AutoCAD and ArcGIS integration - Ideas and Feedback

[RandallClark2]

Hi Geonet,

I am currently working in a very CAD centric environment and we exploring how we integrate GIS with AutoCAD.

We are currently using AutoCAD for ninety percent of the work that we do but as we get more in to the GIS we are realizing that we need to come up with a good work flow for managing data and integrating GIS and AutoCAD.

What we are looking at is migrating all or at least the important stuff in from AutoCAD to a enterprise geo-database managed using ArcGIS. The data will then be pushed out from the database our server and then  to various web maps and applications and then pulled into AutoCAD.

The key on this last point will be using ArcGIS for AutoCAD.

Im think QA and QC will be maintained by using version. I am guessing i will have a version of the database that is used strictly for autoCAD. This version will be used for edits to be made in AutoCAD and will be QA/QC before being posted back to the database.

So yes i am looking for feed back on this and/or any ideas/stories for people that have explored integrating GIS and AutoCAD like this.

Thanks

[MikeCusi]

I am quite sure Autocad will be unable to directly edit data stored in an enterprise geodatabase, versions or no versions, managed using ArcGIS. Reading the data into Autocad may have improved (I have no access to a newer system to test it on) from the 2013 version I had a chance to work with. But reading or writing to an ESRI geodatabase (personal/file/enterprise) has always been a bit problematic (unless you were using arcgis) and you would need something like FME to move data in or out of the geodatabase into dwg or any other format. I also think ArcGIS for Autocad was designed more for additional flexibility working with autocad dwg files in arcgis desktop rather than working with geodatabase data in Autocad.

I had a  quick look at ArcGIS for AutoCAD | Key Features and you can edit Enterprise Geodatabases through ArcGIS for Server Feature Services so maybe that is the way to go.

[RandallClark2]

Hi Mike,

You are correct reading/writing directly the database is a whole other beast and i dont know if it can work.

But that is where Server and the AGIS for ACAD extension comes in.

So yes all the cad designers will be doing is editing feature services and i will be responsible for maintaining them.

[ChadKopplin]

This extension was created by Esri to make working with GIS data easier within AutoCAD.  In order to create the feature service it has to come from an Enterprise Geodatabase; so, you can create a version within your enterprise for the the AutoCAD feature service.  The beauty is that you can utilize the other map services within your CAD environment, and utilize what you are doing on the CAD side back into your GIS environment and display this information rather quickly into web app's that you may create from the GIS side.  Plus you will be able to load your drawings into the Desktop GIS directly and copy and paste your drawing features into feature classes on the server side as well.  Having this kind of setup will allow you to use each program simultaneously.

[KarenHodge]

FWIW...we designed ArcGIS for AutoCAD specifically for people like you.  When we are brainstorming what to work on next, we always look to this kind of workflow:

- Starting point is lots of geographic data in CAD

- Migrating CAD data to ArcGIS so it can be used for analysis and to better share within the organization

- Leverage the organization's investment in CAD by supporting continued maintenance of geographic data in CAD

- Make GIS maps available and accessible to CAD users, which makes it easier to support migrating CAD to GIS

Your story sounds like a perfect fit...use versions to maintain quality, feature services to support CAD-based editing.

[RandallClark2]

Hi Karen,

Thanks its (IMO) pretty ambitious project but really seems to be the best way forward for my place of employment, plus if i can pull it off im sure i can make paper out of it.

Anyways yeah we have tons of data, including floor plans, in CAD, and out of the 7 of us, since im the only one with any GIS experience, it really seems to make sense to preserve (for the time being) as much of the cad environment for editing data as possible.

I have ran my tentative work though a few different people and gotten some good feedback but as for the nuts and bolts, still working things out.

oddly it seems like there are not a lot of placing that are attempting to do on the scale which i want to do it on or more accurately i cant find anyone, the best example i can think of is U of W, thats along the lines of what i want to do.

anyways im looking forward to the UC this year as i am hoping to get a lot of ideas and get some questions  answered.

Lastly, if you ever want to here more about it please ask.

[Benjamin_Amissah_Ocran]

Hi ,

Am curious as to how this went ? Any updates ?

[BenCamp]

The UW program is far beyond what we're doing here at UI.

That being said, we are also using ArcGIS for AutoCAD.  I am the only one doing any DWG or GIS work so it's fairly easy for me to do quality control. Right now all of my data lives in AutoCAD and then is exported to GIS for my various web apps. I haven't begun to go inside the buildings yet, but hope to find a convenient way someday to do that. My background is in the AutoCAD realm so I've been hesitant thus far to make ArcGIS the authoritative source for much of my data.

[RandallClark2]

Hi Ben,

thats good old to know I'm not alone, I'm pretty sure no one in the CSU System, is really trying to accomplish what I am, there are a few campus but I'm pretty sure I am the one trying to shoot the moon.

so does UI have a GIS group? Or are supporting a

specific depatmenot? Right now I'm just working with Facilities but looking to expand as we get more developed.

So what type of work are you doing at UI?

as for inside building we are running to the fact that none was drawen in a coordinate system so we have to spatially correct all the buildings, which I came up with a way of doing in autocad map

[BenCamp]

I'm in Facilities here so most of my work supports our efforts here. This includes the interactive campus map and several internal apps.