Vexed by 3D polylines in Map 3D?

An interesting question came up during the class I taught at Autodesk University last week:

"At what elevation will all of the vertices end up when you convert a 3D polyline to a regular polyline, using the Drawing Cleanup tools?"

The answer is that all of the vertices will be moved to the Z-value of the FIRST vertex of the 3D polyline. For example, if you start with a 3D polyline that was drawn from "10,10,10" to "20,20,20", and then use the Map 3D Drawing Cleanup tools to convert that object to a regular (flat) polyline, then all of the vertices will end up at elevation 10.

For the complete tutorial, (and many others) follow this link...

Vexed by 3D polylines in Map 3D?

DRAGGING to Copy and Move Objects Quickly

For quick repositioning of objects “by eye”, selecting them first and dragging them can be a lot faster than issuing the command first. This is a particularly good technique for last minute repositioning of text labels on a map, once all of the other elements are in place, where absolute precision is less important than fast editing.

For the complete tutorial, (and many others) follow this link...

DRAGGING to Copy and Move Objects Quickly

Windows 7 and AutoCAD Map 3D

As of October 22, 2009 Autodesk has not tested any versions of Map 3D on Windows 7, which doesn't mean it won't work, just that it's not recommended or supported.

Since Windows 7 is now the likely default OS offered on any new hardware for Autodesk products, surely some of you are giving this combination a try. If so, we'd all appreciate hearing about your experience here - please let us know by posting a comment below. Thanks!

Windows 7 and AutoCAD Map 3D

Map 3D - Save Current Map to DWG

A major benefit of AutoCAD Map 3D’s thematic mapping styles is that they do not permanently alter the stylized AutoCAD objects or features, only the way they appear. However, there may be times when you want to save a map styled with the Map 3D Display Manager to a new drawing, permanently fixing the styling as object properties. Or, you may want to share this map with an AutoCAD user, or with someone who uses an earlier version of Map 3D.

The next time you come up with a map in the Display Manager that you want to save out as a separate drawing, use Save Current Map to DWG…


For the complete tutorial, (and many others) follow this link...

Map 3D - Save Current Map to DWG

Map 3D - Tracking Coordinates on the Fly

AutoCAD Map 3D provides a simple way to obtain or enter coordinates from one system, (Lat/Long, for instance), in a drawing which is based on an entirely different system (such as State Plane). This tool is called Coordinate Tracking.

You can select from hundreds of supported coordinate systems, and then see a real-time conversion in the Track Coordinates Palette. Your base drawing coordinates will be displayed normally in the AutoCAD status bar, and the secondary coordinates will be displayed in the floating palette. As you move the cursor and work with entities, both sets of coordinates are available. You can then enter converted coordinates into an active command, by typing them (or pasting them) into the palette and clicking the Digitize button. The converted coordinates are then passed on to the command line.

For the complete tutorial, (and many others) follow this link...

Map 3D - Tracking Coordinates on the Fly

Map 3D - Boundary Trim & Boundary Break

At one point or another, most of us face the tedious prospect of breaking or trimming a lot of drawing objects on different layers. Often, performing each operation individually is simply not practical.

AutoCAD MAP3D offers two great utilities to make these tasks simple and fast: Boundary Trim and Boundary Break. The dialog boxes that control these two tools are very similar.

This tutorial shows how Boundary Trim works. Simply substitute the word trim with break, and most of the information applies to the Boundary Break dialog box, as well.

For the complete tutorial, (and many others) follow this link...

Map 3D - Boundary Trim & Boundary Break