A reader from Canada asks, “Is it possible to load an AutoCAD file (dxf?) into my Garmin GPSMAP 60csx?”. I don’t know of a free one-step solution, and if any reader knows of one, I’d appreciate. However, using some of the procedures described in previous posts on this blog, it can be done fairly easily.
1. Convert the DXF file to a shapefile using the MapWindow DXF To Shape Converter. Points, lines and areas will have to be converted into separate shapefiles.2. If the coordinates of the DXF are not in the native coordinate system for most GPS units (latitude/longitude, WGS84), you’ll need to re-project the new shapefiles from their current coordinate system (e.g. UTM) to the GPS native system using MapWindow.
3. Load the shapefile into the GPS using one of several programs available. Points and lines will be imported as waypoints and tracks, respectively, while areas will be imported as tracks that describe the perimeter of the area.
It’s even less painful than it sounds; should take no more than about five minutes to put a DXF file into a GPS, once you have all the software you need installed.
Addendum: You would also follow the same basic procedure if you wanted to display a DXF file in Google Earth, but instead of step 3 above, you would convert the shapefile created in step 2 into a Google Earth KML file using one of the converters I’ve posted about previously.
Note: See this series of posts for info on converting shapefiles to KML format.
In two previous posts, I covered several multi-step hacks for converting Google Earth KML files to shapefile format, since there wasn’t a single-step free approach to my knowledge. Well, there is now, and it makes the process a lot easier.
Continue reading ‘The Last Word (For Now) On Converting Google Earth KML Files To Shapefiles’
Yesterday’s post covered converting KML files to shapefile format, with the intermediate step of converting them first to AutoCAD DXF format, then DXF to shapefile format using a MapWindow plugin. Seems like a good moment to post on a shapefile-to-DXF converter that can also convert ArcINFO coverages (derivable from ArcINFO E00 files) to DXF as well.
Continue reading ‘Converting Shapefiles and ArcINFO Coverages To AutoCAD DXF Format’
Note: See this series of posts for info on converting shapefiles to KML format.
In the last post, I covered a mildly painful way to convert the vector data (points, paths, and polygons) in Google Earth KML files to shapefile format, while keeping at least the name associated with the points and paths. Today, I’ll describe a simpler and faster two-step process, but one that unfortunately doesn’t keep the name or any of the other KML data associated with the original shapes.
Continue reading ‘Another Way To Convert Google Earth KML Files To Shapefiles’
