2011

To create a buffer
NOTE Thise procedure applies only to geospatial feature data. For information
about using buffers for drawing objects, see
To buffer a topology (page 1347).
1 Click Analyze tab ➤ Feature panel ➤ Feature Buffer.
2 In the Create Buffer dialog box (page 1559), if you have not already selected
the feature or features to buffer, click Select Features to select the features
interactively on your map.
3 To set the buffer distance, enter a value for Distance or click
to enter
a distance interactively on your map. Use the measurement units specified
by the coordinate system assigned to your map, or choose a different unit
from the list.
NOTE If you change the units after you specify the distance, the Distance
entry updates to show that measurement in the new units.
4 For Output To Layer, specify the Display Manager layer to contain the
buffer. If you created other buffers in this map, you can choose one of
their layers from the list. By default, AutoCAD Map 3D creates a new
layer for your buffer.
5 Specify the name of the SDF file to store the buffered features. By default,
the buffer file is saved in the current drawing’s saved location.
6 Select a Merge Results option:
■ No Merging: Overlapping buffers are not merged. The number of
resulting buffers is equal to the number of features being buffered.
■ Merge All Buffers: All overlapping buffers are merged into a single
buffer and then combined into a single polygon.
■ Merge Overlapping Buffers: Only the overlapping buffers are merged.
7 Click OK.
You can style the buffer as you would any other Display Manager layer.
All buffers you append to this buffer layer will use the same style. For
more information on styling features, see Styling Features (page 639).
1308 | Chapter 8 Analyzing Data