d-forum/object-data-mapping-to-object-properties-during-mapimport-of-an/td-p/12103677

It may not have your specific need, but highlights the steps with a solution.

Re: Export Custom Object Data

nathanspooh — Tue, 05 May 2026 14:13:29 GMT

I'm not seeing the correlation. That posted issue is way beyond my simple need of the preexisting object data entered by others to show in the spreadsheet output by using Dataextraction. I can not / do not want to manipulate the data.

Re: Export Custom Object Data

ianjchap — Tue, 05 May 2026 14:47:42 GMT

I thought the extarction would convert to your scenario.

Have a look at this solution. Again, doesn't seem to be a direct comparison but may help:-

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/civil-3d-forum/import-connect-esri-shape-file-and-separate-data-into-layers/td-p/8843038

Re: Export Custom Object Data

Pointdump — Tue, 05 May 2026 20:44:41 GMT

Hi Nathan,
"in the spreadsheet output"
In what format do you want the result? A CSV file?
Dave

Re: Export Custom Object Data

nathanspooh — Wed, 06 May 2026 12:23:09 GMT

I'd prefer the same .xlsx that you get with Dataextraction but with the custom object data included. Its for inventory purposes. I have a combined 6294 plines and lines that are literal miles of water pipe I'd like to export the inventory for in a organized manor. I've tried the vairous suggestions existing in the forum and nothing has worked.

Re: Export Custom Object Data

Pointdump — Wed, 06 May 2026 20:07:16 GMT

Hi Nathan,
Data Extraction won't give you what you want.
Here's a rough workflow:
1. MAPEXPORT to shapefile, selecting all the Object Data you want to include.
2. Drag-n-Drop the shapefile into a new drawing.
3. Open the shapefile's Data Table.
4. Under "Options", select All.
5. Select "Export..."
That will give you a CSV file which you can open in Excel.
Can you post your drawing and list the OD categories you need?
Dave

Re: Export Custom Object Data

ChicagoLooper — Thu, 07 May 2026 01:47:06 GMT

100% agree with @Pointdump

Just to be clear, Object Data (OD), is not understood by orher versions of Acad, so other users must run either Civil3D or Map3D to ‘see’ your OD. If it’s not possible for other users to run C3D/M3D then you may ‘display’ your OD in an Excel type of file.

The Excel spreadsheet could then be viewed on a secondary monitor or printed to hardcopy. Unfortunately, by doing it this way, the Excel data list is not easily correlated to the geometry (the linework) unless you go an extra step and show ID labels alongside each individual line

As far as dataextraction goes, OD is not considered a ‘Property’ that you find displayed in the Properties Palette when an item is selected. Although you may see Object Data (OD) shown at the bottom of Props Palette, it’s not a Property that’s extractable.

You can consider OD (and the source of that OD) to be an ESRI entity which is subject to the Map3D toolset for data management.

Mr @Pointdump‘s recommendation is correct. Generally speaking you’ll need to

MAPEXPORT your linework to shapefile.
During this MapExport you’ll select which OD items and which Acad properties you’d like to capture. The captured items will populate the shapefile’s Database File (dbf).
With mapexport completed, you can add the new shapefile to a drawing and view the newly created database as a Table.
Select all the contents in the Table and export it to csv. Open the csv using Excel then SaveAs to xlxs format. The new xlsx file will have all your selected OD.

MapExport is not hard. If you’re not familiar with it, say so and the Forum will walk you through it step-by-step.

Re: Export Custom Object Data

nathanspooh — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:17:59 GMT

I followed the steps and got a lovely table of 1 through 6271 in Column A. There may be something with the files done by others that this will not work but I would like to try if possible. See attachments. LMK

Thanks, Kelly

(account shows my email)

Re: Export Custom Object Data

Pointdump — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:10:28 GMT

Hi Nathan,
Thanks for posting your drawing.
In MAPEXPORT here is where you pick the Object Data you want.
Kitchen sink CSV attached.
Dave

Re: Export Custom Object Data

nathanspooh — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:14:54 GMT

Thank you. I got it. I may need to go through the motions a few more times but none the less it worked.

While we are on this subject. Can this process go backwards? Can I add the Year Built to the table and dump it back into the .shp file?

Thanks,

Kelly

Re: Export Custom Object Data

Pointdump — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:37:17 GMT

Kelly,
"Can I add the Year Built to the table and dump it back into the .shp file?"
Not directly. You can add a field to your Object Data, but you'll need to do the MAPEXPORT >> MAPCONNECT steps again. Here's a good Jerry Bartels video that explains the process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bO4o9Wjzzk
Dave

Re: Export Custom Object Data

nathanspooh — Fri, 08 May 2026 12:12:06 GMT

Thanks but what I meant is can I take the extracted CSV with the OD property field established that are empty and fill them in in the CSV and then reverse the process and load them into the SHP file?

The process you sent me to add OD is handled by the person who maintains our GIS, there is inventory information needed by management that was not filled in. I'm trying to figure out if we can add it in Excel versus a per line/polyline Properties modification.

Re: Export Custom Object Data

Alfred.NESWADBA — Fri, 08 May 2026 12:24:13 GMT

Hi,

>> then reverse the process and load them into the SHP file

It may then make more sense to create a relation between your shp-file and a new xls (or better database).

Then you can edit your data, and when using the SHP-dataset (using command _MAPCONNECT) including a datarelation to your XLS(or database) you always see the shp-data as well as the external data, you can analyse it and so on.

- alfred -

Re: Export Custom Object Data

Pointdump — Fri, 08 May 2026 19:26:15 GMT

Kelly,
"inventory information"
The big question is how you are going to determine what data gets added to what field. You might be able to use an expression in "add a calculation". Kinda clunky in Map 3D, but fairly straightforward in QGIS.
The database suggestion by Alfred @Alfred.NESWADBA is how most GIS professionals accomplish these additions.
Dave

Re: Export Custom Object Data

ChicagoLooper — Fri, 08 May 2026 20:47:35 GMT

@nathanspooh wrote

<<…can I take the extracted CSV with the OD property field established that are empty and fill them in in the CSV and then reverse the process….>>

Sorry, but no, users can’t expect AutoCAD to understand data stored in csv format that’s edited in a Microsoft program, then inserted back into an Autodesk dwg file.

To do what you want you may, however, enter those new values manually. For example, you may enter the new values directly in the Properties Palette—scroll to bottom of Props Palette—then enter the values for each individual line.

Other GIS-essy programs might be able to input data en masse, but not AutoCAD. Unfortunately there’s no ‘batch data input’ in AutoCAD.