replace hatch symbol with a donut- search and replace?

[Anonymous]

I am working for a telecom engineering company and they have been using a hatch symbol to represent poles- it was originally a hatched circle and they removed the circle portion a while ago. I have created a donut to replace it- easier to work with, measure distances, etc.

My question: is it possible to find/search and replace these with a command, or some other method, (like you can in words in a word document)? There are, as you might imagine, a very large number of poles and I'd like the records to be standardized. I'd rather not have to do it individually.

Thank you,

Mary

[parkr4st]

what object type are the poles?  CAD dwg objects, blocks or a GIS formant such as shp or sdf files?

what software do you have available?  Map3D or plain CAD or something else by version?

dave

[kajar]

For searching different object there are different ways:quick select, select similar. You just have to define correct properties for objects you want to find.

Do I understand that you want to replace hatch object? Hatch-> donut. 

If hatch object doesn't have boundary object around it then use command "hatchgenerateboundary" and you get closed polylines.  

Donut object is polyline object having width more than 0. 

After you have generated boundaries, select all created polylines using quick select or select similar and change polyline object  "Global width"  as you wish and then you have donuts.

I suggest to use block instead donut, then you have more flexible ways how you can change appearance of your poles, if you wish. 

For replacing donuts to blocks you can use command "mapcreatecentroids",  you can generate centroids as blocks or points.

Kajar

[Anonymous]

They are just individual straight up individual hatches- if only they were just a block!!! When I do the donut it will be a block for sure.

I have Map 3D.

[Anonymous]

ok, so I know about the select all and have tried and can add the hatch boundary to the hatch pattern- now they are like they originally had them. 

I was planning to add the donut as a block so that any future/potential changes would be easily accomplished. 

Do you mean to make the newly/re-added polyline into a donut by using the 'global width' command? 

Where/how do I find/use that command? When I type in 'global width' it comes us as unknown command? 

[kajar]

No, global width is not command, you find it in the properties pane when click on polyline :).

I just mean you have to increase polyline width then you can have donuts.

But when you allready have closed polylines then whay not to create blocks using mapcreatecentroids.

[O_Eckmann]

Hi,

Perhaps, you can add your drawing as a source drawing, and make a request in report mode to extract centroid of circular hatch to obtain a text file containing X,Y of each hatch.

Then load these coordinates as block.

Olivier

[Anonymous]

ok, I see it now when I draw a polyline and look in the properties box

my circles that I created around the hatch patterns are not polylines- is it possible to convert them all to polylines or do I even need to do this if I'm going to use the create centroids command?  Also, how does using that command create a block? 

I'm sure you can tell, but I'm pretty new to AutoCAD- two yeas in school- only really 1 with CAD and now working for about 2 months.

Thank you for being so patient.

[parkr4st]

5008520

Seeing as you have Map3d, you should be looking into GIS data file types such as .SDF or .shp.

IMHO You can use styles on those poles instead of hatches and circles and greatly simplify your project

This will be a learning experience based on what you have stated as training.

If you want to try it out, post back and we can guide you through the process.

Dave

[Anonymous]

Sorry have been so long replying- have been busy at work and have had to put this on hold for now.  Will post back as soon as I have had a moment to try some of these ideas.

Mary