vdPClassify, migration phase

vdPClassify has been developed to provide information on DWG-elements to be stored in a migration scheme and also to capture the ‘mapping’ to the appropriate database tables and attributes. vdPClassify is a .NET utility available for various AutoCAD versions and can process a folder with AutoCAD & AutoCAD Map DWG’s and MicroStation DGN’s.

From the vdPClassify analysis, the filters in the migration control table are made:

  • Is the layer name equal to “Cables_OV”?
  • Is there objectdata linked with the tablename “Cables”?
  • Then the object is a “Cable_OV” feature.

Next, information from the objects is read using powerful property filters.

  • Geometry from the coordinates.
  • Unique ID from AutoCAD handle.
  • Theme-name is directly in the control table.
  • Material from object data.
  • etc.

As an example, the result of one AutoCAD-polyline written to GML with limited IMKL-information.

More information?
Ask the cadgis-consultant

vdPClassify, analysis phase

vdPClassify has been developed to provide information on DWG-elements to be stored in a migration scheme and also to capture the ‘mapping’ to the appropriate database tables and attributes. vdPClassify is a .NET utility available for various AutoCAD versions and can process a folder with AutoCAD & AutoCAD Map DWG’s and MicroStation DGN’s.

The first step in a vdPClassify project is an onsite analysis of the CAD-drawingfiles. With the help of functions from the vdPClassify-toolkit, one of our consultants can analyze information about the drawing(s). Think of an overview of the layernames that are in use, what kind of elements are on these layers and is information linked to these elements in the form of xdata or objectdata. If a classification can be derived from the structure of the layernames, does color or linetype tell something about the status of the object, etc.

Based on this information, the smart data filters can be built with which the desired objects from the drawing(s) can be filtered.

More information?
Ask the cadgis-consultant

vdPClassify, introduction

vdPClassify has been developed to provide information on DWG-elements to be stored in a migration scheme and also to capture the ‘mapping’ to the appropriate database tables and attributes. vdPClassify is a .NET utility available for various AutoCAD versions and can process a folder with AutoCAD & AutoCAD Map DWG’s and MicroStation DGN’s.

vdPClassify is currently being used for data migration projects for the WIBON (= Information Exchange Act above and underground networks).
By means of smart data filters, objects from the drawings are filtered. Next, information from the objects is read using powerful property filters.

In general you can recognize objects in a CAD-drawing by a combination of entitytype and layername, linetype or blockname. With this combination the IMKL-objecttype can be determined. In addition, CAD-elements contain information in the form of blockattributes, xdata or object data. This information can be converted to IMKL-attributes.

vdPClassify consists of a consulting-toolkit. With which we can perform an onsite analysis, create a migration control table and write the data in the desired format.
Users can then independently perform the conversions using the vdPClassify-runtime.

More information?
Ask the cadgis-consultant

AutoCAD Map/FDO – Spatial Query with displayMngr plugin

Spatial QueryGenerally GIS-data is available on a complete other scale than CAD-users need for their projects.

Importing that GIS-dataset into a CAD-environment gives an overkill of data. It would be very useful to add connections to the feature layers in GIS, limited to the area needed for the project.

This is possible by using AutoCAD Map/FDO Data Connect and a Spatial Query. But this is not very user friendly. That is why vdPConsulting has developed a displayMngr plugin.

This is the workflow:

  • Make sure that the desirable feature layers are connected, by using a pre-defined template or so called .layer files.
  • Load the displayMngr plugin.
  • Start the command “filterWindow” or “filterCrossing”.
  • Indicate the desirable area by picking two points on the map.
  • The plugin creates the SQL filter statements and “inject” these into the definitions of the connected feature layers.

If you want more information about using AutoCAD Map/FDO and GIS-databases or the displayMngr plugin, please contact me.

AcClassify Workflow utility ( update )

AcClassify Workflow utilityAt one of the migration projects where I am involved, the source data is managed in AutoCAD Map and there must be a regular update of the data posted into an Oracle Spatial database. From this Oracle database the large scale data is shared with the GIS-department and used for web-applications. To support this migration process I have developed an AcClassify Workflow utility.

The customer – a Dutch province – has stored their large scale basemaps in DWG-files into a very detailed folder structure on a fileserver. For each provincial road there is a sub-folder, with topografie but also other sub-folders with DWG’s for the theme’s like roadsigns and green management etc.

The Workflow utility – a C# application, that runs inside AutoCAD Map – gives in the UI the possibility to select the roadnumber, the option to delete old data from that roadnumber from Oracle and to upload the new data into Oracle using AcClassify.

If this is an update, than de utility will remove the old data from that roadnumber from their respective feature tables ( for roads, water, buildings etc. ) using SQL Delete statements. Next the utility creates the necessary AcClassify config XML-files ( adding roadnumber, Oracle schema-name etc. ). Than the AcClassify process is started using API-functionality.

With this the workprocess, with a lot of manual action, is reduced to a userfriendly AcClassify Workflow utility.

New : there is an update of this utility that starts the AcClassify process using API-functionality