I have a client that utilizes some form of ESRI Arc somethin'. Their cad operator knows nothing (absolutely) about surveying, microstation, autocad, lat-long or even coords for that matter. Although I believe she understands that the numbers (coords) get bigger going north and east.
I believe I could help them with integrating my work into their system, but neither of us are that smart.
What is a *.shp file? I'm assuming it's a figure (or shape) with some placement intelligence. Is this something I can create, or is it strictly an ESRI product?
I do apologize for my age and ignorance. My VRCs flashed 12:00 the entire tewnty years I owned one...
Which survey office software do you use?
I don't think it's proprietary to ESRI, but it is a georeferenced shape, and that concludes my knowledge of .shp!
Note/Disclaimer: I work for Esri.
I only know a little about connecting surveying data with ArcGIS. I have worked with data in local coordinate systems to try to georeference it so it can be overlaid with other data layers.
A shapefile is a file format for storing vector data. Minimally, there have to be three files (.shp, .shx, and .dbf), and often there are more. The format of the 'base' files are published and it's considered an open format so many GIS software packages can read and write shapefiles. There's some information on Wikipedia.
If you're using AutoCAD, there's a downloadable plug-in application called ArcGIS for AutoCAD which helps connect the two systems. I haven't used it, so you or your client will have to read up on it!
The general Esri page for surveying is here.
don't you mean "VCRs" , you old coot....:-P
> What is a *.shp file? I'm assuming it's a figure (or shape) with some placement intelligence. Is this something I can create, or is it strictly an ESRI product?
A .shp (read "shape") file is to arcGIS as a .dwg is to AutoCAD. If you are running Carlson or LDT/C3d you will be able to export one from your .dwg. You will need the zone information in your Carlson/ LDT project to be correct for the exporting to work.
Note that a .dwg sometimes contains data not strictly confined to lines, arcs and text (eg/ surface, alignment, point database data in C3d). In the same manner, the shape file may contain data other than the polygons you see on screen.
For the non-GIS user, the shapefile is probably the most common file type to move GIS data between users. It can be thought of as a layer, just like ACAD. As stated above, a shapefile needs several other support files to work properly. Unlike ACAD files, a shapefile can be either point data, line data or polygon data. It cannot be all three at the same time. ESRI GIS layers are structured in the same manner.
ACAD can create and read shapefiles using the ACADmap extension, or built in acadmap in later versions. It can take some real tweaking to get it to work properly depending on exactly what you are trying to do. Bringing shapefiles into ACAD can be confusing because ACAD doesn't do "on the fly" projections so sometimes the shapefile will end up somewhere out in space.
If the ESRI user is working in the exact same coordinate system as your ACAD drawing, they can drag and drop the different drawing components such as linework, annotation or point data right into their Arcmap project without any extensions. Supposedly these objects can be copied and imported to new arcmap layers, but I have never been so brave as to try.
I've had better luck moving things from ACAD to Arcmap than the other way around.
Carlson Survey
The following are a few of the items in the GIS pulldown.
"Import SHP File"
"Export SHP File"
I have imported much more than exported, but once you pick one or the other it walks you through the steps.
I have taken ESRI courses and am very happy to stay with my CAD work.
Import SHP files will give me a heads up on the layers that will be used or created during the process.
Most often I import georeferenced contours, they come in as polylines on SPC and at the proper elevation.
Paul in PA
Carlson Survey
I mostly use MAPIMPORT command when importing .shp files (I use Carlson Survey/Civil w/ Map3D). You can choose your drawing datum along with the datum to use with the information you are importing. You can also use this to included additional layer information by using the DATA column.
Shape files are vector files like CAD files are; they contain distance, direction, and coordinate information, unlike raster files like photographs.
Newer CAD software will most likely import and export these as conversions.
If you have older CAD software, you will need to use a converter. I use [REDACTED].
Feel free to email me your Shape file. I'll convert it to dxf and return it. If you have a lot of these to do, I'd get a converter. Shape files are getting to be a pretty common entity.
Hey you guys, don't you know who "MKennedy" is?
Ms. Melita Kennedy knows more about ESRI software and coordinate systems that practically anyone alive on the planet.
I strongly urge you to pay attention to the lady; she knows her stuff in spades!
If you disagree with her, you are probably wrong.
Download the open source software called "QGIS". Free, and yes there is a windows version.
QGIS can read a DXF and convert to SHP and vice versa.
Save your cad file (or layer in question) as DXF and use QGIS to convert to SHP.
If someone gives you a SHP file you can convert it to DXF and then onward to the DWG du jour.
QGIS knows how to deal with the various coordinate systems, too.
I have used QGIS to take layers from our county GIS (in SHP files) and convert them to DXF/DWG layers. Works great.
Hey you guys, don't you know who "MKennedy" is?
Why thank you, sir!
But I am the first to admit that my surveying knowledge can fit on the head of a pin (okay, maybe a cap). Now that Esri has more than the handful of applications that it did when I joined the company, there's quite a bit that I don't know.
Everyone on this thread has given useful information about shapefiles!