Attach source drawings in AutoCAD Map 3D

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AutoCAD Map 3D allows you to associate source drawings with your current drawing by simply attaching them.

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Once these drawings are attached, the objects in them are available for queries and other GIS analysis tools.

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Regardless of their size, any number of source drawings can be attached without impacting system performance.

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There are a couple of different ways to organize attached source drawings.

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You can organize them by layer, so that specific information for a city, such as parcel data, is contained within each file.

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Another option is to tile them, so that all information in the file is contained within each drawing.

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Sometimes, you may decide to combine the two methods.

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This example attaches three source drawings to the current drawing.

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To begin, open a blank drawing.

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Then, on the ribbon, Home tab, Data panel, select Attach.

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Alternatively, in the Task Pane, select the Map Explorer tab, right-click the Drawings folder, and select Attach.

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Either way, the Select drawings to attach dialog opens.

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Here, select a drive alias.

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The alias points to your AutoCAD drawing files, and is used to browse folders within the dialog box.

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For this exercise, there is an alias already set up that goes directly to the AutoCAD drawing files for the lesson.

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With the drive alias identified, select the three drawing files—Drainage, Parcel,

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and Sewer—which represent the layered approach to organizing.

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Relevant information for a specific geographic region is contained within each file.

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On your keyboard, press and hold CTRL as you click each of the three drawings from the top list, and then click Add.

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This adds the files to the lower section, indicating that they are to be attached as source drawings.

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Click OK.

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In the Map Explorer, the three drawings now appear under the Drawings folder, attached to the current drawing.

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Note that these drawings are locked, and AutoCAD creates a DWK file for each of them.

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Locking them prevents other AutoCAD and Map 3D users from opening these drawing files directly.