Chapter 14

Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources

This chapter discusses ways to import existing drawings into the AutoCAD® 2014 software through tracing, scaling, and scanning. At times, you’ll want to turn an existing drawing into an AutoCAD drawing file. The original drawing may be hand drawn, or it might be a PDF from another source. You may be modifying a design that someone else created or converting your library of older, hand-drafted drawings for AutoCAD use. Perhaps you want to convert a hand-drawn sketch into a formal drawing? In addition to importing drawings, you’ll learn how to incorporate drawings in Portable Document Format (PDF) into your AutoCAD work.

In this chapter, you will learn to:

  • Convert paper drawings into AutoCAD files
  • Import a raster image
  • Work with a raster image
  • Work with PDF files
  • Use a geolocation map

Methods for Converting Paper Drawings to AutoCAD Files

Tracing with a special piece of hardware known as a digitizing tablet used to be the only way to enter a hand-drafted drawing into AutoCAD. However, a traced drawing usually requires some cleanup and reorganization.

Scaling a drawing is the most flexible method because you don’t need special peripherals to do it and, generally, you’re faced with fewer cleanups afterward. Scaling also facilitates the most accurate input of orthogonal lines because you can read dimensions directly from the drawing and enter them into AutoCAD. The main drawback with scaling is that if the hand-drafted drawing does not contain written dimensions, it would be difficult to produce an accurate copy. In addition, you must constantly look at the hand-drafted drawing and measure distances with a scale, and irregular curves are difficult to scale accurately.

Programs are available that automatically convert an image file into an AutoCAD drawing file consisting of lines and arcs. These programs may offer some help, but they require some editing and checking for errors.

Scanning, much like tracing, is best used for drawings that are difficult to scale, such as complex topographical maps containing a large number of contours or nontechnical line art, such as letterhead and logos.

The simplest method for converting paper drawings, and the method we show you in this chapter, is to scan your drawings as image files to be used as a background in AutoCAD. You can import your image files into AutoCAD and then trace directly over them. This technique allows you to see the original drawing in the AutoCAD window, removing the need to constantly refer to documents in other programs.

Importing a Raster Image

If you have a scanner and you’d like to use it to import drawings and other images into AutoCAD, you can take advantage of the program’s ability to import raster images. There are many reasons you may want to import a scanned image. In architectural plans, a vicinity map is frequently used to show the location of a project. With the permission of its creator, you can scan a map into AutoCAD and incorporate it into a cover sheet. That cover sheet can also contain other images, such as photographs of the site, computer renderings and elevations of the project, and company logos. In architectural projects, scans of older drawings can be used as backgrounds for renovation work. This can be especially useful for historical buildings where the building’s owner wishes to keep the original architectural detail.

Another reason for importing a scanned image is to use the image as a reference over which to trace. You can trace a drawing with a good deal of accuracy by using a scanned image. Now that the price of a scanner has fallen below $100, it has become a cost-effective tool for tracing a wide variety of graphic material. In this section, you’ll learn how you can import an image as a background for tracing.

Click the External References tool on the Insert tab’s Reference panel (see Figure 14-1) to open the External References palette, which lets you import a full range of raster image files.

Figure 14-1 The External References palette allows you to import raster images.

c14f001.eps

You can also type XR↵. This palette should look familiar from Chapter 7, “Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References.” It’s the same palette you used to manage external references. Just like external references (Xrefs), raster images are loaded when the current file is open but they aren’t stored as part of the current file when it is saved. This helps keep file sizes down, but it also means that you need to keep track of inserted raster files. You must make sure they’re kept together with the AutoCAD files in which they’re inserted. For example, you might want to keep image files in the same folder as the drawing file to which they’re attached.

AutoCAD has a utility called eTransmit that collects AutoCAD files and their related support files, such as raster images, external references, and fonts, into any folder or drive you specify. See Chapter 27, “Managing and Sharing Your Drawings,” for details.

Another similarity between Xrefs and imported raster images is that you can clip a raster image so that only a portion of the image is displayed in your drawing. Portions of a raster file that are clipped aren’t stored in memory, so your system won’t get bogged down even if the raster file is huge.

The following exercise gives you step-by-step instructions for importing a raster file. It also lets you see how scanned resolution translates into an image in AutoCAD. This is important if you’re interested in scanning drawings for the purpose of tracing over them. Here are the steps:

1. Create a new file called Rastertrace.
2. Set up the file as an architectural drawing with a 1/4″ = 1′ scale on an 8½″ × 11″ sheet (set the Limits settings to 0,0 for the lower-left corner and 528,408 for the upper-right corner). Make sure the drawing units type is set to Architectural. Metric users should set up their drawing at a 1:50 scale on an A4 size sheet. (The Limits settings for metric users should be 0,0 for the lower-left corner and 1480,1050 for the upper-right corner.)
c14i001.tif
3. Choose All from the Zoom flyout on the View tab’s Navigate 2D panel or type Z↵A↵ to make sure the entire area of the drawing limits is displayed on the screen.
4. Draw a line across the screen from coordinates 0,20′ to 64′,20′. Metric users should draw the line from 0,600 to 1820,600. You’ll use this line in a later exercise.
5. Click the line you just drew, and then select Red from the Object Color drop-down list in the Home tab’s Properties panel. This helps make the line more visible. If you have the Quick Properties feature turned on, you can select the color from the Quick Properties panel.
c14i002.tif
6. Click the External References tool in the title bar of the Insert tab’s Reference panel.
c14i003.tif
7. On the External References palette’s menu bar, click the arrowhead next to the Attach DWG tool and then choose Attach Image from the flyout.
In the Select Reference File dialog box, locate and select the raster1.jpg project file. You can see a preview of the file on the right side of the dialog box.
8. Click Open to open the Attach Image dialog box (see Figure 14-2).

Figure 14-2 The Attach Image dialog box

c14f002.tif
9. Uncheck the Specify On-Screen option in the Insertion Point group to accept the 0,0,0 coordinates.
10. Click OK, and then at the Specifyscale factor <1>: prompt, use the cursor to scale the image so that it fills about half the screen, as shown in Figure 14-3. The raster1.jpg filename appears in the External References palette.

Figure 14-3 Manually scaling the raster image

c14f003.eps

Working with a Raster Image

Once you’ve imported a raster image, you can begin to work with it in a variety of ways. You can resize the image to suit your needs and even adjust its size to a particular scale. Raster images can be made to overlap AutoCAD objects, or you can have raster images appear in the background. There are also rudimentary controls for brightness, contrast, and transparency. In the following sections, you’ll continue to use the image you attached to your drawing to explore some of these options.

Tips for Importing Raster Images
When you scan a document into your computer, you get a raster image file. Unlike AutoCAD files, raster image files are made up of a matrix of colored pixels that form a picture, which is why raster images are also sometimes called bitmaps. Vector files, like those produced by AutoCAD, are made up of instructions to draw lines, arcs, curves, and circles. The two formats, raster and vector, are so different that it’s difficult to convert one format to the other accurately. It’s easier to trace a raster file in AutoCAD than it is to try to use a computer program to make the conversion for you.
But even tracing a raster image file can be difficult if the image is of poor quality. After having worked with scanned images in AutoCAD for a variety of projects, we’ve discovered that you can make your work a lot easier by following a few simple rules:
  • Scan in your drawing using a grayscale or color scanner, or convert your black-and-white scanned image to grayscale using your image-editing software. This will give you more control over the appearance of the image once it’s in AutoCAD.
  • Use an image-editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop or your scanner software, to clean up unwanted gray or spotted areas in the file before importing it into AutoCAD.
  • If your scanner software or image-editing program has a “de-speckle” or “de-spot” feature, use it. It can help clean up your image and ultimately reduce the raster image’s file size.
  • Scan at a reasonable resolution. Scanning at 150 dpi to 200 dpi may be more than adequate.
  • If you plan to make heavy use of raster imports, upgrade your computer to the fastest processor and install as much memory as you can afford.
The raster import commands can incorporate paper maps or plans into 3D AutoCAD drawings for presentations. We know of one architectural firm that produces impressive presentations with little effort by combining 2D scanned images with 3D massing models for urban design studies. (A massing model shows only the rough outline of buildings without giving too much detail, thus showing the general scale of a project without being too fussy.)

Scaling a Raster Image

The raster1.jpg file was scanned as a grayscale image at 100 dpi. This shows that you can get a reasonable amount of detail at a fairly low scan resolution.

Now suppose you want to trace over this image to start an AutoCAD drawing. The first thing you should do is scale the image to the appropriate size. You can scale an image file to full size. Try the following steps to see how you can begin the process:

1. Choose Zoom Extents from the Zoom flyout on the Navigation bar, or type Z↵E↵.
c14i004.tif
2. Click Scale on the Home tab’s Modify panel.
3. Click the edge of the raster image to select it.
4. Press ↵ to finish your selection.
5. At the Specify base point: prompt, click the X in the lower-left corner of the image.
6. At the Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference]: prompt, enter R↵ to use the Reference option.
7. At the Specify reference length <0′ -1″>: prompt, type @↵. This tells AutoCAD that you want to use the last point selected as one end of the reference length. After you enter the @ symbol, you’ll see a rubber-banding line emanating from the X.
8. At the Specify second point: prompt, click the X at the lower-right corner of the image.
9. At the Specify new length or [Points] <0′ -1″ >: prompt, enter 44′↵. Metric users should enter 1341↵. The image enlarges. Remember that this reference line is 44′, or 1341 cm, in length.

The image is now scaled properly for the plan it portrays. You can proceed to trace over the image. You can also place the image on its own layer and turn it off from time to time to check your trace work. Even if you don’t trace the scanned floor plan line for line, you can read the dimensions of the plan from your computer monitor instead of having to go back and forth between measuring the paper image and drawing the plan on the computer.

Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images

With the introduction of raster image support, AutoCAD inherited a problem that’s fairly common to programs that use such images: Raster images obscure other objects that were placed previously. The image you imported in the previous exercise, for example, obscures the line you drew when you first opened the file. In most cases, this overlap isn’t a problem. However, in some situations, you’ll want AutoCAD vector objects to overlap an imported raster image. An example is a civil-engineering drawing showing an AutoCAD drawing of a new road superimposed over an aerial view of the location for the road.

Paint and page-layout programs usually offer a “to front/to back” tool to control the overlap of objects and images. AutoCAD offers the Draworder command. Here’s how it works:

1. Click Zoom Extents on the Navigation bar or type Z↵E↵ to get an overall view of the image.
2. Choose the Bring Above Objects tool from the Draworder flyout on the Home tab’s expanded Modify panel.
c14uf001.tif
3. At the Select objects: prompt, select the horizontal line you drew when you first opened the file.
4. If there are other objects in the drawing that you want to “bring above objects,” you can select them as well. Press ↵ to finish your selection.
5. At the Select reference objects: prompt, click the edge of the raster image of the utility room and then press ↵.

The drawing regenerates, and the entire line appears, no longer obscured by the raster image.

Masking an Area of an Image
You can mask out areas of an imported raster image by creating a solid hatch area and using the Draworder command to place the solid hatch on top of the raster image. Such masks can be helpful as backgrounds for text that must be placed over a raster image. You can also use the Wipeout command (select Wipeout on the Home tab’s expanded Draw panel) to mask areas of a drawing.

The Draworder tool you just used has seven options in the Draworder flyout on the Home tab’s Modify panel:

Bring To Front Places an object or a set of objects at the top of the draw order for the entire drawing. The effect is that the objects are completely visible.
Send To Back Places an object or a set of objects at the bottom of the draw order for the entire drawing. The effect is that other objects in the drawing may obscure those objects.
Bring Above Objects Places an object or a set of objects above another object in the draw order. This has the effect of making the first set of objects appear above the second selected object.
Send Under Objects Places an object or a set of objects below another object in the draw order. This has the effect of making the first set of objects appear underneath the second selected object.
Bring Text To Front Automatically brings all text in a drawing in front of all objects.
Bring Dimensions To Front Automatically brings all dimensions in a drawing in front of all objects.
Send Hatch To Back Automatically sends all hatch patterns in a drawing behind other objects.

You can also use the DR keyboard shortcut to issue the Draworder command. If you do this, you see these prompts:

Select objects:
Enter object ordering option [Above objects/Under objects/Front/Back]<Back>:

You must then select the option by typing the capitalized letter of the option.

Although this section discussed the Draworder tools in relation to raster images, they can also be invaluable in controlling visibility of line work in conjunction with hatch patterns and solid fills. See Chapter 7 for a detailed discussion of the Draworder tools and hatch patterns.

Clipping a Raster Image

In Chapter 7, you saw how you could clip an external-reference object so that only a portion of it appears in the drawing. You can clip imported raster images in the same way. Just as with Xrefs, you can create a closed outline of the area you want to clip, or you can specify a simple rectangular area.

Images and the External References Palette
The External References palette you saw in Chapter 7 helps you manage your imported image files. It’s especially helpful when you have a large number of images in your drawing. You can control imported images in a way similar to how you control Xrefs; you can temporarily unload images (to help speed up the editing of AutoCAD objects) and reload, detach, and relocate raster image files. See Chapter 7 for a detailed description of these options.

In the following exercise, you’ll try the Clip command to control the display of the raster image:

1. Click the Clip tool from the Insert tab’s Reference panel, or type Clip↵.
c14uf002.tif
2. At the Select object to clip: prompt, click the edge of the raster image.
3. At the Enter image clipping option [ON/OFF/Delete/New boundary]<New>: prompt, press ↵ to create a new boundary.
4. At the [Select polyline/Polygonal/Rectangular/Invert clip] <Rectangular>: prompt, enter P↵ or click Polygonal in the command-line interface to draw a polygonal boundary.
5. Select the points shown in the top image in Figure 14-4 and then press ↵. The raster image is clipped to the boundary you created, as shown in the second image in Figure 14-4.

As the prompt in step 3 indicates, you can turn the clipping off or on, or you can delete an existing clipping boundary through the Clip Image option.

After you clip a raster image, you can adjust the clipping boundary by using its grips:

1. Click the boundary edge of the raster image to expose its grips.
2. Click a grip in the upper-right corner, as shown in the final image in Figure 14-4.
3. Drag the grip up and to the right, and then click a point. The image adjusts to the new boundary.

In addition to hiding portions of a raster image that are unimportant to you, clipping an image file reduces the amount of RAM the raster image uses during your editing session. AutoCAD loads only the visible portion of the image into RAM and ignores the rest.

Figure 14-4 Adjusting the boundary of a clipped image

c14f004.eps

Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Fade

AutoCAD offers a tool that enables you to adjust the brightness, contrast, and fade of a raster image. Try making some adjustments to the raster image of the utility room in the following exercise:

1. Click the edge of the raster image. The Image tab appears in the Ribbon (see Figure 14-5).

Figure 14-5 The Image tab appears when you select a raster image.

c14f005.tif
2. In the Adjust panel of the Image tab, click and drag the Fade slider to the right so that it’s near the middle of the slider scale, or enter 50 in the Fade box to the right of the slider. The sample image fades to the AutoCAD background color as you move the slider.
3. Press the Esc key to unselect the raster image. The Image tab closes.
4. Save the file as Rasterimport.dwg.

You can adjust the brightness and contrast by using the other two sliders in the Adjust panel of the Image tab.

By using the Image tab in conjunction with image clipping, you can create special effects. Figure 14-6 shows an aerial view of downtown San Francisco with labels. This view consists of two copies of the same raster image. One copy serves as a background, which was lightened using the method demonstrated in the previous exercise. The second copy is the darker area of the image with a roughly triangular clip boundary applied. You might use this technique to bring focus to a particular area of a drawing you’re preparing for a presentation.

Figure 14-6 Two copies of the same image can be combined to emphasize a portion of the drawing.

c14f006.tif

If the draw order of objects is incorrect after you open a file or perform a Pan or Zoom, issue a Regen to recover the correct draw-order view.

In addition to the tools in the Adjust panel, there are several tools in the Image tab that can be used to modify raster images. Table 14-1 gives you a rundown of their function.

Table 14-1: The tools on the Image tab

ToolFunction
BrightnessAdjusts the brightness of an image.
ContrastAdjusts the contrast of an image.
FadeAdjusts the fade value of an image.
Create Clipping BoundaryAllows you to create a clipping boundary. This tools works just like the Clip tool.
Remove ClippingRemoves a clipping boundary.
Show ImageToggles an image on and off.
Background TransparencyToggles the transparency of an image on and off.
External ReferencesOpens the External References palette.

Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality, and Controlling Transparency

You can make three other adjustments to your raster image: frame visibility, image quality, and image transparency.

By default, a raster image displays an outline, or a frame. In many instances, this frame can detract from your drawing. You can turn off image frames globally by typing Imageframe↵0↵. This sets the Imageframe setting to 0, which turns off the frame visibility. If it’s set to 1, the frame is made visible. You can also set it to 2, which leaves the frame visible but doesn’t plot it (see Figure 14-7).

c14i005.tif

Frames can also be controlled through the Frame flyout on the Insert tab’s Reference panel. If you turn off a raster image’s frame, you can’t click the image to select it for editing, though you can still select an image using the All, Previous, or Last selection option (see Chapter 2, “Creating Your First Drawing,” for more on selection options). To make a raster image selectable with your mouse, turn on the image frame using the Display And Plot Frames or the Display But Don’t Plot Frames option.

Figure 14-7 A raster image with the frame on (top) and off (bottom)

c14f007.eps

If your drawing doesn’t require the highest-quality image, you can set the image quality to Draft mode. You may use Draft mode when you’re tracing an image or when the image is already of a high quality. To set the image quality, enter Imagequality↵ and then enter H for High mode (high quality) or D for Draft mode. In Draft mode, your drawing will regenerate faster.

High mode softens the pixels of the raster image, giving the image a smoother appearance. Draft mode displays the image in a raw, pixilated state. If you look carefully at the regions between the motorcycle and the background in the second image in Figure 14-8, you’ll see that the edges of the motorcycle appear a bit jagged. The top image in Figure 14-8 uses the High setting to soften the edges of the motorcycle. You may need to look closely to see the difference.

Finally, you can control the transparency of raster image files that allow transparent pixels. Some file formats, such as GIF (Global Interchange Format), enable you to set a color in the image to be transparent (usually the background color). Most image-editing programs support this format because it’s a popular one used on web pages.

When you turn on the Transparency setting, objects normally obscured by the background of a raster image may show through. Select the raster image and then, in the Image tab’s Options panel, select Background Transparency. You can also right-click and select Image ⇒ Transparency, then select On or Off from the Dynamic Input menu. In addition, you can enter Transparency↵ and then select the raster image you want to make transparent. Press ↵, and then enter On or Off, depending on whether you want the image to be transparent. Unlike the Frame and Quality options, Transparency works on individual objects rather than operating globally.

Figure 14-8 A close-up of a raster image with quality set to High (top) and Draft (bottom)

c14f008.eps
Can’t Get Transparency to Work?
The Transparency command does not work on all types of images. As mentioned, it works with GIF files that have the background removed. You can also use a bitonal image, meaning the image must have only two colors, typically black and white. A bitonal image is also referred to as a bitmap image in Photoshop. It cannot be grayscale or multicolor. PDF files that have been exported from AutoCAD may also work with the Transparency command.
You can put images that do not work with the Transparency command on a layer with transparency set to a value greater than 0. Transparency can also be set using the Transparency slider in the Home tab’s Properties panel. To use the Transparency slider, select the object, such as an image or hatch pattern, and then adjust the slider to achieve the level of transparency you want. You can start at 50 and adjust downward or upward.
Note that if you want your image to print or plot with the transparency in effect, you must select the Plot transparency option in the Plot or Page Setup dialog box.

The Properties palette offers many of the same adjustments described in this section. You can use it for quick access to the Transparency setting and other raster image settings.

Working with PDF Files

If you’re using a computer as part of your daily work activity, you will encounter a PDF document. PDFs have become a part of everyday life, so it’s no surprise that AutoCAD offers a fair amount of support for PDFs.

In the following sections, you’ll learn how to import a PDF document into AutoCAD and how you can control various properties of the document, such as fading and the ability to snap to objects in the PDF.

Importing a PDF

To import a PDF, you use a method similar to the one you used earlier to import an image file. In fact, you could perform all of the steps in the exercise in the section “Importing a Raster Image” earlier in this chapter using a PDF file instead of the raster1.jpg file. You just need to know how to set up the Select Reference File dialog box to allow you to locate PDFs.

Try the following to see how to import a PDF:

1. Open a new file using the acad.dwt file as a template.
2. Use the Save As option in the Application menu, and save the drawing as PDFimport.dwg.
c14i006.tif
3. Click the Attach tool in the Insert tab’s Reference panel, or type attach↵, to open the Select Reference File dialog box.
4. In the Files Of Type drop-down list at the bottom of the dialog box, select PDF Files (*.pdf).
c14uf003.tif
5. Locate and select the SampleImport.pdf file.
6. Click Open to open the Attach PDF Underlay dialog box (see Figure 14-9). Notice that you have an option to select a specific page of the PDF document if you are opening a multipage PDF.
7. Click page 2 of the page preview on the left side of the dialog box.
8. Click OK and then, at the Specify insertion point: prompt, place the outline of the drawing so that it is roughly centered in the drawing area and click.
9. At the Specifyscale factor or [Unit] <1.0000>: prompt, use the cursor to scale the image so that it fills the screen (Figure 14-10). Page 2 of the SampleImport.pdf file appears in the drawing.

Figure 14-9 The Attach PDF Underlay dialog box

c14f009.tif

Figure 14-10 Manually scaling the raster image

c14f010.tif

Scaling and Osnaps with PDFs

In an earlier exercise, you were able to scale an image file, though you had to use a reference line that was already in the image file to scale the drawing roughly to its proper size in AutoCAD. If you have a PDF that was created from an AutoCAD file or from another vector-based program, you can use osnaps to select exact locations in the PDF.

Try the following exercise to see how you can use osnaps to select geometry in the PDF. You’ll scale the drawing so that the width of the stairs conforms to the known distance for that area.

First make sure the Snap To Underlays feature is turned on:

1. In the Insert tab’s Reference panel, click the Snap To Underlays tool.
c14uf004.tif
2. Select the Snap To Underlays ON option.

Now you are ready to scale the PDF drawing:

1. Click the Scale tool in the Home tab’s Modify panel or type SC↵.
2. Select the attached PDF file and press ↵.
3. At the Specify base point: prompt, turn on the osnaps and select the left endpoint of the horizontal line at the top of the drawing, as shown in Figure 14-11.

Figure 14-11 Selecting the first endpoint of the line for the Scale command

c14f011.eps
4. At the Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference]: prompt, type R↵ to use the Reference option.
5. At the Specify Reference length <1.0000>: prompt, click the same endpoint again or type @↵.
6. At the Specify second point: prompt, click the endpoint of the line shown in Figure 14-12.

Figure 14-12 Selecting the second endpoint of the line for the Scale command

c14f012.eps
7. At the Specify new length or [Points] <1.0000>: prompt, enter 196, which is the inch equivalent of 16′-4″. Metric users should enter 498 to match the dimension of the metric version of the lobby drawing.
8. In the Navigation bar, choose the Zoom Extents option from the Zoom flyout to center the drawing in the drawing area.

In this exercise, you were able to use object snaps directly on the imported PDF drawing. You may have noticed that a tool tip appeared with the message “PDF (approximate): Endpoint.” The PDF drawing is not an exact representation of the original drawing, so the tool tip reminds you that, even though you are using an osnap to select a location in the drawing, it is not an exact location as it would be in an AutoCAD file.

Controlling the PDF Display

You can take advantage of a number of other features of a PDF file. Just as with a typical Xref or image file, you can fade the PDF so it appears as a background image. You can also use the Clip feature you saw earlier in this chapter to clip the PDF to a specific area.

You can gain access to these and other PDF display features through the PDF Underlay Ribbon tab. This tab appears automatically whenever you select an attached PDF drawing. Click the PDF drawing of the lobby and you’ll see the PDF Underlay tab appear in the Ribbon (see Figure 14-13).

Figure 14-13 The panels on the PDF Underlay Ribbon tab

c14f013.tif

Table 14-2 describes the tools in the PDF Underlay Ribbon tab. The tools are fairly self-explanatory. For example, the tools in the Adjust panel let you control the fade and contrast of the PDF drawing. The Display In Monochrome option displays a color PDF in monochrome.

One option you’ll want to take a closer look at is the Edit Layers tool in the PDF Layers panel. If the source PDF is a drawing that contains layers, you can control the visibility of those layers using this tool. With an imported PDF selected, click the Edit Layers tool to open the Underlay Layers dialog box (see Figure 14-14).

Figure 14-14 The Underlay Layers dialog box

c14f014.tif

Table 14-2: The PDF Underlay tab tools

OptionUse
ContrastAdjusts the contrast setting for the PDF
FadeAdjusts the amount of fade applied to the PDF
Display In MonochromeDisplays the PDF in monochrome
Create Clipping BoundaryAdds a clipping boundary to the PDF
Remove ClippingRemoves a clipping boundary
Show UnderlayShows or hides the PDF
Enable SnapEnables or disables the PDF snap feature
External ReferencesOpens the External References palette
Edit LayersOpens the Underlay Layers dialog box, allowing you to control layer visibility

You can turn the visibility of a layer on or off by clicking the lightbulb icon to the left of it in the list. For example, if you turn off the WALL layer in the Underlay Layers dialog box for the SampleImport example, the PDF drawing will change so that the walls will not be shown (see Figure 14-15).

Figure 14-15 The imported PDF with the WALL layer turned off

c14f015.tif
Adding Layers to Your PDF
If you want to create a PDF with layers, you can do so by printing a drawing to a PDF file using the AutoCAD DWG To PDF.pc3 Printer/Plotter option. You can find this option in the Name drop-down list in the Page Setup or Plot dialog box. (See Chapter 8, “Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts,” for more on the Name drop-down list.) You don’t have to do anything special. If your drawing contains layers, the DWG to PDF.pc3 plotter will include them in the PDF. Adobe Acrobat 6.0 and later will also include layers when used from AutoCAD.

Coordinating Geographic Locations

Architects and engineers use geolocation and mapping tools to help place their projects on their chosen sites. Usually a program like Google Earth or another mapping program is used to get an idea of the site conditions. Street views from Google Maps can help designers get a better idea of how their buildings will appear from a street level.

Geolocation tools can help the designer coordinate information between the different disciplines involved in a project. Designers can place their projects over an aerial view of a site and coordinate the orientation and location of key features of their design.

Up until now, the process of coordinating AutoCAD drawings with mapping data has been a patchwork process involving several steps. The scale and orientation of an imported map or aerial view often involve, at the very best, an educated guess based on the size of known features of a site. AutoCAD 2014 offers a tool that takes the guesswork out of the scale and orientation of background maps within an AutoCAD drawing.

The Geographic Location feature allows you place an accurately scaled map or aerial view in your drawing. You can then draw your designs directly on the map or import an existing AutoCAD design. Unlike an imported image, the Geographic Location map will always remain in the background so you don’t have to be concerned about an overlapping image. You can also easily switch between a map view and an aerial view as the need arises.

Let’s take a look at how the Geographic Location feature works:

1. In a new file, select the Insert Ribbon tab and in the Location panel, click Set Location and select From Map.
2. You will see a message asking “Do you want to use Live Map Data?”. Click Yes.
3. The Geographic Location dialog box appears (see Figure 14-16). Here, you can enter an address, a location name, or the latitude and longitude of a site.

Figure 14-16 The Geographic Location dialog box

c14f016.tif
c14i007.tif
4. Enter a location name or address in the input box at the top of the dialog box and click the magnifying glass icon. For this exercise, enter Fort Mason, San Francisco. The dialog box changes to show an aerial view map of Fort Mason. In the left side, you see a list keyed to numbered locations on the map (see Figure 14-17).

Figure 14-17 An aerial view of your selected location appears in the dialog box.

c14f017.tif
5. Click the Drop Marker Here button just under the first item in the list: Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123. A red marker appears in the map.
6. Click the Continue button at the bottom of the dialog box. The dialog box closes and you see the prompt: 
Select a point for the location <0.0000,0.0000.0.0000>:
7. Click a point at the center of the drawing area. The point you select corresponds to the red marker that appeared in the Geographic Location dialog box. You see the next prompt: 
Specify the north direction or [Angle]<angle>:
8. Click a point directly above the first point you selected to indicate a north direction pointing up. An aerial view of the northern tip of San Francisco appears (see Figure 14-18).
9. Once the aerial view appears in the drawing, you can zoom in and out using the standard AutoCAD view tools. Use the wheel of your mouse to zoom in to get a closer look at Fort Mason.

Figure 14-18 The drawing area with the Geographic Location aerial view

c14f018.tif

You may notice that the Geolocation Ribbon tab appears with a set of options (Figure 14-19). These options allow you to modify your geolocation view. For example, the Map Aerial flyout lets you switch to a map view and back again.

Figure 14-19 The Geolocation Ribbon tab panels

c14f019.tif

Try it in the following exercise:

1. In the Map Tools panel of the Geolocation tab, click the Map Aerial flyout and select Map Road. The view changes to show a graphic representation of the roads.
c14uf005.tif
2. In the Map Tools panel of the Geolocation tab, click the Map Road flyout and select Map Aerial. The view changes back to the aerial view.

Making Adjustments to the Map

As you can see from the previous steps, you can easily switch between an aerial view and a map view. You also have the option to show a combined aerial and map view using the Map Hybrid option, or turn the geolocation background off entirely using the Map Off option.

Options on the Location Panel

Besides controlling the geolocation background image, the Geolocation Ribbon tab enables you to make other adjustments to your background. Here is a rundown of the tools and features you’ll find in the Location panel:

Edit Location Offers two options: From Map and From File. If you select From Map, the Geographic Location dialog box opens, enabling you to enter new location data. The From File option lets you find a location using a KML or KMZ file. KML files are used with Google Earth to enable location, tagging, and placement of 3D models on a Google Earth map. KMZ files are archive files similar to ZIP files and they contain KML files and any support files needed for the KML file.
Reorient Marker Enables you to reposition the original marker location and reset the north orientation. You are asked to select a point for the location of the address or latitude-longitude position, and then you are asked for the north orientation.
Remove Location Lets you remove the geolocation map from the drawing. When you click this tool, you are asked if you want to remove the location data and the assigned coordinate system from the current drawing.

Options on the Map Tools Panel

The Map Tools palette in the Geolocation Ribbon panel offers tools that let you mark locations in the geolocation background. You’ve already seen what the Map Aerial and Map Road options do. The following list describes the other tools in this panel:

Locate Me Enables you to find your location on the aerial view or map. This feature is available only if your computer is equipped with a GPS or other feature that is able to provide your location data.
Mark Position Enables you to place a marker in the aerial or map view. The following options are available in the flyout: The Lat-Long option lets you specify the latitude and longitude for the marker location. The My Location option is similar to the Locate Me tool and places a marker at your current location. The Point option enables you to point to a location to place a marker. Once you click on a location, you are prompted to enter a text description for the location. AutoCAD opens the Text Editor Ribbon tab, giving you the ability to format your text description.

Finding Measurements and Distances

In the first Geolocation exercise, you may have noticed the Drawing Unit option in the Geographic Location dialog box. By default, this option is set to inches, but you can set it to feet, meters, miles or some other unit of measure. By accepting the default inches for the Drawing Unit option, any measurements you take on the map will return distances using inches as the drawing unit. If the unit style of your drawing is set to Architectural, distances will be displayed in feet and inches—inches are the base drawing unit. Try the following exercise to see how distances are displayed:

1. Type Units↵ to open the Drawing Units dialog box.
2. Select Architectural from the Type drop-down list, and then click OK.
3. Choose Map Road from the Map Aerial flyout in the Map Tools Ribbon panel.
4. Zoom into the map view so it looks similar to Figure 14-20.

Figure 14-20 The Map Road view

c14f020.tif
5. Choose Measure from the Home tab’s Utilities panel.
6. Measure the distance from Laguna Street to Van Ness Avenue. The Measure tool reports a distance of 2446 feet, give or take a few feet.

In this exercise, the distance reported by the Measure tool is in feet. Had you not changed drawing unit in steps 1 and 2, the distance reported by the Measure tool would have been 29,043 units, which is the distance in inches.

You can use other methods to find measurements in your map. For example, you could get a rough estimate of the size of an existing building by drawing a closed polyline around the building outline (see Figure 14-21). Select the polyline and hover over a grip to view the dimensions of the outline closest to the grip.

Figure 14-21 Dimensions from a building outline

c14f021.tif

The Bottom Line

Convert paper drawings into AutoCAD files. AutoCAD gives you some great tools that let you convert your paper drawings into AutoCAD files. Several options are available. Depending on your needs, you’ll find at least one solution that will allow you to convert your drawings quickly.
Master It Describe the different methods available in AutoCAD for converting paper drawings into CAD files.
Import a raster image. You can use bitmap raster images as backgrounds for your CAD drawings or as underlay drawings that you can trace over.
Master It Import a raster image of your choice, and use the AutoCAD drawing tools to trace over your image.
Work with a raster image. Once imported, raster images can be adjusted for size, brightness, contrast, and transparency.
Master It Import a raster image of your choice, and fade the image so that it appears to blend into the background with less contrast.
Work with PDF files. AutoCAD allows you to import and control the display of PDF files. This is significant since the PDF file format is so prevalent in the business world.
Master It In a PDF that includes layers, how do you gain access to the layer settings?
Use a geolocation map. You can include a correctly scaled background aerial view or road map of a site in your drawing to help you better coordinate your design with site conditions.
Master It Name three types of information you can use to find a site in the Geographic Location dialog box.
..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset
18.226.163.229