One of the options that you can use during the import process is to create object data based on

attributes from the incoming data. When you use this option during the import process, AutoCAD Map

3D can automatically create an Object Data table, and associate that data with the incoming objects.

This drawing file already has parcels. Your task is to import roads for the surrounding area. These

roads are currently in a .shp file format.

To start the process, on the ribbon, Insert tab, Import panel, click Map Import. In the Import Location

dialog, select the file tgr06089lkA.shp, which is actually a shape file, and click OK.

In the upper-right corner of the Import dialog is an area where you can define a spatial filter during

this import process. This allows you to limit the amount of data that comes in through this import, by

defining an area within which you want to import the geometry. By default, this is set to None. But you

could also select the current display, which is the current screen zoom, or you can define a window.

Select Define window, and in the drawing screen, draw a window around the rough perimeter of the

parcels.

Next, look at the fields that you have in place for this import. First, you have the Input Layer, which is

just the class name in this .shp file, and the Drawing Layer, which defaults to match that class name.

For Input Coordinates, there are no coordinate sets, and currently there is no data mapping that has

been set.

You must make a few changes to these parameters for the import. First, I need to set the coordinate

system for this incoming file because it has been created in a latitude-longitude coordinate system.

Click inside the Input Coordinate System cell, and then click the ellipsis () button. In the Coordinate

System Library dialog, under search, enter "LL." Then select the LL coordinate system from the list,

and click Select.

Next, you need to tell AutoCAD Map to create a new layer and to place all of the incoming data on

this new layer. Click in the Drawing Layer cell, and then click the ellipsis () button. In the Layer

Mapping dialog, for Create on New Layer, replace the current name. So type in "Roads", and click OK.

Now you re going to define how you want to deal with the attribute data from the .shp file. Click inside
the Data cell, and then click the ellipsis () button. In the Attribute Data dialog, you now have three

options: Do not import any attribute data, Create object data, or Add to a database table. The

database table is inactive right now because there are no databases attached to this current drawing.

You are going to create Object Data, so select Create object data.

Once you do, the rest of this dialog becomes available. By default, AutoCAD Map indicates that it's

going to create an Object Data table that matches the feature class that it has found in the .shp file.

Change this Object Data table name to "Roads," and then click Select Fields.
In the Object Data Mapping dialog, you see all of the input fields that are in the .dbf file that is

associated with the .shp file. By default, AutoCAD Map will create new fields in the Object Data table

to match those of the incoming data. You can deselect any of these if you wanted to, but for this

exercise, accept all of them and click OK.

In the Attribute Data dialog, click OK again to return to the Import dialog. Now under Data, you can

see that there is a symbol that indicates you are going to create Object Data and that the Object Data

table name is "Roads." With all of that set, click OK.

Once the roads are imported, zoom in and you can review the data that came in with them. Select

one of the roads, then right-click and select Properties. In the Properties palette, scroll down to the

Object Data section. Notice the attribute data that was brought in along with the geometry during this

import process.