AutoCAD Map 3D - Coordinate System Transformation

Sometimes we receive drawings that are using a particular coordinate system but we require the data to be in a different coordinate system. Here are the steps to quickly transform drawing data from one coordinate system to another. 1. In AutoCAD Map 3D, switch your workspace to Task-based Geospatial. Open the drawing you wish to convert. 2. In the Task Pane, select the Map Explorer tab. Right-click over the drawing name and select Coordinate System.

3. The Assign Global Coordinate System dialog box appears. It will show you what coordinate system has been assigned to the drawing. If no coordinate system has been assigned, in the Code window, type the appropriate code for the coordinate system the drawing is currently in (in this example, UTM83-14 for Manitoba UTM NAD 83 Zone 14 Metric) or click Select Coordinate System to browse for the required coordinate system. Click OK.

4. Save and close the drawing. 5. Start a new drawing. Save the drawing with an appropriate name, such as Utilities-LL84.DWG.

6. In the Task Pane, select the Map Explorer tab. Right-click over the drawing name and select Coordinate System.

7. The Assign Global Coordinate System dialog box appears. In the Code window, type the appropriate code for the coordinate system you want to convert the original drawing to (in this example, LL84 for WGS84 datum, Latitude-Longitude; Degrees) or click Select Coordinate System to browse for the required coordinate system. Click OK.

8. In the Task Pane, right-click the Drawings folder and select Attach.

9. The Select drawings to attach: dialog box appears. Browse to the location of the drawing to be converted, select it and click Add. Click OK.

10. In the Task Pane, under the Query Library folder, double-click Current Query. The Define Query of Attached Drawing(s) dialog box appears.

11. Click the Location button. The Location Condition dialog box appears. Select All and Click OK.

Back in the Define Query of Attached Drawing(s) dialog box, select Draw under Query Mode and then click Execute Query.

12. Perform a Zoom Extents and you will now see the drawing in the new coordinate system. 13. In the Task Pane, right-click over the drawing name in the Drawings folder and select Detach. This will detach the original drawing for this Map session.

14. Click Close in the AutoCAD Map Messages dialog box. Save and close the drawing. You now have the original drawing in its UTM Zone 14 coordinates and a new version of it in Latitude, Longitude WGS84 coordinates. George Gaeke, B.A., M.A., GISP Global CADD Systems, a division of Cansel