August 11, 2009:
MOBA 3D Machine Control System with Software Engine Powered by Carlson Software
Combine MOBA know-how in machine control systems with the expertise of Carlson Software in 3D software development and you get the rugged, precise, and easy-to-use MOBA 3D Machine Control System powered by Carlson Grade. For Detailed Information.
July 29, 2009:
RDO Equipment to distribute Carlson Software machine control products
A new division within RDO Equipment, RDO Integrated Controls (RDOIC), will be distributing Carlson Software's line of machine control productsin Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. They will provide a training center and a full service center for Machine Control and GPS repairs and calibrations. For Detailed Information.
June 15, 2009:
Send Us Your Tired, Your Worn, Your Broken Down Old Data Collectors
Carlson Software is recycling the data collectors of all different makes, styles and vintage that have been piling up at the Carlson Software distribution center here ever since the introduction of Carlson’s popular new Surveyor and Surveyor+ data collectors last September. Carlson's trade-in program allows people to trade up for the new Surveyor+ and save up to $1500. For Detailed Information.
June 9, 2009:
Hardware and Software Review: Carlson Surveyor and Carlson SurvCE
If you're in the market for an extremely durable, fast, comfortable and well-equipped data collector, check out the Carlson Surveyor. So writes Shawn Billings in the most recent issue of the American Surveyor. Based on drafting specifications by the folks at Carlson Software, he adds, and using the very reputable people at Juniper Systems to make it a reality, this unique data collector merits attention. Read More.
 
 
 
AutoCAD Related Procedures
 
[Architectual Unit] [Map Conversion] [Plot Files] [Plot to Raster]
 
Architectual Unit
 
Handling Architectural Drawings
In SurvCADD (used for civil engineering, mining, and surveying), 1 drawing unit = 1 foot. Most architectural drawings are drawn where 1 drawing unit = 1 inch.
 
A common problem is a civil/survey firm receives an architectural drawing and then realizes that everything seems 12 times too large. Let's say you inverse between two endpoints of a line and the result is 144.00 feet. Remember that SurvCADD always works in feet. 144 is the length of the line, so SurvCADD reports that length at 144 feet, but its actually 144 inches (12 feet).
 
This is not an error in SurvCADD or in the way the drawing is prepared.
 
The solution is to scale the drawing down by a factor of 12.
 
Rather than using the AutoCAD scale command, let's use an easier method.
 
AutoCAD R14
1. Open a new empty drawing.
2. On the Draw menu, choose Insert.
3. Press the "File" button.
4. Choose the architectural drawing and press "Open".
5. Uncheck "Specify Parameters on Screen"
6. Turn on the "Explode" toggle.
7. Under "Scale", enter 1/12 for X, Y, and Z.
8. Press OKAutoCAD R2000+
1. Open a new empty drawing.
2. On the Draw menu, choose Insert.
3. Press the "Browse" button.
4. Choose the architectural drawing and press "Open".
5. Uncheck all of the "Specify on Screen" toggles.
6. Turn on the "Explode" Toggle.
7. Under "Scale", enter 1/12 for X, Y, and Z.
8. Press OK.
 
Using the Insert method ensures against scaling a drawing with layers that are locked, frozen, etc.

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Map Conversion
 

Map R2/R3: Converting Drawing Coordinate Systems

This procedure will explain how to convert drawings from one coordinate system to another using AutoCAD Map R2 or R3.  Follow the outline for both versions, when a difference exists between the two follow the instructions for you particular version.

This example will convert a drawing in WV South 27 to WV South 83.  The process will be the same regardless of the original or target system.  We will refer to the original drawing as ORIGINAL.DWG and the new drawing as TARGET.DWG, with the obvious intention of preserving the original drawing.  At your discretion you can overwrite ORIGINAL.DWG with the contents of TARGET.DWG.

Assigning the systems

For Map to successfully produce the conversion, it needs to be told the coordinate system of the original and target drawings.

For MapR2:

 

MapR2 Assign Dialog

 

  1. Start AutoCAD Map with a new, empty drawing.  Do not load the drawing.
  2. From the Map pulldown, choose Map Tools, then Assign Global Coordinate System.
  3. Set the radio button to 'To Current Work Session'.
  4. Choose the Codes button in the center of the dialog to bring up the 'Global Coordinate Systems dialog as shown below.
  5. Pull down the categories pulldown and choose (in this example) USA, West Virginia.
  6. From the list of 'Available Coordinate Systems', choose NAD27 West Virginia State Planes South, US Foot.
  7. The CS Code field should now read: WV-S, which we will assign to the current (target) drawing.
  8. Choose OK to exit the dialog and make this assignment.
  9. Press the Enter key at the command prompt to repeat the ADESETCRDSYS command.
  10. Set the radio button to 'To Selected Source Drawings'.
  11. Choose the Drawings button, select the desired drawing (ORIGINAL.DWG), add it to the selected drawings and choose OK.  The bottom of the assignment dialog should say 1 Drawing(s) Selected.
  12. Choose the Codes button in the center of the dialog to bring up the 'Global Coordinate Systems dialog.
  13. If necessary, pull down the categories pulldown and choose USA, West Virginia.
  14. From the list of 'Available Coordinate Systems', choose NAD83 West Virginia State Planes South, US Foot.
  15. The CS Code field should now read: WV83-SF, which we will assign to the (ORIGINAL.DWG) drawing on disk.
  16. Choose OK to exit the dialog and make this assignment.  This may take a few seconds depending on the size of the drawing.

Global Coordinate Systems

 

For MapR3:

 

MapR3 Assign Dialog

 

  1. Start AutoCAD Map with a new, empty drawing.  Do not load the drawing.
  2. From the Map pulldown, choose Map Tools, then Assign Global Coordinate System.
  3. Choose the Codes button in the 'Current Work Session' section to bring up the 'Global Coordinate Systems dialog as shown above.
  4. Pull down the categories pulldown and choose (in this example) USA, West Virginia.
  5. From the list of 'Available Coordinate Systems', choose NAD27 West Virginia State Planes South, US Foot.
  6. The top edit field should now read: WV-S, which we will assign to the current (target) drawing.
  7. In the middle 'Source Drawings' section, choose the Drawings button, select the desired drawing (ORIGINAL.DWG), add it to the selected drawings and choose OK.  The middle the assignment dialog should say Number of selected source Drawings: 1.
  8. Choose the Codes button in the center of the dialog to bring up the 'Global Coordinate Systems dialog.
  9. If necessary, pull down the categories pulldown and choose USA, West Virginia.
  10. From the list of 'Available Coordinate Systems', choose NAD83 West Virginia State Planes South, US Foot.
  11. The CS Code field should now read: WV83-SF, which we will assign to the (ORIGINAL.DWG) drawing on disk.
  12. Choose OK to exit the dialog and make both assignments.  This may take a few seconds depending on the size of the drawing.

At this point we have assigned coordinate systems to both drawings and are ready to proceed to querying the objects into the current (target) drawing.

Attaching the Source Drawing

At this point we have informed Map about what coordinate system the ORIGINAL.DWG is in, but have not attached it as a source drawing.

 

Define/Modify Drawing Set Dialog

 

  1. From the Map pulldown, choose Drawings, Define/Modify Drawing Set.
  2. Choose the Attach button, select, add, and open the ORIGINAL.DWG.
  3. The dialog should now show your drawing attached and active, then choose OK.

Querying the Objects

AutoCAD Map does the transformation as drawing objects are being queried into the current drawing.  So the next step is to setup a simple query to import all of the objects.

  1. From the Map pulldown, choose Query, Define Query.
  2. Choose the Location button in the lower left.
  3. In the 'Location Condition' dialog, 'All' is the default so simply choose OK.
  4. In the center of the 'Define Query' dialog, set the query mode to 'Draw'.
  5. Choose the Execute Query button to query in the objects.

wpe6.jpg (36507 bytes)


Finishing Up

The geometry is now available in the current drawing in its translated form. Simply do a zoom extents to display the geometry, then save the drawing.

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Plot Files
 

Sending Plot Files in Windows

For Windows 95/98

For Windows NT4.0

For Windows 2000

Windows 95/98:

  1. Create a text file in Notepad with the following line:
    copy %1 \\server\printer 
    (substitute your server and printer names or an LPT port)
  2. Save this text file as "c:\print.bat".
  3. Open Windows Explorer.
  4. Go to the View Menu.
  5. Select Options (or Folder options).
  6. Select "File Types".


  7. Select "AutoCAD Plot" Select "Edit ..."


  8. Select New ...


  9. In "Action", put "Send To Printer"
  10. In "Application used to perform action", put c:\print.bat.
  11. Answer "OK" to close this window.
  12. Highlight "Send to Printer" and then click "Set Default".
  13. Answer "OK" or "Close" to close the remaining windows.


Now if you double-click on a .plt file, it will print to the printer specified in the file "c:\print.bat".

Windows NT 4.0:

  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Go to the View Menu
  3. Select Options (or Folder options)
  4. Select "File Types"


  5. Select "AutoCAD Plot" Select "Edit ..."



  6. Select New ...


  7. In "Action", put "Send To Printer".
  8. In "Application used to perform action", put "cmd.exe /C "copy %1 \\server\plotter"
  9. Answer "OK" to close this window.
  10. Highlight "Send to Printer" and then click "Set Default".
  11. Answer "OK" or "Close" to close the remaining windows.

Now if you double-click on a .plt file, it will print to the printer specified.

Windows 2000:

  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Go to the Tools Menu
  3. Choose Folder Options
  4. Select the File Types Tab

  1. Scroll down to PLT  AutoCAD Plot and select it.
  2. Click the Advanced button

  1. Next, click the New button

The next two steps are Important

  1. If you are printing to a local printer that is attached to your machine, fill out the dialog as shown below (use the correct LPT port for your situation). 

  1. If you are printing to a network printer, fill out the dialog as shown below (use your network printer location, not what is shown in the example. If you don't know the printer location, ask your network administrator)

  1. Close all three dialog boxes.
  2. In windows explorer, when you double click a .PLT file, it will print.
 
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Plot to Raster
 

Plotting to a Raster File

A popular inquiry from AutoCAD users is how to plot a drawing to a raster file (or bitmap/picture). This is often in response to the need to provide a 'picture' of the drawing without actually providing the DWG, or perhaps a drawing is to be displayed in a web page.

First is the simple to use (but less control) command called BMPOUT. It creates a Windows Bitmap .BMP file, appropriate for Paintbrush but not ready for a web page. It captures the whole drawing viewport so center your drawing as well as possible before issuing the command. The following procedures can be used to 'plot' your drawing to a raster file. 

For AutoCAD R14
Setup:
  1. Issue the PREFERENCES command.
  2. Choose the Printer tab.
  3. Choose the New button.
  4. Choose Raster File Formats.
  5. Enter a Description such as 'Raster Plot'.
  6. Choose an output resolution.
    (Consider the resolution of the target device, if the output is to a display, you may want to use 1024x768 or less)
  7. Choose a raster format.
    (None of the choices are ready for web output, but the Windows BMP format is easily converted to such a format with raster converters).
  8. Choose Monochrome or Color.
    (If its a single color line drawing, choosing mono can make for a smaller
    file, otherwise 256 color is your best choice)
  9. Specify the background color.
    (The default is 0=black, acceptable for display but would consume much
    ink/toner if output. So consider color 255 for light white.)
  10. Hit enter for 'Change Anything'
  11. Choose OK to close the dialog.
Use:
  1. Issue the PLOT command.
  2. Choose the 'Device & Default Selection' button.
  3. Choose the 'Raster Plot' setup previously.
  4. Choose the 'File Name' button and designate a file.
  5. Proceed to plot as normal, the output going to the file.

For AutoCAD R2000+
Setup:
  1. Choose File > Plotter Manager.
  2. Choose 'Add-A-Plotter Wizard'.
  3. Choose Next, then Next again (accepting My Computer).
  4. Under Manufacturers, choose 'Raster File Formats'.
  5. Under Models, choose 'Portable Network Graphics PNG'.
    (details on why below)
  6. Choose Next until the Finish button becomes available.
Use:
  1. Issue the Plot Command.
  2. On the Plot Device Tab, choose the PNG output created.
  3. Choose the Properties button, and choose the output resolution desired.
  4. In the lower right corner, specify the path and filename to create.
  5. Switch to Plot Settings tab, specify the window and complete the plot to file.

Why PNG?

You may wonder why the PNG file was chosen. It is a clean highly compressed format. In comparison, the JPG (JPEG) format is absolutely NOT a desirable format for representing linework in raster format. While JPEG is fine for photographs, it is a 'lossy' compression and will produce noticeable 'snow' on line drawings, especially diagonal lines.

The PNG file is your best choice for raster output, or GIF. It is very compact in size and is a 'loseless' compression. It can be displayed by all 'current' web browsers as well.

 
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