Converting ArcGIS to Autocad: the easy way

This is a simple methodology for converting ESRI ArcGIS shapefiles to AutoCAD dxf format. This post will be very brief, because this process is relatively simple. There are two methods of doing this that I use depending on the ArcGIS version:

Method 1: For ArcView and ArcEditor
If you are stuck with either of the lesser licences, use this method. If you have ArcInfo (the top licence), skip to method 2.

1) Open ArcCatalogue
2) Select the shapefile you wish to convert.
3) right click on it and select export... then shapefile to DXF...
4) Select an output path (dont worry about decimals for now)

You can repeat this process in ArcGIS the same way and select batch if you wish to do this to multiple shapefiles at once.

Method 2: For those of us with ArcInfo

1) Open ArcCatalogue
2) Select the shapefile you wish to convert.
3) right click on it and select export... then click Export to CAD
4) Then select DWG. You can export directly to a DWG file with ArcInfo. If you dont have ArcInfo use method 1 and cry.

Reading my additional articles on importing ArcGIS into AutoCAD for more information...

Dissapearing or moving Custom Toolbars in ArcGIS

If you use a lot of custom/off the beaten path toolbars in ArcGIS, like me, then you must know the frustration of them disapearing or moving around constantly. You can fix both aspects of this annoyance with a little programming and care.

When you make a custom toolbar, make sure you save it to normal.mxt (or the template you normally use). Otherwise, when you load ArcGIS will not see it again unless you load the map document (.mxd) you were working on when you saved the toolbar. If you didnt save the document, then you have completely lost your changes.

If you create you own UIcontrols and save them, they are also attached to the document you choose. Again, if you save your ArcGIS UIcontrol in the mxd document, it will not load in a new document. Also, when scripting, be sure to write all of your codes in the mxt template module, or again, you will lose your changes (you can always copy and paste it over if you forget).

Even more annoying is getting your Toolbars to stay in the location you assign them when you reload ArcMap. This part requires VBA programming:

codes Coming soon