Hello all,
I know this has been asked many times, but I cannot find the solution for my issue. First off, I am on a network version of Map 3d 2016 and not sure how much has been disabled for typical users. That brings me to my question... I can download shape files for parcel, easements, road centerline, etc from the county. but when I insert them through Map Import, they come in at 1/12th scale. The Beacon I use to see Right of Ways give distances, that's how I know what I bring in is not the right scale. I'm sure there is a setting I don't know of, but can't find the answer I am looking for. Can anyone help out me?
Steve
Solved! Go to Solution.
Solved by ChicagoLooper. Go to Solution.
Open the corresponding .prj file and copy and post the file.
what is the Geo-coordinate system in the map? Same as the that in the .prj
Have drawing units been set?
1/12 suggests units of inches vs. feet
dave
That is what / where I am trying to learn, I've been using AutoCAD since version 9 (DOS Based), but this job is the first time I am working with Map 3D and Shape files. As far as settings, I believe that is the part I am missing and that is where I may need a little guidance. Everything I have read in the forums, internet shows some examples, but half the time I don't have them, or know how to get to them. Like I said, this is my first time dealing with GIS / Shape Files.
In window explorer find the .shp file group & look for a file with the .prj extension i.e. lots.prj
double click it and it should open in notepad
that file hold the information about what GCS is related to the data which determines in position in the map
dave
Contrary to popular belief, the coordinate system of the shapefile does NOT have to be the same as the coordinate system assigned to modelspace. It is entirely possible to execute the MAPIMPORT command on a shapefiles with a geographic projection in degrees, such as WGS84 using lat/long, while modelspace is assigned a State Plane coordinate system. Do not make the mistake of thinking your modelspace MUST be assigned WGS84 lat/long when you want to import a shapefile. This is a mainstay of Map 3D, where coordinate transformation occurs on the fly.
To test your work flow when using the MAPIMPORT command try this:
Do the dimensions look OK?
Ok, so I downloaded a trial version of Map 3D over the weekend on my laptop so I had a clean copy. Went through all the steps, got Bing Imagery to come up. All matched fine and dandy, but the drawing scale is still off. If I measure the street which I am working on from intersection to intersection using road centerlines as the markers, in reality it is 870', once I bring everything in using MAPINSERT, it measures out at 72'. Which as mention before, it is 1/12th the size it should be. I have to be missing a setting or something. This just doesn't make sense to me.
The intersection I am working with for this project are 1) Cimmie Ave & Ridgmount Dr 2) Cimmie Ave & Rockwell Dr in Cedar Rapids Ia. Take a look if you want to see where I am working with. What am I missing??
With the limited info you have provided (you should upload the dwg file AND the shapefile) it sounds like your dimension style. By uploading your dwg and the shapefile, a better explanation, and more comprehensible answer, can be posted without trying to argue the correctness of the solution.
If everything matches fine and dandy, then the drawing scale is not off. What is off is the DIMSTYLE or possibly the drawing units, where the drawing units of inches is being read as the distance and that distance is being given units of feet instead of inches. For example, the distance of 72-feet is being read as 864-inches. Why? Because 864" equals 72'. Unfortunately, your dimension style is not displaying the inches sign, or (") but displaying the (') sign instead.
If it did display the inches sign then the distance would be correct at 864-inches and measuring distance in purely inches is not considered a best practice. It should be 72'-0". Check both your dimstyle and your drawing units. Your dimstyle should be using units of feet, not feet and inches, not architectural, just feet. For your drawing units, leave it at the default, which is feet in Map 3D. Don't get fancy and impose your own dimstyle on top of M3D.
So, all makes sense of what you are saying with the Dimstyle, Units and everything. I'm not using Dimensions, I use the DISTANCE tool just for a quick measurement. So taking any Dimstyle out of the picture. I have my DDUNITS set at Architectural, Inches, Degrees/Min/Sec. I have my INSUNITS set to "1" (inches) as well, 2 shows the same results in the end. I set my State Plan to match Linn County (Iowa) which is where I download the Shape Files ( Parcels, Road Centerline, and Easements) NSRS11.IA-NF so I am trying to get everything to sink. But again, when I bring anybody's Shape Files in, everything is 1/12th the scale it should be. I have been using AutocCAD for over 20 years, just not importing maps and shape files, this is a first for me. Since EVERYTHING is at 1/12th scale, I'm sure I have a setting of something set to the wrong units, I just can't find which one. I draw everything 1 to 1 and need to be able to show feet and inches so once I dimension easements, street, sidewalk etc. it doesn't come out as some decimal. at least that has been ,y experience in the past. Attached a typical drawing, if you can open it, you see my typical settings.
Your modelspace is using architectural units which means you are drawing in feet and inches. Your engineering line work, however, is using units of feet. By engineering drawing I'm referring to entities such as road centerlines, easements, subsurface infrastructure, utilities, etc.
The default units for Map 3D, as well as Civil 3D is FEET and NOT feet-and-inches like an architectural drawing. You are mixing the two types of drawings and that's a NO-NO. When you use MAPIMPORT command to import a shapefile (as opposed to using an FDO connection to bring in the shapefile), the shapefile is expecting the drawing units to be in FEET. Sadly, that expectation is not being met.
It is not that your dwg, or some variable within your dwg, that is making the shapefile 1/12th too small, it is your drawing that is 12X too big for a M3D/C3D drawing! Don't get me wrong, it's perfect for an architectural dwg, but it's not using the appropriate 'dwgunits' for a C3D/M3D drawing and it ends up too big. Since you are using a shapefile in your drawing, you must ditch the feet-and-inches and make your current drawing conform to FEET.
Other issues in your drawing:
At his point, you need to forget about your 20 years experience and treat Map 3D like a new program. The experience you're carrying is unneeded baggage that is impairing your ability to resolve the issues in your Map 3D drawing. Forget your line work too, at least for now. You need to start from a plain, empty, clean, fresh imperial template to bring in the shapefile. Once it's brought in you can measure distances all you want. Then bring in your road line work, not before.
The reason you want to bring in the shapefile first is to see it against Bing imagery, to see how it relates to other geospatial entities such as parcels and coordinate geometry such as lat/longs from a surveyor, and to see how it plays out against existing geospatially accurate elevation points. If your road line work and easements are not geospatially accurate, then it may as well be in Disneyland instead of Iowa. As long as the easement distances are correct and the road widths are accurate, who cares if you're in California or Iowa?
That explains a lot... as I learned AutoCAD in an Architecture Company in California. Hence the drawing everything in Feet and Inches. Thank you so much for taking the time to spell it all out for me!!! I have a mission in front of me now. Funny you said my drawing was too big... THAT actually never crossed my mind!!! I drew everything 1 to 1 in feet N inches, how could that be off. But with you explanation, I understand it is and it all makes sense.
Again, thank you for your time, it is greatly appreciated!!!
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