Importing SID from GIS to AutoCAD

[Anonymous]

I am trying to to import .sid layer I have in a GIS file I have. I exported it as different layers I thought would be appropriate for inserting into AutoCAD such as jpg and tiff, and tried inserting using mapiinsert, mapimport and attach command. The aerial does not drop in the correct location in AutoCAD (asks for a coordinate and I have to manually input something such as 0,0,0)

Is there a step by step instruction on how to bring an aerial (.sid) into autocad? I have a couple of years of background in autocad/civil3d and also experienced working with ArcGIS. Thank you. 

[Pointdump]

B,

Can you post your SID, or a link to it?

Dave

[AllenJessup]

Do you have a matching world file for you images. A SID world file would be a .SDW extension. Tiff would be .TFW and a JPG wold be JGW.

[jefflambert9091 · Accepted solution]

If you are in ArcGIS you can export your image under File- Export Map. I save them as a JPEG. Make sure you check the Write World File box at the very bottom.

In AutoCAD you can then use the "MAPIINSERT" command. It will read the image and automatically reference the world file and come in the right place.

Make sure you are consistent with your Coordinate systems. 

I like to open my SIDs in LizardTech's free GeoViewer and export the map through there. It is limited to the view on screen, but it more user friendly. 

[Pointdump · Accepted solution]

B,

Jeff's advice about LizardTech's GeoViewer is excellent.

As Allen says, you'll need at least an "SDW" world file, and an XML file containing Metadata (data about the data) would also be good:

With those additional files, _MAPCONNECT or _MAPIINSERT will place the MrSID in the correct location automatically:

Dave

[ITandCADguy]

@Anonymous, you have mentioned AutoCAD, but not Civil 3D or Map.  Which product are you using?

With C3D or Map, you can set the coordinate system of the drawing quite easily, but with vanilla AutoCAD this is problematic, as you have to pick a location on the map and then a corresponding point in your drawing.  This won't match up with anything that is georeferenced.

[jefflambert9091]

If you have plain AutoCAD you can bring in the image though the image manger and read the world file to get it in the right place. The x/y coords are the top left and there is a scale reference. You can look at the properties of the Image though explorer on the details tab and use that to scale the image in the drawing.

In this case my Image properties dimensions are 4860*3147. The world file info is shown below. I make a circle of the x/y and insert the image there, then scale to 4860*3147 then scale it down .5 per the world file.  

0.500000000000000
0.000000000000000
0.000000000000000
-0.500000000000000
1418195.750000000000000
410775.250000000000000

If I had a nickel every time I had to do this in the past. Thank goodness for MAPIINSERT.

[AllenJessup]

I would think that since the OP reverences "using mapiinsert, mapimport" that they have Map 3D at least.

[ITandCADguy]

Yep.  I missed the part about using MapIInsert.

Brain is already on vacation.