An Esri

Technical Paper January 2011

ArcGIS

for AutoCAD

250


Esri, 380 New York St., Redlands, CA 92373-8100 USA
TEL 909-793-2853 FAX 909-793-5953 E-MAIL [email protected] esri.com



Copyright 2011 Esri
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

The information contained in this document is the exclusive property of Esri. This work is protected under United States
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The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice.

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of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products
mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.








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Esri Technical Paper i
ArcGIS for AutoCAD 250
An Esri Technical Paper


Contents Page

Introduction........................................................................................... 1

Who Uses ArcGIS for AutoCAD?........................................................ 1
Using GIS Maps in CAD................................................................ 1
Creating GIS Data in CAD............................................................. 1

Benefits of ArcGIS for AutoCAD........................................................ 1
Connecting to the "Right" GIS....................................................... 1
A Common Operating Picture........................................................ 2
Streamlined Data Flow................................................................... 2

Key Features of ArcGIS for AutoCAD................................................ 2
Maps and Imagery for Context....................................................... 2
Authoritative Maps for Design Constraints.................................... 2
Interoperability between ArcGIS and AutoCAD............................ 2

Using Map Services.............................................................................. 2
Coordinate Systems........................................................................ 2
Assigning Coordinate Systems................................................. 3
Finding Maps.................................................................................. 3
ArcGIS Online.......................................................................... 4
Adding Maps................................................................................... 4
Query Maps..................................................................................... 4
Map Behavior.................................................................................. 4
Maps and Transparency............................................................ 5
Take Map Snapshots................................................................. 5

Creating GIS Layers............................................................................. 5
History: CAD in ArcGIS Desktop.................................................. 5
Creating CAD Files with ArcGIS................................................... 6
Creating GIS Layers in ArcGIS for AutoCAD............................... 6
Working with Attributes................................................................. 7

GIS Data Models................................................................................... 7
CAD Standards............................................................................... 7
Esri Industry Data Models.............................................................. 8


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Contents Page

Importing Schemas......................................................................... 8
Integrating CAD Template Files..................................................... 8
IntelliCAD, AutoCAD LT, MicroStation, and
Other DWG File Editors......................................................... 9

Customizing ArcGIS for AutoCAD...................................................... 9
User Interfaces................................................................................ 9
Ribbon....................................................................................... 9
Functional Panels...................................................................... 10
AutoCAD's Property Pane........................................................ 10
AutoCAD's Quick Properties.................................................... 10
Commands................................................................................ 10
AutoLISP Functions........................................................................ 10
AutoCAD APIs............................................................................... 10
Integrating with ArcGIS Geoprocessing................................... 10

Selection Tools...................................................................................... 11
The Current Feature Class.............................................................. 11
Select and Zoom............................................................................. 11
AutoCAD SELECT with Feature Class Filtering........................... 11
Feature Classes as Super and Sub Types........................................ 11

Conclusion............................................................................................ 11










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ArcGIS for AutoCAD 250

Introduction Esri's ArcGIS

for AutoCAD

is a free, downloadable plug-in to

AutoCAD that provides interoperability between AutoCAD and ArcGIS.
With ArcGIS for AutoCAD, users gain easy access to free and premium
geographic information system (GIS) maps hosted on ArcGIS
SM
Online, as
well as enterprise GIS maps published by ArcGIS Server, from within the
AutoCAD drafting environment.

ArcGIS for AutoCAD provides the ability to prepare attributes for GIS layers for use
with the ArcGIS platform. This functionality is executed within AutoCAD and complies
with existing CAD standards.

Esri's ArcGIS for AutoCAD has extended the software to provide an interface to the
ArcGIS system and support interoperability between AutoCAD and ArcGIS.

Who Uses
ArcGIS for
AutoCAD?


Using GIS Maps in
CAD
ArcGIS for AutoCAD is used by private engineering firms; public works departments;
electric, water, and gas utilities; mining, pipeline, and oil exploration firms; site
designers; and a host of other professionals that work in AutoCAD and want to gain
access to the wealth of mapping information stored in ArcGIS. These professionals also
use ArcGIS for AutoCAD to gain access to maps available for free in the Internet cloud
from such sources as ArcGIS Online.

Creating GIS Data in
CAD
ArcGIS for AutoCAD users are also typified by consultants, developers, and designers
working in AutoCAD and seeking to utilize data exported from ArcGIS. Conversely, they
are also creating attributed GIS layers within AutoCAD files ready for direct use in the
ArcGIS system.

Benefits of
ArcGIS for
AutoCAD


Connecting to the
"Right" GIS
Using ArcGIS for AutoCAD allows AutoCAD users access to the ArcGIS system. This
system comprises the world's premier GIS technology. Rather than inventing or
interfacing with some alternative GIS, users can implement ArcGIS for AutoCAD to
access ArcGIS and a wealth of maps, data, and GIS technology provided and managed in
the pervasive ArcGIS system.

ArcGIS for AutoCAD provides relevant GIS tools for those that need access in
AutoCAD. Not all GIS functionality may be appropriate for a handheld device such as a
smartphone, and not all ArcGIS functionality is appropriate in the CAD environment.
ArcGIS for AutoCAD provides simple GIS schema management tools and access to
maps. This, combined with the extensive collection of geometric tools available in
AutoCAD, produces an effective means to generate GIS content and take advantage of
GIS for better, more informed design.



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A Common
Operating Picture
AutoCAD users save time by accessing GIS basemaps directly in their drafting
environments when working on projects that require information about that infrastructure
and other design constraints stored in the GIS system. AutoCAD users are connected to
the up-to-date view of the GIS, because the GIS itself is providing the maps.

Streamlined Data
Flow
Draftspersons working with the data management tools of ArcGIS for AutoCAD can
embed GIS information in their AutoCAD files for future GIS users. This means that
AutoCAD files can be drafted with existing CAD standards and workflows, then GIS
professionals can use those same drawings and understand their GIS content without the
need for interpretation, conversion, or translation. This reduces ambiguity, increases data
quality, and improves the efficiency with which data flows within an organization or
between different organizations that work with both ArcGIS and AutoCAD.

Key Features of
ArcGIS for
AutoCAD


Maps and Imagery
for Context
Imagery is an efficient way to gain a wealth of information about a project area. Maps
and imagery in AutoCAD add powerful visual context to clarify the conditions and
characteristics of a project site. One of the primary uses of ArcGIS for AutoCAD is to
allow users to easily add maps and imagery to the AutoCAD design/drafting
environment. These maps may be served over the Internet from the cloud. Other maps
may be accessed and used from within an organization's enterprise network, making the
treasure trove of GIS information managed by ArcGIS Server available to the AutoCAD
users in the organization.

Authoritative Maps
for Design
Constraints
Maps generated to tell stories, provide domain-specific information, describe geographic
features, depict infrastructure locations and their physical properties, and outline
transportation systems or landownership can become authoritative references to projects.
With these interactive maps in their drawing sessions, users have a way to constantly
reference this information regarding constraints to design efforts.

Interoperability
between ArcGIS and
AutoCAD
Improvements to the way ArcGIS software reads and writes AutoCAD files allow
attributed GIS feature layers to be stored inside a standard AutoCAD DWG

file.
ArcGIS Desktop applications, like ArcMap

and Esri's free ArcGIS for AutoCAD plug-

in, can read and write this style of data, making interoperability and file sharing between
ArcGIS and AutoCAD greatly simplified and superior to using an intermediate file such
as a shapefile.

Using Map Services
Map services in ArcGIS for AutoCAD are dynamic maps that appear as images displayed
behind the graphics in the drawing session. More than just images, however, these maps
are created dynamically by an ArcGIS server based on the current state of the GIS data.
ArcGIS for AutoCAD users see the current view of the GIS, and it is the GIS that is
creating the map. The features on the map can also be queried for their database
attributes, giving AutoCAD users the ability to interrogate the drawings for the voltage of
an underground electric line or the rim elevation of a manhole depicted on a map, for
example. Maps are accurately positioned in the drawing and can be controlled to optimize
the visual display, content layers, and frequency of updating based on the performance of
the connection to the maps being served.

Coordinate Systems
The coordinate systems of maps can vary based on their intended use. Because the earth
is roughly a sphere, and most maps require a two-dimensional representation on a digital
display screen or as a printed map, coordinate systems have been developed to


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Esri Technical Paper 3
geometrically express the entire globe or some region of the globe in two dimensions.
The different techniques used to project the 3D surface into a 2D plane introduce various
distortions. To minimize distortions of shape or area, or distance in a specific area, a
coordinate system is defined for that area of interest. Commonly, when a map depicts a
large area, a particular distortion is allowed in order to minimize other distortions. When
a map covers just a local city or township, it is more useful to maintain it in a projected
coordinate system that seeks to minimize all distortions.

By definition, geometric distortions are magnified as the user moves farther out from the
center of the area in which a projected coordinate system was defined. One way to
visualize the issue is to take a small piece of paper and flatten it against a globe; this is
relatively easy. Taking a large piece of paper and wrapping it around a larger area on a
globe results in the paper getting wrinkled and folded; that is an example of the necessary
distortions.

It is common for a map on the Internet that covers the entire globe to have a global
coordinate system (GCS) whose coordinates are defined with latitude and longitude.
Authors of CAD drawings will select the appropriate coordinate system based on their
own needs. Most drawings in CAD are drawn in State Plane, universal transverse
Mercator (UTM), or some other projected coordinate system in either feet or meters,
because they usually depict design projects in a localized area, and there is a desire to
minimize all geometric distortions. ArcGIS for AutoCAD allows users to specify the
coordinate system of a drawing before they add maps to it so that if maps are served in
some other coordinate system (such as GCS), ArcGIS for AutoCAD will understand how
they should be positioned correctly in the drawing session. By default, not specifying the
coordinate system of a drawing will cause the program to automatically assign the
coordinate system of the drawing to any map that is added. Users not desiring this are
encouraged to always identify which coordinate system they are working in first before
adding maps.

Assigning Coordinate
Systems
AutoCAD files don't inherently store a coordinate system definition. Although an
AutoCAD file may have been drawn using the coordinate values of a particular
coordinate system, ArcGIS users benefit from an understanding of what the coordinates
in the drawing mean by identifying their mathematical definitions. ArcGIS for AutoCAD
and ArcGIS recognize coordinate systems and can incorporate data from various
coordinate systems into an integrated view. Other AutoCAD add-on applications, such as
AutoCAD Map 3D, might have their own methods of working with coordinate systems,
but they are neither integrated with standard AutoCAD nor supported by ArcGIS for
AutoCAD or ArcGIS.

ArcGIS for AutoCAD includes thousands of nominal coordinate system definitions to
choose from to display the coordinate system used in an AutoCAD file. When an
AutoCAD drawing has a coordinate system definition, the meaning of the coordinates
and the maps' intended position on the globe are implicitly understood. Furthermore,
when ArcGIS for AutoCAD accesses content from the ArcGIS system, such as a map
from the Web, this content will be properly positioned even when maps are defined using
some other coordinate system.

Finding Maps
A significant part of the ArcGIS system involves the publishing and discovery of maps.
Esri maintains a useful set of maps that can be easily added to any drawing with a single
click. These maps include street maps, topography, and imagery information for the
entire globe. To add any of these maps from ArcGIS Online to a drawing, users simply
select the Esri Maps button on the ArcGIS for AutoCAD ribbon interface.



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ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online supports sharing and finding map information from a variety of sources
and the GIS community at large. The search capability of ArcGIS Online allows users
to search for relevant content shared by the global community of GIS users or share
secure GIS information only for a particular enterprise or collaborative effort. ArcGIS
Online will become a progressively more important part of ArcGIS for AutoCAD and the
ArcGIS system.

Adding Maps
Adding a map to an AutoCAD drawing requires only the selection of a thumbnail image
of one of the useful maps from the Esri Maps gallery; the thumbnail representation is
accessible from the prominent button on the ribbon interface. The selected map is added
and positioned accurately in the current drawing session.

Optionally, using the Add Map function found on the Map Service Management panel
lets users connect to a specific GIS server by entering its URL and browsing to the
desired map.

Any map can be added to a list of favorite maps for quick recall in other drawings with a
single click from the favorites list, which is also provided as a button on the ArcGIS for
AutoCAD main ribbon interface.

Query Maps
Maps in a drawing add a wealth of information by their simple visual context. The type
of soils, the location of buildings and other infrastructure from imagery, or the location of
underground utilities can be determined by simply adding finished maps to a drawing.
When ArcGIS Server administrators publish their maps, they have the option to publish
attribute information that describes the various features included in the maps. The
Identify tool of ArcGIS for AutoCAD allows users to query the attributes of features on
these maps to check, for instance, the invert elevation of a sewer pipe, the voltage of an
underground power line, or the metadata of a survey control point.

Map Behavior
When a new map is added to an ArcGIS for AutoCAD session, it is placed on the bottom
of the drawing stack and positioned correctly based on the coordinate system of the
drawing. It is added to its own AutoCAD layer as a dynamic custom AutoCAD entity.
Connections to the dynamic map services are stored in the drawing when the drawing is
saved, and connections to those included map services are reestablished when a drawing
is closed and reopened with ArcGIS for AutoCAD.

The order in which multiple maps are drawn on top of one another can be controlled by
pushing the selected map to the back of the drawing stack using a tool on the Map
Service Management interface.

By default, maps will cover the current drawing view extents, and a new version of the
map will be generated when the drawing view is significantly changed. This dynamic
drawing behavior ensures that imagery and maps cover the entire view display with an
appropriate level of detail. Based on the performance of map retrieval from the map
server, users may want to suspend the default dynamic drawing behavior of a map and
control the refreshing of the map on demand. The performance speed with which maps
appear from servers over the World Wide Web can vary dramatically, whereas maps
served from within a local area network typically appear more quickly.

Users can suspend the display of individual maps included in a drawing by toggling the
display of the maps on and off using the visibility property of a map. Visibility is
controlled from the Map Service Management interface in ArcGIS for AutoCAD.



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Maps and
Transparency
Because there can be more than one map in a drawing, users may want to see content
from several maps together. Maps can be published by the ArcGIS Server administrator
with white space that appears transparent. The transparency property in AutoCAD allows
users to set the transparency of the AutoCAD layer on which a map is displayed.
Controlling the transparency and drawing order provides a wide variety of composite
map results to fit a particular use.

Take Map Snapshots
A snapshot of any dynamic map added to ArcGIS for AutoCAD can be converted to a
standard AutoCAD raster reference entity in a drawing. This disconnected map is
positioned correctly in the drawing, and a raster image is stored locally on the disk. These
disconnected maps cannot be queried for attributes; they are simple raster snapshots of a
dynamic map service.

Creating GIS Layers
ArcGIS Desktop can directly use CAD files as GIS layers in a map or as input to GIS
analysis tools. The default behavior of ArcGIS Desktop when reading CAD files is to
treat the AutoCAD or MicroStation files as a folder of feature layers organized based on
the criterion of geometric type: POINT, POLYLINE, POLYGON, MULTIPATCH, and
ANNOTATION. CAD data is used in ArcGIS like any other GIS content.

The CAD POLYLINE feature class contains all the linear entities in a CAD file. All the
CAD entities with a single coordinate geometry are included in the CAD POINT feature
class. Similarly, all the polygonal entities are represented in the CAD POLYGON feature
class.

CAD data can be added to an ArcGIS map or used as input to analysis tools in the same
manner as other layers from an Esri

geodatabase or a shapefile.

CAD drawing authors organize their drawings in various ways; most common is to
organize a drawing based on a series of named CAD layers. Sometimes CAD files are
organized using CAD layers, whereby an entire system of similar data is isolated on a
single AutoCAD layer. Other times, various objects that might be considered two
different GIS datasets might be on the same layer but distinguished by a different color or
line style. Still others that might be considered one GIS dataset might be spread out on
multiple CAD layers.

History: CAD in
ArcGIS Desktop
Historically, to make CAD files more usable as GIS content, it has been common for
users of ArcMap to add a CAD feature class as a layer in a map, then create a subset of
those geometries by using a definition query. Knowledge of how the CAD file is
organized is necessary for the ArcMap users to filter the contents of the CAD files to
isolate the desired subset as useful GIS features. The criterion for how the drawing
should be filtered is some combination of the CAD graphic properties that were used by
the drawing's author to distinguish one group of CAD entities from another. The
commonly used graphic properties used to distinguish one set of data from another are
the CAD layer name, color, block name, and line style. There is a host of other graphic
properties that can also be used.

Arguably, the effort of interpreting the meaning of CAD entities and organizing those
entities as useful GIS layers is and might remain a difficult or impossible task without a
full understanding of how the drawing was authored or without implementing the data
creation strategies in ArcGIS for AutoCAD. Although AutoCAD can be extended to store
attribution of objects using various strategies, there has not existed a standard, reliable
way to share attributes between ArcGIS and AutoCAD. Historically, a common means of
attributing CAD files has been to include attributes on block inserts and putting text
entities near or inside the boundaries of objects they are intended to describe. This is


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acceptable for points but becomes more complicated for lines and polygons. It is possible
to establish a spatial link between these text and feature objects in ArcGIS using spatial
joining techniques, but there is always some level of ambiguity when one text object may
be closer to another object than the one it is intended to describe, the text does not fit
within the object, or the association of the text with the parent entity is otherwise unclear.

This ambiguity of interpreting CAD files as GIS content and the inability to reliably
attach attributes to CAD entities has led Esri to create a better way to share attributed GIS
layers between ArcGIS and AutoCAD.

Creating CAD Files
with ArcGIS
When AutoCAD files are created by ArcGIS Desktop, the coordinate system definition is
written, along with the geometries, into the CAD file. Named GIS layers are established
in the AutoCAD file, and all the descriptive attributes inherent with the GIS layers are
retained on the resultant AutoCAD entities. The result is an AutoCAD file that is fully
CAD based while retaining an understanding of attributed collections of GIS features.
The result is a representation of the GIS features in AutoCAD as AutoCAD entities along
with the GIS schema associated with the original GIS data. The data fidelity and ease of
creating and distributing attributed AutoCAD files in this way make sharing GIS data
with AutoCAD users superior to other workflows that involve intermediate data files
such as Esri shapefiles.

When an AutoCAD file created by ArcGIS is viewed in ArcGIS, the default view of the
AutoCAD drawing as a folder of GIS layers is extended to include not only the default
geometry-based filtering (POINT, POLYLINE, POLYGON, ANNOTATION, and
MULTIPATCH) but also distinct subsets of information that represent the named
attributed GIS layers, like WATERLINES, PARCELS, and ELECTRIC LINES, that
were exported.

Creating GIS Layers
in ArcGIS for
AutoCAD
ArcGIS for AutoCAD has the ability to create named attributed GIS layers within
AutoCAD files using simple AutoCAD entities. The ribbon interface allows users to
define filtering criteria to establish which AutoCAD entities in the drawing are to be
considered members of one GIS layer or another. The criteria for describing a filtering
query are the AutoCAD graphic properties that are normally used by the drawing author
to distinguish one set of entities from another. The techniques used to distinguish sets of
data within drawings are effectively the CAD drafting standards.

The technique for defining the GIS interpretation of an existing or new AutoCAD file is a
simple exercise of recording how the CAD standard should be interpreted by the GIS
user. Seldom do all the AutoCAD entities of a drawing need to be members of one or
another GIS layer. Defining just the GIS-relevant content allows complex drawings
often created for some use other than GISto be quickly understood by the ArcGIS user.
Commonly, the primary intent of the drawing is to document how something is to be
built. Even so, the important as-built changes need to be readily understood when the
drawing is passed on to the GIS group.

ArcGIS for AutoCAD allows users to define subsets of the drawing as GIS layers. This
provides a self-evident way to interpret the AutoCAD drawing as GIS content. GIS layers
in ArcGIS for AutoCAD also provide a way to create attributed entities and specify the
coordinate system used in the drawing. There is no need to purchase additional software
to convert or share the data between ArcGIS and AutoCAD. The AutoCAD drawing files
support GIS curves and annotation, whereas the shapefile method of sharing data does
not.



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Because the ArcGIS for AutoCAD GIS layer definition technique is a filtering process
applied to the drawing, the CAD operator does not need to explicitly create GIS features.
AutoCAD users simply draft as they normally would. In fact, if the GIS filtering
definitions are already in the AutoCAD file, such as when they are included in a template
drawing, AutoCAD draftspersons do not even need to have the ArcGIS for AutoCAD
application to create entities considered as GIS features (although they would not be able
to see or add attributes without the software). Any entities drawn satisfying a given
filtering criteria would be understood by ArcGIS and ArcGIS for AutoCAD as members
of a given GIS layer.

The tools in ArcGIS for AutoCAD can be used solely within AutoCAD to help organize
and manage attributes within CAD drawings independent of any future use of those files
by ArcGIS Desktop.

Working with
Attributes
Any number of user-defined attributes can be associated with the entities qualifying for a
feature class in ArcGIS for AutoCAD. These attributes can be real numbers, text, or
integers and have a logical name and default value. Any entity that qualifies as a member
of a given feature class as described by its filtering criteria can hold the attributes. Those
attributes are defined using ArcGIS for AutoCAD and/or are established when data is
exported from ArcGIS into an AutoCAD file.

The standard property panel of AutoCAD is extended by ArcGIS for AutoCAD to
display and edit these user-defined attribute values. Therefore, the means to edit the
attribute values of a feature is simply to edit the properties found on the entity with the
extended property panel of AutoCAD.

GIS Data Models
GIS layers can be defined using the tools provided in ArcGIS for AutoCAD, and schema
information is automatically generated in AutoCAD files when ArcGIS creates or
appends to AutoCAD files. Therefore, it is possible to easily work with schema
information based on industry-standard schemas from the GIS system either by encoding
the schema using ArcGIS for AutoCAD or using ArcGIS to export sample dataor even
blank datasetsinto an AutoCAD file as a way to transfer the schema into a format for
use in ArcGIS for AutoCAD.

CAD Standards
It is considered best practice to define feature classes in ArcGIS for AutoCAD based on a
single distinct AutoCAD layer, then draw member entities on that layer. However, there
are any number of reasons why this simple approach may need to be expanded. When
existing workflows require it, the filtering criteria for the definition of a feature class can
include various graphic properties in combination, such that membership can be
established based on the inclusion of one of several AutoCAD layers or the combination
of a layer and a color or line style. That said, the best choice is to follow the common
wisdomsimple is better.

The flexibility of the filtering criteria to define membership of features in a feature class
is powerful and can be worth the added complexity, because it affords the opportunity to
draft CAD files to existing CAD standards while at the same time establishing a GIS
view of those same entities. The GIS view can be created without changing the method in
which drawings are created or their layering or symbolic representation. Users can
employ the National CAD Standard with its layer naming convention and still create
simple GIS layers with their own GIS grouping and naming conventions.

There is seldom a one-to-one correspondence between the way data is drawn in
AutoCAD and the way it needs to be organized in a GIS system. Convention might
dictate that water lines be drawn on three different AutoCAD layers based on their use,


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material, or diameter, for example, but when considered as GIS features, they should be
combined as a single dataset. Conversely, some objects typically drafted on the same
layer in AutoCAD might need to be separated into multiple GIS feature classes. In such
cases, a combination of other graphic properties, such as color or block name, needs to be
used in the filtering criteria to distinguish between the entities.

Esri Industry Data
Models
The Esri vision is to build many industry-specific data models. The basic goals are to
simplify the process of implementing new projects and promote and support standards
that exist in user communities. Academic and industry leaders collaborate with Esri to
create and design data model templates that can be used with one GIS platform. The
result is a set of data model structures that can be implemented for each of the industries
and scientific disciplines that Esri serves. The many different data model examples allow
users to download information about the model. Some examples include sample data and
diagrams of the attributes and relationships. Some, like the water data model, also include
a sample AutoCAD drawing.

There is nothing technically different between a feature class in an AutoCAD file
generated from exporting existing GIS data to AutoCAD using ArcGIS and a schema
created from scratch from within ArcGIS for AutoCAD. Esri industry-standard data
models contain a suggested GIS schema for a particular use. Within ArcGIS, they are a
definition of the suggested geometry and attributes to model a particular set or system of
data for a given use. The industry data models listed on Esri.com were generated from a
collaboration of customers and Esri professional services groups as a template or
suggestion for best practices. These data models have been found by many to function as
a good starting place when implementing a geographic information system managing a
particular type of data such as parcels, water systems, hydrology, or a host of other
industry-specific domains.

Note: Although not all the geometric types or database relationships included in an Esri
industry-standard GIS data model are supported in the ArcGIS for AutoCAD plug-in,
much can be accomplished in the way of interoperability when GIS data represented as
attributed feature classes of points, lines, areas, and text can be created and manipulated
using the software. There is an appropriate use of CAD integration with the ArcGIS
system that falls short of what might be called "ArcGIS within AutoCAD" and is closer
to "ArcGIS for AutoCAD."

Importing Schemas
Another source of schema definitions for use in ArcGIS for AutoCAD is other AutoCAD
files in which the GIS schema is already defined. ArcGIS for AutoCAD allows users to
import the schema definitions included in one AutoCAD file into their specified
AutoCAD file. This helps avoid the redundant work of redefining an existing schema for
a similarly constructed drawing or adapting an existing schema to a drawing constructed
with a different CAD standard. In such cases, the attribute definitions and feature class
names will be the same, but the filtering criteria may be different.

Integrating CAD
Template Files
It is common practice in AutoCAD to start each new drawing with a template file, which
is essentially a blank AutoCAD drawing where layers and symbology, and perhaps other
graphic marginalia, that are useful for productivity have been predefined. This template
file is used as a starting point for new projects. An organization may have different
template files for different types of projects.

When implementing ArcGIS for AutoCAD, users should consider including GIS map
references and schema in the template files. Template files can go a long way to assist
AutoCAD users in setting up their drawings to include GIS data creation capabilities


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based on their CAD standards and to provide specific map service content relevant to
their work.

IntelliCAD,
AutoCAD LT,
MicroStation, and
Other DWG File
Editors
The schema information and coordinate system information of drawings created with
ArcGIS for AutoCAD or exported from ArcGIS are stored as standard AutoCAD
nongraphic entities completely within the AutoCAD file. Feature class definitions are just
definitions of how the drawing should be interpreted. Entities created or modified in the
drawing file qualify for certain feature classes based on that filtering criteria, so any valid
editor of a DWG-formatted file can be used to build GIS content. This includes software
where ArcGIS for AutoCAD is not running or supported. In such cases, users would have
neither map service capability nor the ability to see or manipulate attributes.

IntelliCAD, MicroStation, and AutoCAD LT are all able to modify, delete, and add
geometries to such files. Later, when these drawings are used in either ArcGIS for
AutoCAD or ArcGIS Desktop, the geometries would be sorted according to their various
feature class definitions stored in the AutoCAD file independent of the entities and safely
stored and carried along with the file.

Customizing ArcGIS
for AutoCAD
ArcGIS for AutoCAD is built as an extension to Autodesk

AutoCAD software, and the

data structures and content used are standard AutoCAD graphic and nongraphic DWG
entities. As such, the same methods for customizing standard AutoCAD are all useful for
customizing ArcGIS for AutoCAD. AutoCAD customizable interfaces, AutoLISP, or
scripting can all be used to customize ArcGIS for AutoCAD.

The tools provided in the ArcGIS for AutoCAD application programming interface (API)
can also be built from scratch using the standard AutoCAD APIs since the former is
really built from the latter and all objects in the drawing are DWG objects. The included
API gives users direct access to the functionality of ArcGIS for AutoCAD, as well as
objects of specific interest, to make it easier to customize and build useful ArcGIS for
AutoCAD software-based applications.

The ArcGIS for AutoCAD Help system includes a section on the Mapping Specification
for CAD (MSC), which is a description of how ArcGIS for AutoCAD uses AutoCAD
nongraphic entities to store the necessary information to support coordinate system
identification, feature class definitions, and attributes schema on graphic entitiesGIS
layers in ArcGIS for AutoCAD.

User Interfaces
The functionality of ArcGIS for AutoCAD is provided primarily from the ribbon
interface. There are functional panels accessed from the ribbon that control various
parameters of different objects managed by ArcGIS for AutoCAD. Several of the
standard AutoCAD interfaces have been extended to access content managed by ArcGIS
for AutoCAD. The entity property sheet is one example, whereas other interfaces, such as
the layer management dialog box, are purely AutoCAD interfaces but are echoed on the
ArcGIS for AutoCAD ribbon because they are equally useful to workflows in that
program. There is no need to load a menu file or custom user interface (CUI) for ArcGIS
for AutoCAD; the ribbon interface is generated dynamically when the application is
loaded.

Ribbon
The primary interface provided in ArcGIS for AutoCAD is the ribbon. It contains buttons
to access the major functionality panels and useful tools for working in ArcGIS for
AutoCAD. The behavior of the ribbon conforms to the standard implementation of
customized ribbons in AutoCAD. It can be hidden, docked, or floating and can be
presented in different states of larger and smaller button presentations.


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Functional Panels
Some of the more advanced functionality and less frequently used configuration
parameters are accessed through the major functional panels that are invoked from
buttons on the ribbon. Various properties settings and configuration options are included
on these panels.

AutoCAD's Property
Pane
The standard AutoCAD property pane can be invoked by right-clicking on any entity or
series of selected entities and choosing the Properties option from the context menu. This
AutoCAD interface is extended by ArcGIS for AutoCAD to present a means to edit any
of the attributes defined in the schema of which the entity or entities are a member. The
multiselect and variant behavior of the property pane is the same whether working with
the standard AutoCAD graphic properties or the extended attributes of the ArcGIS for
AutoCAD schema.

AutoCAD's Quick
Properties
Similarly, AutoCAD's Quick Property and Rollover functions have been extended to
allow users to define the behavior of this functionality to present the ArcGIS for
AutoCAD schema in the same way they might use it to display the AutoCAD graphic
properties they are most interested in viewing and modifying in a more automated
fashion or for quick review.

Commands
Most of the major functionality to add and configure data is also provided in the form of
ArcGIS for AutoCAD commands that can be typed at the AutoCAD command line,
included within scripts, or invoked from the various AutoCAD APIs.

AutoLISP Functions
There are a number of AutoLISP functions included with ArcGIS for AutoCAD that are
designed to help build AutoLISP applications to automate and control data creation and
the display of map services in drawing sessions. These tools allow access to high-level
control of the various objects introduced to AutoCAD by ArcGIS for AutoCAD. These
functions give quick access to objects to add, remove, and modify feature classes, their
schema and attribute values, and maps and their visibility.

AutoCAD APIs
Attributed GIS layers are implemented in ArcGIS for AutoCAD using bits of information
relating standard graphic and nongraphic entities available completely within the
AutoCAD DWG file. ArcGIS for AutoCAD uses only standard entities common to
AutoCAD DWG files to accomplish this; therefore, knowing the data structure of this
information can be used to anticipate and control the entities in the drawing using the
existing AutoCAD API tools to manipulate the ArcGIS for AutoCAD objects in the
drawing. For cases where the existing AutoLISP tools are not explicit or flexible enough
to accomplish a desired task, users can create their own version of those tools or even
more powerful tools to manipulate the same information using knowledge of the mapping
specification for drawings and AutoCAD APIs.

Integrating with
ArcGIS
Geoprocessing
Because both ArcGIS Desktop and AutoCAD are extensible and support the same CAD
feature classes, users can in a straightforward manner work with the APIs of both to
access functionality from ArcGIS Desktop in the form of geoprocessing and the API in
AutoCAD. The two can be used together to perform GIS analysis, then display the results
of that analysis within AutoCAD. This works because ArcGIS Desktop accepts feature
classes in an AutoCAD file from ArcGIS for AutoCAD as valid input to geoprocessing
tools, and geoprocessing includes the tool Export To CAD, which creates feature class
data in an AutoCAD format that ArcGIS for AutoCAD readily understands. The
combination of the two applications can be integrated in some interesting and useful
ways.



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Within an enterprise, users can pragmatically access the geoprocessing functionality
made available through an ArcGIS Server license to create integrated applications in a
similar fashion.

Selection Tools
ArcGIS for AutoCAD includes a number of methods for selecting AutoCAD entities that
participate as members of GIS layers. Because these objects are standard AutoCAD
entities, all the standard AutoCAD selection methods also work with members of ArcGIS
for AutoCAD GIS layers. In many ways, the definition of a GIS feature layer is itself a
form of stored selection set or, perhaps more accurately, a selection filter. ArcGIS for
AutoCAD includes a series of tools that allow users to perform attribute- and graphic-
based selection with the precondition that the objects must also belong to a given ArcGIS
for AutoCAD feature class.

The Current Feature
Class
ArcGIS for AutoCAD maintains the concept of a current feature class. This feature class
could be either nothingif there are no feature classes, for example, in the drawingor
any of the feature classes defined in the drawing. The current feature class is used as the
prefiltered target of the various selection tools. There are two different ways on the
standard user interface to set the current feature class. It can be set from the pull-down
list on the Select panel of the ribbon or from the similar pull-down menu on the feature
class management panel.

Select and Zoom The selecting and zooming functions are located on both the Select panel of the ribbon
and the toolbar of the feature class management panel. Simply pushing the select and
zoom button selects the members of the current feature class and changes the drawing
view to the extents of the members of the selection.

AutoCAD SELECT
with Feature Class
Filtering
The Select by Feature Class button on the Select panel of the ribbon invokes the general
AutoCAD SELECT command but will prefilter the results based on the currently selected
feature class.

Feature Classes as
Super and Sub Types
Another form of selection is the feature class query definition itself. Because membership
in a feature class is based on a filtering criterion, it is possible for one entity to satisfy the
filtering criteria of any number of different feature class definitions. This can be used
when geometry, such as a river, truly does perform the function of two separate types of
features, such as a county boundary and a river feature. An entity's qualification as a
member of multiple feature classes can also be used solely as an organizing mechanism
for the drawing. Users can, for example, develop a super feature class to include all the
underground features of water, sewer, electrical, and gas in a single Utilities feature class.
The Utilities feature class can then be queried and used in selections even though all its
members also belong to other feature classes, where their attributes and schemas are
recorded independently.

Users can also deploy the capabilities of feature classes and selection to create groups of
entities for the sole purpose of data production editing and management within the
AutoCAD drawing. Even when the data is never intended for use as GIS data, the tools
can be used to advantage when working with pure CAD data to select, manage, and add
attributes to any AutoCAD entities.

Conclusion
ArcGIS for AutoCAD allows easy access to imagery and other valuable maps from
ArcGIS Online to give context to projects in AutoCAD. When it is used as part of the
integrated ArcGIS system, users of ArcGIS Server can provide the same map service
content to their AutoCAD users that they do to the GIS software clients within their
organization. This common operating picture allows everyone in the organization to be
working from a common basemap without putting a burden on CAD users to convert,


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configure, and translate raw GIS data simply to access the information they need
managed by the GIS and have already skillfully presented in the form of cartographic
map products.

Using Esri coordinate system definitions in AutoCAD drawings ensures that stores of
global datasets will be positioned correctly within drawings, which will then be more
valuable as GIS content because their global position has been made known.

ArcGIS for AutoCAD makes CAD drawings into valuable input to ArcGIS by creating
attributed feature classes; CAD data organization standards and existing workflows can
assist and facilitate this capability rather than introducing foreign data constructs or
custom entities.

ArcGIS for AutoCAD can also be helpful to AutoCAD users who need to read the GIS
information created for them in ArcGIS Desktop. These AutoCAD users can, with
ArcGIS for AutoCAD, also create data for ArcGIS Desktop users employing only their
existing AutoCAD software and the free ArcGIS for AutoCAD download.

Download ArcGIS for AutoCAD from Esri now at esri.com/AutoCADapp.
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About Esri
Since 1969, Esri has been helping
organizations map and model our
world. Esris GIS software tools
and methodologies enable these
organizations to effectively analyze
and manage their geographic
information and make better
decisions. They are supported by our
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and extensive network of business
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A full-service GIS company, Esri
supports the implementation of GIS
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These GIS solutions are fexible,
customizable, and easy to use.
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Esri software is used by hundreds
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apply GIS to solve problems and
make our world a better place to
live. We pay close attention to our
users to ensure they have the best
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missions. A comprehensive suite of
training options offered worldwide
helps our users fully leverage their
GIS applications.
Esri is a socially conscious business,
actively supporting organizations
involved in education, conservation,
sustainable development, and
humanitarian affairs.
Contact Esri
1-800-GIS-XPRT (1-800-447-9778)
Phone: 909-793-2853
Fax: 909-793-5953
[email protected]
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