Drawing Interchange
File (DXF) files are typically output from CAD systems. DXF files
often contain only lines and points. If you want to create polygons
in the imported
SAS/GIS map, then you must ensure that the boundary
lines for the closed panes in the DXF file are topologically correct.
Although the lines might appear to form a closed polygon in the CAD
system, the polygon creation process will fail if the end point of
one boundary line is not the same as the beginning point of the next
line.
The
SAS/GIS import process
does not support DXF symbols or blocks. If parts of the imported drawing
do not appear as expected, then examine the source of the DXF file.
If it contains AutoCAD blocks, then the data provider can explode
these blocks into separate elements and then export a new DXF file.
To import spatial data
in DXF format using the
GIS Spatial Data Importing window, complete the following steps:
-
Select
DXF from the
Import Type drop-down menu.
The title of the filename
field in the
INPUT pane changes to
DXF filename.
-
Specify the path to
the desired DXF file, either by typing the path in the filename field,
or by clicking the arrow to display an
Open window and then selecting the file from that window.
SAS/GIS allocates the
SAS fileref DXFIN to the import path that you specified in the filename
field. If you allocate the fileref DXFIN to the desired file before
beginning the import process, the filename and path appear in the
filename field automatically.
-
Modify the destination
information for the catalog and the spatial data sets, if needed.
-
Modify the default layers
and composites, if needed. For more information, see the following:
-
Click
Import to import the data. When the import process is complete, a message
is displayed in the window message bar to indicate whether the import
was successful. You can proceed with another import or close the window
to display the newly imported map.