Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD

Introduction

Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD is a powerful AutoCAD plug-in designed for AutoCAD users who need to import, export and manage spatial data in a simple, fast and inexpensive way, which includes many possibilities not seen so far in AutoCAD. It comes in a lightweight application that runs inside AutoCAD and allows the user to import and export geospatial data between AutoCAD drawings and geospatial files, data servers or data stores

Notes:

- The access to spatial data servers and stores is available on the "Standard" and "Professional" editions only

- The Export function is available on the "Professional" edition only

- The full managing of spatial data functionality and the background Maps are available on the "Standard" and "Professional" editions only

AutoCAD commands

This is the list of AutoCAD commands included in Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD

• Main commands
  • SPM (or SPATIALMANAGER): Show Palette. Opens and/or displays the application Palette
  • SPMCLOSE (or SPATIALMANAGERCLOSE): Close. Closes the application Palette
  • SPMIMPORT (or SPATIALMANAGERIMPORT): Import. Directly Imports features from geospatial files or tables without using the application Palette
  • SPMEXPORT (or SPATIALMANAGEREXPORT): Export. Exports AutoCAD objects into geospatial files or tables ("Professional" edition only)
  • SPMSETCRS (or SPATIALMANAGERSETCRS): Coordinate system. Sets the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) for the drawing
• Background Maps ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)
  • SPMBGMAPSHOW (or SPATIALMANAGERBGMAPSHOW): Show. Shows the selected image Map on the background of the drawing
  • SPMBGMAPHIDE (or SPATIALMANAGERBGMAPHIDE): Hide. Hides the background Map if it is displayed
  • SPMBGMAPREFRESH (or SPATIALMANAGERBGMAPREFRESH): Refresh. Regenerate the image of the background Map, which may be needed under certain graphic situations
• Alphanumeric data structure management commands ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)
  • SPMDATATABLEDEFINE (or SPATIALMANAGERDATATABLEDEFINE): Define Table. Define , modify or delete a data table or its fields
  • SPMDATAATTACH (or SPATIALMANAGERDATAATTACH): Attach. Attach one or more objects to a data table
  • SPMDATADETACH (or SPATIALMANAGERDATADETACH): Detach. Detach one or more objects from their corresponding attached data table
• Selection command ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)
  • SPMSELECTBYTABLE (or SPATIALMANAGERSELECTBYTABLE): By Table. Select all the objects attached to a specific data table
• Support commands
  • SPMHELP (or SPATIALMANAGERHELP): Help. Shows the application help (Wiki format)
  • SPMABOUT (or SPATIALMANAGERABOUT): Information. Shows basic information about the application and the installed release
  • SPMUPDATE (or SPATIALMANAGERUPDATE): Updates. Checks if there is a new application release to be downloaded from Internet
  • SPMOPTIONS (or SPATIALMANAGEROPTIONS): Options. Set of parameters to configure the application (includes also the functionality of SPMUPDATE and SPMABOUT)
• _OPTIONS (AutoCAD native command): Options. New "Spatial Manager" tab including the set of parameters to configure the application (same functionality as above)

Main features

• General
  • Import/export spatial data into/from AutoCAD drawings
  • Transformation of coordinates when importing or exporting
  • Background image Maps from Bing, OpenStreeMap, etc.
  • XDATA / Extended Entity Data (EED)
    • Viewer palette
    • Edit values directly in the palette
    • Hyperlinks
    • Managing data structure
      • Define, modify, and delete tables and fields
      • Attaching objects to a table
      • Detaching objects from their tables
      • Selecting the objects attached to a table
        
        
• Import processes
  • Objects imported into a new or open drawing
  • Basic target layer or new target layers using a field value
  • Use blocks for points and centroids
  • Block insertion parameters from field values
  • Polygon fills and transparencies
  • Polygon centroids
  • Labeling objects while importing
  • Import polygons using "MPolygon" objects, even on basic AutoCAD
  • Elevation and thickness from field values
  • Import data from tables as XDATA / Extended Entity Data (EED)
  • Speed up the processes skipping some wizard steps
  • Use the intuitive palette options or the quick import function
  • Save Tasks to replay the import processes so many times as desired
    
    
• Export processes
  • Objects exported to geospatial files or servers
  • Select the objects to be exported
  • Option to treat the closed polylines as polygons
  • Option to export the Handle of the objects
  • Automatic complex geometric operations
  • Filtering of incompatible objects
    
    
• Data sources
  • Manage your own shortcuts
  • Access to spatial data files (SHP, GPX, KML, OSM, PBF, MIF/MID, TAB, E00, SQLite, SDF, ASCII points, GML, etc.) (see current available Data Providers)
  • Manage your User Data Sources
  • Access to spatial database servers (SQL Server, PostGIS, etc.) (see current available Data Providers)
  • Access to other connections (WFS, ODBC points or WKB - Excel, Access, dBase,...-, etc.) (see current available Data Providers)

Notes:

- The access to spatial data servers and stores, the XDATA/Extended Entity Data (EED) and the background Maps are available on the "Standard" and "Professional" editions only

- The Export function and the Tasks technology are available on the "Professional" edition only

- "MPolygons" are available for all compatible Autodesk products (even on basic AutoCAD) except for any v.2010 product

To get a first preview of the application, please watch this video:

To experiment the EXPORT capabilities (on the 'Professional' edition), please watch these videos:

• Directly to Google Earth (KML) from your drawing
• Coordinates to Excel from your drawing
• Import a Shapefile and export it as 3D Google Earth
• OpenStreetMap data. Edit and export to Google Earth
• Import a Shapefile. Edit & export as Shapefile

To take a look at the TASKS technology (on the 'Professional' edition), please watch this video:

• Tasks preview

To learn how to Manage the DATA STRUCTURE (on the 'Standard' and 'Professional' editions), please watch this video:

• Managing the Data Structure preview

To know more about the attractive and useful Background image Maps (on the 'Standard' and 'Professional' editions), please watch this video:

• Background Maps preview

FAQs

Here you will find all the technical information available on the implementation as well as tutorials, additional data, etc.

• How to Start?
• Licenses
• Compatible AutoCAD applications
• Data Providers
• Interface
• Data sources
• Spatial files
• Databases
• Import
• Export ("Professional" edition only)
• Data Structure Management ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)
• Background Maps ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)

Links

Here you will find some useful links to other pages of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD

• Spatial Manager™ web
• Changelog
• End User License Agreement