Abstract

Automation of Feature Class Exports to CAD
Track: Interoperability & Standards
Authors: Richard Allen, dave espinosa-aguilar

Many organizations require their GIS data to be regularly exported to a highly standardized CAD format for their design departments. This process might include the creation of many stylized layers with specific linework, point styles and the population of CAD blocks with attributes. While the ExportToCAD tool included with ArcDesktop can manually expedite this process, it is also possible to automate the unassisted data exportation of hundreds of Feature Classes using free API's such as Python and a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet as a control template. This presentation outlines how your organization can utilize the not-so-obvious internal workings of the ExportToCAD tool and, with minimal coding, reliably publish custom-tailored design drawing sets overnight with a single click of a button. It also explains how the use of a spreadsheet template strategy makes this type of automation readily available to any design group with its own CAD application and standards.