What's New in AutoCAD, ArcGIS and Global Mapper

ArcGIS Plugin for AutoCAD

ESRI has launched a tool to visualize ArcGIS data from AutoCAD, which hangs as a new tab on the Ribbon and does not need to have an ArcGIS license or the installed program.

It works with versions AutoCAD 2010 to AutoCAD 2012, they have not said anything about AutoCAD 2013. For versions 2009 or earlier, Build 200 Service Pack 1 is required.

Don't get too excited, it doesn't read standard layers like WMS, WFS, let alone an MXD or ESRI Geodatabase. What it reads is data served via ArcGIS Server, be it on a local network service, the Internet, and also the ArcGIS online layers. For those of us who have been observing the distance between CAD and GIS, we recognize that it is an important step and an expected dream, since AutoCAD interact with themed layers from ArcGIS without having to import or transform.

The functions are basic, load maps, separate layers, turn off, turn on, make transparent, query tabular data. If the service is configured, tabular and vector data from an enterprise geodatabase can be edited, but this has to be defined in the GIS Server. It recognizes projection, both of a .prj file and of the one that may be defined in AutoCAD. Attributes can also be assigned to CAD data and insurance with lisp will be able to interact more.

In particular, despite being basic, it seems like a good attempt, because before, unless you used AutoCAD Map or Civil3D, you had to convert the vector data to dwg format and lose the tabular ones. 

And for being free, not bad.

Download ArcGIS for AutoCAD

What will Global Mapper 14 bring?

In mid-September the 14 version of Global Mapper will be launched, just one year after the release of the 13 version of We talk at the time.

Sure there will be a more specific article, but in what we have leaked the Beta version that is available for download, this is the novelty:

• In Global Mapper 13 they had included the ability to read an ESRI Geodatabase. Now ESRI ArcSDE, as well as the already conventional ESRI files and Personal Geodatabases, can be edited almost natively. The same can be done with MySQL, Oracle Spatial, and PostGIS databases.
• At the level of command functionality, a good amount of adaptations have been made so that with the little exploded right mouse button a context panel with access to common routines or related to what is being done is deployed.
• In the generation of digital terrain models, which has been most practical, it has improved the management of menus for the creation of Contour lines, Combination of surfaces, generation of watersheds and other tools.
• The ability to calculate the volume between two terrain surfaces and also edge lines to delimit a surface has also been added.
• Support for Web Feature Services (WFS) at the client level. 
• It can be exported to CADRG / CIB, ASRP / ADRG, and Garmin JNX files
• Searches can be done separately by layer
• It is now possible to perform basic operations that GIS programs do not usually have, such as free rotation, without having to define parameters but on the fly as is done in CAD. Also cut multiple polygons from a line, Trim type, it does not matter that they are not cut on the same plane.
• Copy - paste can be done as in Manifold, select what you want, look for the target layer, make paste and ready.
• We will have to see what this is, but talk about a calculation of the cost of selling data, based on a defined export area and resolution.
• And of course, it is expected that many new formats will come, in which Global Mapper is almost insuperable, new projections and datums.

From here you can download the beta, which is installed as a parallel version without affecting a previous one that we have installed.
32-bit: http://www.globalmapper.com/downloads/global_mapper14_setup.exe
64-bit: http://www.globalmapper.com/downloads/global_mapper14_setup_64bit.exe