topic Re: Apply "CAD Unique Entity Values" to a geodatabase feature class layer? in Mapping Questions

Apply "CAD Unique Entity Values" to a geodatabase feature class layer?

JakubSisak — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 13:51:30 GMT

I would like to be able to replicate the symbology from a CAD layer in a FGDB Feature Class layer once the CAD data has been exported to a geodatabase. All the fields that appear in the source AutoCAD DXF or DWG are present in the geodatabase feature class but I am unable to import the symbology. I've been trying this since version 10 and it still does not work in version 10.3.

Backround:

When a DWG or DXF is added to ArcMap, it's layers (I am only concerned about the polyline layer), are symbolized very similarely to what they actually look like in AutoCAD. I would like to use the SAME symbology to symbolize the converted geodatabase feature class layer.

The problem seems to be that CAD layers added to ArcMap have an EXTRA symbology category under Symbology Categories in the CAD Layer Properties called CAD unique entity values

The CAD layer CAN be saved as a layer file

For some reason it is NOT POSSIBLE to import this particual layer to a regular feature class layer. this is possibly because the "CAD unique entity values" is not a category in the regular feature class layer.

Importing this type of layer doesn't raise any errors it just simply does not work.

Is there a workaround? Is it possible to apply the symbology stored in "CAD unique entity values" category of a layer added from a DWG or DXF to the converted geodatabase equivalent?

Re: Apply "CAD Unique Entity Values" to a geodatabase feature class layer?

NeilAyres — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 16:34:22 GMT

Jakub,

you can see the default symbology for a CAD polyline is just a variant on the category above it : Unique values, many fields. In this case Linetype, Colour & Line Wt.

ArcGIS just make a best guess at what colour 1, line type xx could be. I guess they are using the basic defaults for AutoCAD or Microstation.

However, once exported to a proper polyline feature in an fgdb, the basic attributes are retained, Linetype etc and you can apply the same sort of categorization, but the symbology is not the same.

I tried to save my CAD polyline layer symbology as a layer file, then apply it (import) to the polyline feature class, but, no nothing happens.

My version 10.2.2, so yes, looks like a bug to me.

Even then, I think you would still have to edit colours and what not, if you wanted the feature class to look exactly like the drawing.

Re: Apply "CAD Unique Entity Values" to a geodatabase feature class layer?

KarenHodge — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 16:32:51 GMT

Unfortunately, this is a known limit. CAD layers use a special renderer that is dependent on the CAD source file. Once the file is converted and the source file is no longer available, the renderering logic is no longer available.