Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Convert ARC polylines to linear segment polylines.
Command line : GT_PLARC2PL 

Converts arc segments in polylines or ARC objects to polylines with linear interpolated segments. The arc section is approximated by connecting with a number of straight line segments. The linear segment of the original polyline is left as it is. The arc approximation (interpolation) can be done by any one of the three methods:

Angular
In this case, sampling is done at the specified angular interval (in degrees) along the arc segment. This is useful when you want to replace an arc or circle with linear segments at every fixed angular interval like 5 or 10 degrees. This method is usually not preferred to deal with polyline arc segments in surveyed horizontal curves where it is desirable to adopt either of the other two parameters described below. 

Chord Length
This is the maximum allowable chord length during the interpolation of the arcs.


Chord Perpendicular (crown distance)
This is the maximum crown distance of the chord that is allowable during the arc interpolation. The crown distance is the distance from the midpoint of the chord to the arc.

Layer to place:

Source: Choosing this option places the converted polylines in source object layer.

Current: Choosing this option places the converted polylines in current layer.

Delete original objects: Checking this box deletes the original objects.

See Also: GT_PLINE2ARC

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Create POINT at every Block/Shape insertion.
Command line : GT_BLKSHP2P 
Creates a point at the insertion point of every shape, block or text object in the selection set. Optionally, the source objects can be deleted.



Tech Info: If there is any extended entity data or object table data in the source objects, they will be transferred to the points.
 
Layer to place  

Source:  Choosing this option creates points in the source layer
Current: Choosing this option places the points in the current layer

Specify: Choosing this options allows to specify the layer in which the points will be created

Layer-name: Displays the name of the layer selected

Select: Clicking on Select button pops up the select layer dialog box

Delete original objects: Checking this box deletes the original source object (block/shape) after creating the points

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Create a Block or Shape at every Point location.
Command line : GT_P2BLKSHP 
Replaces all selected point objects with Blocks or Shapes.

Tech Info: If there is any extended entity data or object table data in the source objects, they will be transferred to the new target objects.

Replace with:

Block: Choosing this option allows to replace selected points with block.  

Shape: Choosing this option allows to replace selected points with shape.

Insertion Settings:

Scale Factor: Allows to enter the required scale factor for the block/shape.

Rotation Angle: Allows to enter the required rotation angle for the block/shape.

Block Name: The "Blocks" button allows selecting the block for insertion.

Shape Name: Enter the shape name to insert

Layer to place  

Source:  Choosing this option creates block/shape in the source layer

Current: Choosing this option places the result in the current layer

Specify: Choosing this option allows to specify the layer in which block/shape is to be created

Layer-name: Displays the name of the layer selected

Select: Clicking on Select button pops up the select layer dialog box

Delete original objects: Checking this box deletes the original source object (point) after creating the block/shape

GT_P2BLKSHP Tutorial

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Convert spline to Pline.
Command line : GT_SPL2PL 

It is possible to use the GT_SPL2PL command to convert splines to polylines in three different ways.

Join Fit points: This option joins all the Fit points (DXF Code 11) of a spline and creates a polyline out of it.

Join Control points:  This option joins all the Control (DXF Code 10) points of a spline and creates a polyline out of it.

Re-create spline geometry (DXF method): This method is the most precise and attempts to re-create the geometry of the spline as closely as possible. It works by creating the DXF output of the spline object in Release 12 format and then imports it in again as a polyline. With long polylines, this may occasionally cause AutoCAD/BricsCAD to become unstable and even crash. Please ensure that you save your drawing prior to running this command. 

Interpolate by inter-vertex distance: This method allows specifying a distance between the two vertices of the polyline that will be created.

Vertex distance: Specify the vertex distance here. Every polyline vertex will be spaced apart by this amount.  

Layer to place  

Source: Choosing this option places the result in the layer in which it was created (source layer)

Current: Choosing this option places the result in the current layer

Specify: Choosing this option allows to specify the layer  to place the resultant object

Layer-name: Displays the name of the layer selected

Select: Clicking on Select button pops up the select layer dialog box

Delete original objects: Checking this box deletes the original source object (Spline) after converting to polyline

GT_SPL2PL Tutorial

See Also: GT_PL2SPL

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Convert Pline to Spline
Command line : GT_PL2SPL 
Converts polylines to splines. The defining vertices of the polylines are used as the Spline Fit points.

Layer to place  

Source: Choosing this option places the result in the layer in which it was created (source layer)

Current: Choosing this option places the result in the current layer

Specify: Choosing this option allows to specify the layer  to place the resultant object

Layer-name: Displays the name of the layer selected

Select: Clicking on Select button pops up the select layer dialog box

Delete original objects: Checking this box deletes the original source object (Polyline) after converting to spline

GT_PL2SPL Tutorial

See Also: GT_SPL2PL

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Convert zero length polylines to point objects.
Command line : GT_0LEN2PNT 
GT_0LEN2PNT converts all zero length objects into Points so that they can be easily identified and handled. The program accepts both lines, polylines and 3dfaces.

Often, because of a programming error or an improper import from other CAD systems or during processing of 3dface information for modeling purposes, zero length lines, polylines and 3dfaces get created. These objects are mostly redundant and do not contribute to the data in any way.

The standard object selection dialog box appears and allows the selection of polylines, lines and 3dfaces.
The elevation of the point object is the average of all the vertices.

Source: Choosing this option places the points in source object layer

Current: Choosing this option places the points in current layer.

Specify: Choosing this option allows to specify the layer for placing the points.

Label-name: Displays the selected layer name.

Select: Pops-up the Select Label Layer dialog box for choosing the required layer.

Delete original objects: Deletes the original zero length objects after converting them into points.

Tech Info: The points created will acquire new handles but any extended entity data in the source objects will be transferred to the points.

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Convert 3DFaces to polylines.
Command line : GT_3DF2PL
The GT_3DF2PL  command creates a 3d polyline from the vertices of selected 3dface objects

Layer to place  

Source: Choosing this option places the result in the layer in which it was created (source layer)

Current: Choosing this option places the result in the current layer

Specify: Choosing this option allows to specify the layer in which the resultant object should be placed

Layer-name: Displays the name of the layer selected

Select: Clicking on Select button pops up the select layer dialog box

Delete original objects: Checking this box deletes the original source object (3DFace) after converting to polyline

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Convert lines, arc, circles to polylines.
Command line : GT_LINE2PL 

The LINE2PL command is used to convert LINE, ARC and CIRCLE objects into polyline objects. The dialog box allows options to create either a light weight or heavy weight polyline out of the source objects.

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Scale Z values of objects.
Command line : GT_SCALE_Z 

Updates a 2D or 3D POLYLINE by multiplying the Z of each vertex by a factor. Also supports Z scaling for POINTs, BLOCKs and SHAPEs also.

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Automatically inherit properties from objects in vicinity.
Command line : GT_ASN_PROP 
Assigns either of the two primary properties (Thickness or Elevation) to selected points, shapes, blocks or circles. These properties are inherited from nearby text objects or from block attributes and converted to their floating point values. Typically, any object, which has only one DXF Group Code 10, can be used.




The GT_ASN_PROP command is useful as an "intelligence adding tool" in cases where the elevation or thickness value was created separately as a free standing text or block attribute.

This command can also be used to update an existing block with the elevation or thickness value derived out of the value of one of its attributes.

Assign what property?

Elevation: Select this option to assign the elevation value from a neighboring text/block attribute.

Thickness: Select this option to assign the thickness value from a neighboring text/block attribute.

Inherit from:

Text: Searches around the point for text objects only to inherit the value

Block: Searches around the point for block attributes (of the specified tag name) only to inherit the value.


Measure distance to:

Nearest visible location: Select this option to find any visible part of the text/block within the search distance.

Insertion point: Select this option to find the text/block whose insertion point is within the search distance.

Inherit object property only once (ignore in subsequent processing): This option ensures that the property is inherited only once from any object.

Delete object after property inheritance: The object whose property is inherited is deleted from the drawing immediately.

Attribute tag name: Specify name of an attribute tag to look for near the object.

Search Distance: Specify the distance to search around the object.

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Assign contour polyline elevatiions in a semi-automatic manner.
Command line : GT_ASS_EL 
GT_ASS_EL is an "intelligence adding" tool. It allows you to assign elevations to contour polylines which do not have elevations. You are asked to pick a reference contour and then the subsequent contours in order. On specifying the contour interval, all the contours are assigned elevations based on the reference contour and the contour interval.

Toolbar : Conversion  
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Assign contour polyline elevations from text objects
Command line : GT_ASS_EL_TEXT 
GT_ASS_EL_TEXT is another "intelligence adding" tool. It allows you to assign elevations to contour polylines which do not have elevations but, unlike the GT_ASS_EL command which performs automatic incrementing of elevations, this command asks for a text label object. You are asked to pick a contour and a text object which will represent the contour elevation

Toolbar : Conversion
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Attributes to X-Data
Command line : GT_ATT2XD

The GT_ATT2XD command converts block attributes to extended entity data directly in one single process. 

Toolbar : Conversion  ( BricsCAD only)
      Menu : GeoTools Conversion Heavy-Weight to Light-Weight OR Light-Weight to Heavy-Weight  
Command line : GT_CONVERTPOLY
The GT_CONVERTPOLY command converts heavy-weight polylines to light-weight polyines and vice-versa