Hi everyone,
I have a question about the way that Carlson GIS creates point topology using the Shape file import routine. It seems to treat point data differently from line and polygon topology.
As I understand it, if the Carlson routine detects point data in the Shape file, it stuffs that point data into a *.CRD file and imports that point data into the drawing as Carlson point blocks. Does this mean that the attributes associated with the points are subject to the limitations of the point blocks (defined by the small number of "SRVPNO#.DWG" drawings)? Is there a way to have Carlson GIS treat points the same way that it treats polygons: i.e., have AutoCAD entities — in this case, points or point symbols — with links to associated database records? What if each point is associated with 25 distinct attributes; how can Carlson point blocks work with this?
It appears to turn quite richly endowed point infomation into survey points, limited to something like a common PNEZD format. In many cases, elevation is totally irrelevant to the data the points carry.
I am probably missing something fundamental in the settings that control this import process, but I have not found any detailed documentation on this. Could someone fill me in on the details of importing point topology by the Shape file import routine in a way that retains the full attribute data, and makes it available for querying and thematic mapping?
Thanks very much, in advance.
--- Evan