How to transfer shapefile attributes from GIS into AutoCAD Civil3D 2018

[Anonymous]

I am trying to show drainage pipe linework in CAD with pipe diameter shown. These pipe diameters are stored in the attribute table of the shapefile in ArcGIS and I am wondering how to transfer this data over to Civil3D 2018 with the attributes as well. 

Thanks!!

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

you can use FDO objects to load and display the SHP dataset, easiest to do with drag & drop the SHP-file from Windows Explorer into your current drawing (you can also use the command _MAPCONNECT to do the same manually). Then you can use the Map Workspace to define the stylization (also in dependence of the attributes from the SHP-dataset).

Use command _MAPWSPACE to show the Map 3D workspace so you get access (with right-click onto the dataset item) to change the stylization as well as to show the datatable with the attributes.

You might also use command _MAPIMPORT to convert the SHP geometry to AutoCAD geometry and to assign the SHP-attributes as Map-ObjectData, but I would prefer the first way.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Wow, that was so easy!! Thanks. It also came in geolocated which is certainly a plus. All attributes were shown in the table on the left.

Thanks!!

JM

[Anonymous]

Hello Alfred.NESWADBA ,

Thanks again for your reply last week. The solution works great. I have a follow up question, when I click and drag the .shp file into my CAD drawing it seems to be in a format (3D polygon?) that is different than the standard 2D polylines and polygons. I am wondering how to convert the .shp data that I clicked and dragged into 2D polygons/polylines. I can elaborate on this question if needed.

Thanks

John

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> when I click and drag the .shp file into my CAD drawing

>> it seems to be in a format (3D polygon?)

Drag & Drop a SHP-file into Map3D or Civil3D creates objects of type "Map Feature". These are no AutoCAD geometry objects like "Polyline" or "3D-Polyline".

Why do you think it's a "3D Polygon"? Where do you see that name as object type?

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Thanks once again for the reply!

So imported shapefiles are 'map features' and do not have the standard polyline/polygon geometry?

Attached is a screenshot of what I am seeing. The red contours are polylines, while the green is the dragged&dropped shapefile. You can see the shapefile attributes on the left and how it highlights differently than a polyline. 

My question is, how do I convert the shapefile ('map feature') into a polyline, and how do I save it to my layers so it stays into the drawing?

Thanks,

John M

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> So imported shapefiles are 'map features' and do

>> not have the standard polyline/polygon geometry?

We have now to be careful with wording 😉

"Imported" is not what we discussed here. Using the FDO connection displays the SHP-geometry in AutoCAD Map3D, but it is not imported.

What I understand as imported is that all is copied into the DWG-file and the SHP is not any more needed, can be deleted, does not matter. When you open next time the DWG-file you'll see the content you have "imported". (can be done with command _MAPIMPORT, but was not discussed here)

The way we use here (using FDO, using command _MAPCONNECT or drag & drop the SHP into the drawing area) references the SHP file. So the DWG-file only knows that it has to show the SHP-data, it knows the path to the data and it knows the stylization, nothing else. If you close the DWG-file, delete the SHP-data and then reopen the DWG-file it can't show the content of the SHP as it does not exist any more (and it was not imported into the dwg-file).

Hope that is better to understand (also why wording gets now important).

>> are 'map features' and do not have the

>> standard polyline/polygon geometry?

Select one of the entities and look to the property window, which type of object it shows 😉

Objects from FDO connections are no polylines or polygons.

When you really import SHP geometry, then yes, that creates polylines, MPOLYGONs and sometimes 3D-Polylines.

>> You can see the shapefile attributes on the left and

>> how it highlights differently than a polyline.

Well, the SHP-content shows the properties according to the attribute values in the SHP dataset

Polylines in AutoCAD does not have more informations than AutoCAD has for them, like layer, linetype, ... And as long as you only have polylines from AutoCAD they can't have any more informations, that is one difference between CAD and GIS.

In Map3D you might use ObjectData, with that option you can create ObjectDataTables in your DWG-file and then assign ObjectDataRecords to each polyline. But that is by far not so easy to edit and handle as the SHP dataset is.

Information about ObjectData in Map3D >>>click<<<.

HTH, - alfred -

[Anonymous]

Awesome, thanks!

I've found success by importing the shapefiles using the mapimport command, navigating to the desired shapefile, hitting the 'data' option in the dialog box to choose which attributes I need shown in my dwg. Worked like a charm.

Thanks again for your help. I'm an ESRI GIS guy at the office and trying to learn as much about CAD as possible. This really helped me get familiar with the lingo and process of building a CAD dwg.

JM