Does Arcgis online allow me to make a Map Service I can connect Arcgis for Autocad to?

[JonathanGray2]

Hello there!  I am real new to all of this so I am hoping somebody would answer a simple question for me. 

I read a previous post where a user/pro said that if you want the symbology to appear as it is in arcgis pro in autocad when you the "arcgis for autocad" extension the advice was to connect to the map as a "map service".   

The company I work I believe does not have Arc Enterprise, only the desktop software and Arcgis online access.

My question is, can Arcgis online host "map services"?   I know how to make webmaps in arcgis online but I believe what the previous user/pro said is something different.  Below is a quote from the previous post which is found here;  https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-for-autocad-questions/feature-layer-symbology-arcgis-for-autoca...

"If you need the GIS symbology ArcGIS for AutoCAD supports Adding the map service along with the feature service. So by doing so you will end up with a dynamic image of what the map looks like in GIS, with the correct symbology, behind your CAD features from the feature service."

Does anybody have any advice they could offer me so that I can within Autocad using the "arcgis for Autocad" extension that I could have an identical looking figure that I could use Autocad to draw on top of using Autocad polyline and circle commands? 

[Randy_Garcia]

Hi Jonathan, 

ArcGIS for AutoCAD Supports three types of Layer:
1. Web Feature Layers (feature services)

2. Map Image layer

3. Imagery Layers

We do no support tiled map layers (the type of map layer you can publish on ArcGIS Online) at this time. So yes you are correct that you would need ArcGIS Enterprise, or the ability to publish a Map Image Layer in order for the map to display in AutoCAD. 

Now that isn't to say that ArcGIS Online won't be of use to you. With ArcGIS Online you get access to a large number of maps that are supported in ArcGIS for AutoCAD (to include world imagery and many others). You can find these by browsing the "Add Data" window in ArcGIS for AutoCAD. 

Additionally, and I suspect more importantly, you can work with your own feature layers (hosted feature layers in the case of ArcGIS Online) to view and update your GIS data in AutoCAD. ArcGIS for AutoCAD will draw the data from a web feature layer in AutoCAD as AutoCAD points, lines and polygons. This means that your GIS data is now just CAD data and can be used to draw against or directly upon. Meaning that your CAD user can now be an editor of the GIS data. 

I hope that helps!

[JonathanGray2]

Hello there!

I believe I understand it fully! Thank you for your help, it honestly answered a lot of questions for me :).