2012
Table Of Contents
- Contents
- Get Information
- The User Interface
- Start and Save Drawings
- Control the Drawing Views
- Organize Drawings and Layouts
- Create and Modify Objects
- Control the Properties of Objects
- Use Precision Tools
- Work with the User Coordinate System (UCS)
- Enter Coordinates to Specify Points
- Use Dynamic Input
- Snap to Locations on Objects (Object Snaps)
- Restrict Cursor Movement
- Combine or Offset Points and Coordinates
- Specify Distances
- Extract Geometric Information from Objects
- Use a Calculator
- Create Objects
- Select and Modify Objects
- Select Objects
- Correct Mistakes
- Erase Objects
- Cut, Copy, and Paste with the Clipboard
- Modify Objects
- Add Constraints to Geometry
- Define and Reference Blocks
- Work with 3D Models
- Create 3D Models
- Overview of 3D Modeling
- Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves
- Create Solids
- Create Surfaces
- Create Meshes
- Create Wireframe Models
- Add 3D Thickness to Objects
- Modify 3D Models
- Create Sections and Drawings from 3D Models
- Create 3D Models
- Annotate Drawings
- Work with Annotations
- Overview of Annotations
- Scale Annotations
- Overview of Scaling Annotations
- Set Annotation Scale
- Create Annotative Objects
- Display Annotative Objects
- Add and Modify Scale Representations
- Set Orientation for Annotations
- Hatches, Fills, and Wipeouts
- Notes and Labels
- Tables
- Dimensions and Tolerances
- Understand Basic Concepts of Dimensioning
- Use Dimension Styles
- Set the Scale for Dimensions
- Create Dimensions
- Modify Existing Dimensions
- Add Geometric Tolerances
- Work with Annotations
- Plot and Publish Drawings
- Specify Settings for Plotting
- Save Plot Settings as Named Page Setups
- Reuse Named Page Setups
- Specify Page Setup Settings
- Select a Printer or Plotter for a Layout
- Select a Paper Size for a Layout
- Determine the Drawing Orientation of a Layout
- Set the Plot Area of a Layout
- Adjust the Plot Offset of a Layout
- Set the Plot Scale for a Layout
- Set the Lineweight Scale for a Layout
- Select a Plot Style Table for a Layout
- Set Shaded Viewport and Plot Options for a Layout
- Print or Plot Drawings
- Overview of Plotting
- Use a Page Setup to Specify Plot Settings
- Select a Printer or Plotter
- Specify the Area to Plot
- Set Paper Size
- Position the Drawing on the Paper
- Control How Objects Are Plotted
- Preview a Plot
- Plot Files to Other Formats
- Publish Drawings
- Specify Settings for Plotting
- Share Data Between Files
- Reference Other Drawing Files
- Work with Data in Other Formats
- Collaborate with Others
- Render Drawings
- Draw 2D Isometric Views
- Add Lighting to Your Model
- Materials and Textures
- Render 3D Objects for Realism
- Glossary
- Index
Extract Block Attribute Data (Advanced)
Using an attribute extraction template file, you can extract attribute
information from a drawing and create a separate text file for use with database
software.
You can extract attribute information from a drawing and create a separate
text file for use with database software. This feature is useful for creating parts
lists with information already entered in the drawing database. Extracting
attribute information does not affect the drawing.
To create a parts list
Create and edit an attribute definition
Enter values for the attributes as you insert the blocks
Create a template file and then extract attribute information to a text file
To extract attribute information, you first create an attribute template file
using any text processor, then generate the attribute extraction file using
AutoCAD for Mac, and, finally, open the attribute extraction file in a database
application. If you plan to extract the attribute information to a DXF (drawing
interchange format) file, it is not necessary to first create an attribute template
file.
NOTE
Make sure that the attribute extraction file does not have the same name as
the attribute template file.
Create an Attribute Extraction Template File
Before you extract attribute information, you must create an ASCII template
file to define the structure of the file that will contain the extracted attribute
information. The template file contains information about the tag name, data
type, field length, and number of decimal places associated with the
information you want to extract.
Each field in the template file extracts information from the block references
in the drawing. Each line in the template file specifies one field to be written
to the attribute extraction file, including the name of the field, its character
width, and its numerical precision. Each record in the attribute extraction file
includes all the specified fields in the order given by the template file.
The following template file includes the 15 possible fields. N means numeric,
C means character, www means a 3 digit number for the total width of the
344 | Chapter 7 Define and Reference Blocks