Replacing points with objects

Hi, I'm Using Autocad Map 2008 and I'm drawing a geological map. I have 386 points that I wish to replace with diamond-shaped polygons. Is there any way I can do this quickly?

I've drawn a diamond-shaped polygon and I'm currently wondering if there's any automated replace-commands that are usable. Should I maybe convert the polygon into a block?

Help much appreciated, since I don't much fancy doing it manually

What kind of points are they?

When I select one and choose "properties" the box in the topmost, left corner says "Point".

Not really helpful, ey?

Regular AutoCAD Point... You have Civil 3D loaded no?

Unfortunately, I don't have Civil 3D innstalled. Would that help(runs to isohunt to check)?

Yes. If you have it available it would be easiest and quickest. Unless of course if you have to install it as it takes a good while to install. By the time you installed it you could have performed an alternative operation.

No, doesn't have it at all unfortunately. If you have any semi-quick and easy ways to do it I'm also grateful.

EDIT: Just noticed I haven't updated my profile in a while. I used to have civil 3D at my old firm.

Now that's a "rusty" conversation

A short lisp routine could expedite this, go ask the guys in the lisp/automation forum and they may whip something up for you.

Will do, thanks:)

Actually, this might work. Give it a shot.

I was going to point you in this direction at first (post #9), except I was going to have you export your points .dwg to .dxf, then open it with SiteTopo. You could then do a save points to create a text point file which you could then import using ImportXYZ by Jeffery P. Sanders. This would allow you to insert a block when you imported them.

The easiest way though is with Civil 3D you could simply convert the AutoCAD points to Civil 3D points and then set a point style to insert the block.

... or here is a quick one:

 
(defun c:marks()
 (setq points (ssget "X" (list '(0 . "POINT"))))
 (repeat (setq i (sslength points))
   (setq p1 (assoc 10 (entget (ssname points (setq i (1- i))))))
   (entmake (list '(0 . "INSERT") '(2 . "MARK") p1))
   )
 )

Firstly create a block named "MARK" containing the diamond shape polygon. Run the lisp above -it will insert the block MARK at every point found in the drawing.

It is just a simple lisp I just wrote, it will return errors if there are no points in the drawing or if there is no block MARK.

Aditional filters could be used to find only "some" of the points. Points can be deleted after the insertion of the blocks.

Dude you're too cool. I wish I knew lisp as well as you.

Try it first! Comments can wait: the routine is not tested yet.

It works alright. Totally sweet.

Ok, now the comments are accepted! Thanks for your quick feed-back! I must confess that I wrote the lisp at home. I was unable to try it out.

You should be a lisp teacher or something.

Colour me stupid, but where do I insert this code?

Read this: http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1390

You will see: it is not hard at all.

Great! That was probably obvious, but I've never tried Lisps before. Thanks a lot guys:)

Our greatest pleasure is to serv you, Sir!

Glad to read that it works for you!

And Rusty: No one around here will call you stupid; everybody starts as beginner.