Using AutoCAD for Island Mapping

[crazyjoedevola423]

I am looking to draw a large lake that I live on that has 14,000+ islands. I have started drawing small sections by bringing in high quality maps and tracing them using the spline command. Is there a faster way to trace the entire lake.

I want it to be all drawn with closed poly lines so that I am able to laser cut it and apply hatching. Other tracing programs in which I insert a image of the lake and it gives me the CAD format are very inaccurate and a pain to work with.

What do you recommend?

 

I have attached a small section of what I am trying to trace, I want the islands to be traced.

[ReMark]

Depends on where you live.If in the U.S. it might already be available to you in a CAD version of a USGS quad map.

[mikekmx]

it's Ontario / Minnesota area

[ReMark]

Well Canada must have the equivalent mapping in CAD form available. Think of all the work it might save and how much more accurate it might be too. Or do they still create maps using pencils and vellum?

[Tuns]

Well Canada must have the equivalent mapping in CAD form available. Think of all the work it might save and how much more accurate it might be too. Or do they still create maps using pencils and vellum?

I hear they start by drawing it in the dirt using a stick.

[ReMark]

I would not like to draw a lake with 14,000 islands in it with a stick in the dirt nor would I like the task of tracing all 14,000 over in CAD. That's kind of why I mentioned electronic maps. Most likely the Canadians have them too I just don't know what their name for them would be, what form they take, or what their cost (if any) might be.

 

I found this reference...

 

CanVec 1:50,000 topographic mapping of Canada available directly from Natural Resources Canada.

[Murph_map]

it's Ontario / Minnesota area

 

The Google Map image says it's in MN, USA. I may have the area in ESRI Shp format around somewhere here. If I find it and convert to dwg can I have the Monday off?

[crazyjoedevola423]

If you can get me all of Lake of the Woods in DWG format I'd give you the whole week off! That's about how long it would take me to draw it.

[Murph_map]

See if this is what you need. It's a DWF if you select a line in the design Reviewer and look in the Object property tab it should list the names and other data.

I need to make the DWG smaller to upload it here.

Lakes.dwf

[crazyjoedevola423]

That's Great! But its only the Minnesota side of the Lake. I was looking for the Canadian side of the lake.

[Murph_map]

Try the dropbox link https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sh1lbm7nxmdqgpl/9QjvSnDvkZ/LakesOfTheWoods has two dwg one of the openwaterways of the county and one of all the lakes in the states.

If you have AutoCAD Map3D (even trial version) you can select any object and the data (Object Data) in the property palette should provide you some info on them.

[Murph_map]

That's Great! But its only the Minnesota side of the Lake. I was looking for the Canadian side of the lake.

 

Oh that means looking on the Caducks sites. I'll look around and see what they have.

[Murph_map]

See if you can make this one out, Canada's lakes, wetlands and rivers/streams.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tbozuy34r9oeez4/Canada_Lakes_Rivers_Wetland.dwg

[crazyjoedevola423]

Nah, That's a different part of Canada. Where are you finding these DWGs, I can help you search through them

[Murph_map]

Nah, That's a different part of Canada. Where are you finding these DWGs, I can help you search through them

 

That last one is from the Canada GIS site, They are in ESRI SHP format that I converted to dwg.

[crazyjoedevola423]

My experiences with the mappings from online are not as accurate as I want. Do you know of a way to have a google maps/earth section traced?

[Murph_map]

The online that I use is probably the same data used in Google Earth/Map if not better. You can try using Raster Design or if you have 2014 version of autocad look into the Geolocation tools to connect to Bing Maps in AutoCAD.