CARLSON SOFTWARE CONFERENCE
DANIEL V. SYPERSMA
VICTOR GRAPHICS
START WITH A
ANNOTATION
TEMPLATE
Mapanntemplate will open the
dialog box on the left.
Click on the New button.
The next dialog box opens, type
“Handle” in the available space.
By default the Block Editor will
open to a blank screen.
MAPANNTEXT
Type “Mapanntext” and hit ‘Enter’ twice.
In the Tag window type ‘Handle’
To the right of the Tag window is the
Value box. This is where we will select
the AutoCad Property ‘ehandle’ to use
as our ‘Annotation Text’. Select the ‘OK’
button and return to the Annotation Text
dialog box. Here is were we can select
the Layer, Color, Text Height, Style and
Justification for our Annotation.
Typically I use a Justification of Middle
Center, size of 10’, placing on layer
‘Annotation Handle’
MAPANNTEXT
The next prompt will ask you
where you want to place the text.
Type “0,0”. Then zoom to extends
to see the Annotation if it doesn’t
appear on your screen.
TIMING UG
The next step is to complete a
typical timing run. With completion,
select the Export option. Be sure to
add the HANDLE option to the list. I
typically place it at the top of the
list. This is the link that we will use
to connect the production data from
Carlson’s timing to either a Excel
spreadsheet or a Access data table.
ISOLATE THE TIMING
BLOCKS
Next Isolate the timing blocks so the
Handle block can be insert into the
timing blocks. Typing in the command
‘mapanninsert’ brings up the Insert
Annotation dialog box. In the box on
the left side select the ‘HANDLE’ under
Annotation template. On the right open
the Insert properties/Layer and select
the layer that you want to place the
block. I use Annotate-Handle layer so
to keep my annotation blocks in one
place.
INSERTING BLOCKS
At the command line prompt select the
Carlson timing blocks. Be sure to turn
on the Annotate-Handle layer to see
the results. Do not use ‘All’, that
causes the program to insert a block
on all AutoCad enties.
Your screen should like something like
this. Inside every timing block should
be a hexadecimal number. That
number is the link that we will use to
connect to the database.
DATABASE CONNECT
Open the Task Panel pullout (Map Only), if
the Task Panel in not on the screen, type
‘MAPWSPACE’ to turn it on. This can be
docked on the left or right of your screen.
Select the Map Explorer tab then the Data
Sources file icon. Double click on the Data
Sources icon and navigate to the directory
that you saved your MS Excel Spreadsheet
or MS Access database.
After attaching the database, select the
tbl_Production icon. This opens the next
menu which you can then create a Linked
Template.
DEFINING LINK
TEMPLATE
The Link Template defines what is
going to be the hook that allows us
to link the data to the database.
In the Define Link Template window
type: lnk_Production, under the Key
Section check the Handle key box.
This tells AutoCad to use the Handle
in the database and link it to the
Handle block that we made earlier.
ISOLATE THE TIMING
BLOCKS AND
Now isolate the timing blocks and
the Annotate_Handle layer so we
can complete the last couple of
step.
LINKING TO THE
DRAWING
Right mouse the lnk_Production icon under the Link
Templates. Select the same options on the Generate
Data Links dialog box.
First: Enclosed Blocks – the blocks are the
Annotation_Handles insert into the drawing
Second: Data Links – selected the Create Database
Links
Third: choose the lnk_Production from the Link
Template
Forth: Select the ACMAP_ANN_TEMPLATE_HANDLE
Fifth: Select the HANDLE from the Tag 1:
And finally under Database validation select None
At the command prompt take the option to select
entities. Window in the Timing Blocks and the
Annotation_Handle blocks. If you select All AutoCad
will try to link all objects to your database.
PROPERTIES BOX
Select one of the timing poly lines
in your drawing. What you should
have now is something that is
similar to the Properties Box on
the right. The property box now
will display the data directly from
your data source.
Where to go from here?
MAPEXPORT
EXPORT THE DATA
TO FDO PROVIDER
Type Mapexport in the command line.
The dialog box on the right will open.
Under file type select AutoDesk SDF
from the Files of type:
The next screen will be the Selection
Screen. The allows us to choose just
the data that we want to Export. We
can collect all the data but since it’s a
bit overkill for this exercise lets just
choose the timing data only.
This will also allow export to other
GIS formats.
DATA SELECTION
Select manually the timing polys, then
click on the Layers Icon and highlight
just the timing polys. In this case they
are the 13_LN… layers. No need to
choose the other layer there isn’t any
timing data associated with them.
FEATURE CLASS
On the next tab – Feature Class we
will now tell AutoCad what data it is
that we want to export.
Click the Select Attributes box and
select the Properties folder at the top
of the list. Choose just the Area box.
All of the Properties data on this
category cover AutoCad entities not
the actually Timing data.
LINK TEMPLATE
Select the lnk_Production under
the Line Template folder. This is
the data that we want to export
out. This is all the data
associated with the Carlson
scheduling.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Finally on the Options tab be sure
to select the ‘Treat closed
polylines as polygons’.
This will ‘hatch’ all polylines
automatically when we connect
the data to our next drawing.
Also on this screen you can, if
needed, export out to another
coordinate system.
BRINGING THE DATA
BACK TO THE
DRAWING
From the Task Pane select the Connect to
Data icon at the top of the dialog box.
Under the Data Connection by Provider click
on the Add SDF Connection. In the
Connection name box type ‘Timing_Model’.
Then on the list icon above the Connect box.
Navigate to the directory that the SDF file is
located.
Then click on ‘Connect’
THIS THE FINAL STEP
Click on the Add to Map button to
import the SDF file into you
current map. You also have the
option to Add to map but with a
query to limit the data that you
want to place in the drawing
HOW IT LOOKS
This is how your drawing should
look. The data is now imported
into your drawing. The data isn’t
really in the drawing, just
displayed with default styles.
So what?
RE-STYLE
Right mouse the list at the top of you
task pane ‘ Timing Model’ to bring up
the Style menu.
This is fun part. Mid panel click on the
New theme so we can start styling…
STYLING
In the property window select the
property that you want to theme.
In this case I chose the ‘Year’
property to style. Any timing
property can be styled. This
allows one timing run to cover the
Full Monty of mapping needs.
HOW ABOUT SOME
LABELS
Let’s back up a step and re-theme the data one
more time. This time we’ll add the Month-Year
data label to each timing polyline.
At the bottom of the Theme Layer dialog box
select the Create Feature labels. Then click on
the ellipse button on the right of the Label
box.
STYLE & LABEL
EDITOR
In the Style & Label Editor choose from the top:
Select content
Then the Function button to the right of Text,
which will open the Create/Modify Expression
Now in the Text Function menu, select the
Substr option fill the options with ‘Month_Year’
the #1 and #7. This will trim the Month_Year
string to just the month & year
YOUR DRAWING SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS
WHAT ELSE CAN
YOU DO?
How about a map of Quality features,
From the Task Pane, Right mouse the
styled Timing Model from the Display
Manager and copy the Timing Model.
Then Right mouse and paste it back to
the Display manager. We can now
take the data that we have inserted
into the drawing and re-theme it one
more time. This time we’ll use BTU
values.
BTU THEME
Start by deleting the current theme in
the theme that we copied over. In the
Polygon Style window select Delete
All. Then select New Theme…
FULL SEAM BTU
From my list I selected the FS_BTU
to theme on this next map.
Be sure to click on the Create
feature labels to actually place the
BTU value in each timing block.
Select the Text function button to
bring up the Create/Modify to
Expression to use.
FROM HERE WE CAN
Modifie the Theme Rules starting with
the first “FS_BTU >=…” the AutoCad
selected.
I’ll replace it with FS_BTU< 9000 by
clicking on the ellipses icon. And
typing in “FS_BTU” < 9000. Also I’ll
recolor the Style to RED. Select the ‘Fill’
style and then mid screen, select the
Fill option. Click on the RED color box
and move the Transparency button to
around 25.
Hit Apply and Close
YOU SCREEN SHOULD
SOMETHING LIKE THIS
I’ve typed in the Legend Label
data and changed all my colors to
highlight the styles for the map.
AND NOW THE MAP
LOOKS LIKE THIS
I’ve created a text label that
posted the Production Month
with the BTU value expected for
that month.
You can see by the color blocks
that I have a low BTU month or
two that I’ll need to blend out for
the customer base.
OTHER OPTIONS NOT COVERED IN THIS PRESENTATION
• Any value that resides in the database and is exported out to the SDF format can be
evaluated.
• Similar connect and theming can be done with Shape files.
• Styles can be reused with each new mine plan.
• Using the Mapimport the data can be converted back into AutoCad objects
• A particular Themed layer can be saved as a ‘Layer’ same name as a AutoCad layer but not
the same feature.
• Calculations can be run on the data from the SDF file, quantity and quality.
• Data can be ‘cut’ against a property map for Royalties, surface ownership.
• Can be used as a exploration tool – geo analysis. Se next slide.
DANIEL SYPERSMA
VICTOR GRAPHICS
dsypersma@aol.com