Is it possible to have a service layer label when brought into AutoCAD using ArcGIS for AutoCAD 400?

[BrettHeist]

   I have a service layer that is used in ESRI's Collector App to get points in the field, using a GPS unit, for updating our As-Built drawings. Normally I grab these points and export them as a .csv and insert them into AutoCAD in order for the operator to update the drawings. This allows the points to be displayed as topo points, with a description and xyz info. Very helpful!

   With the ArcGIS for AutoCAD 400 plugin you can add the REST endpoint for the services using the "Add Data by URL" option within the ArcGIS tab within AutoCAD. After doing this is there anyway to have attributes displayed aside from using the "ESRI Identify" option?

   This would save me a ton of time and make it much more "real-time" from field to office in many cases and increase the efficiency in which we can create As-built drawings. I would love to be able to display attribute information like I'm able to when I insert the points as topo points using a .csv file. 

[KarenHodge]

Hi Brett!  Yes, there is a way to associate field values with text elements in the drawing.  Check out the documentation on Pick Label.

Bad news is...Pick Label assumes you have text in the drawing.  It doesn't automatically generate the text from the fields.  (That feature is in the next release of ArcGIS for AutoCAD.)

There are a couple of ways you can trick/hack it to make it work now.  Let me know if you want details on the hack.

--Karen

[KarenHodge · Accepted solution]

I was talking to a coworker about your question.  He suggested a simpler solution.  If you associate a block with your ArcGIS for AutoCAD point web feature layer, and that block includes an attribute definition where the tag name = the field name, the values will automatically populate and display as the block attribute values in the drawing.

[JenniferCasey1]

Hi @KarenHodge, I am a GIS Admin trying to implement this workflow for our CAD users.  Is there more documentation on how to do this?  I have looked in the help, but I am not seeing what I need.

[Randy_Garcia]

Hi Jennifer, 

You can accomplish this by doing the following in AutoCAD, you can also set this up as apart of an AutoCAD template file so you'll only have to do this once if your CAD users then start to draw with that template. 

1. Add a feature layer to your drawing, needs to be a point feature layer in order to assign a block. 

2. Create a block or edit an existing autocad block to include a block attribute. If this block attribute has the same "tag" name as a field name in the schema of that feature layer, ArcGIS for AutoCAD will automatically link the two up. You can add more than one block tag on a single block. 
      2a. Click here to see the help doc on how to make an AutoCAD block attribute  

3. After saving your new block use the "Assign symbol" tool from the table of contents on the point feature layer in ArcGIS for AutoCAD 

     3a. Click here for the Assign Symbol help doc 

     3b. If you want to set this up before hand so this is all done automatically, you can name the block the same as the autocad layer where the point web feature layer is drawn. For example if you have a point feature layer name "Meters" it will draw on the AutoCAD layer "ESRI_Meters". Name your block "ESRI_Meters" to make the apply symbol logic happen without having to set it from the TOC. 

4. synchronize your layer in order to redraw the points as blocks. 

Now that this is done. Your points from that feature layer with be symbolized as blocks with block attributes that display GIS attributes. Your CAD users can then just edit the blocks attributes to update the GIS attributes. 

[BrettHeist]

Thanks Karen!