AutoCAD Map 3D: The Power of Object Data

Object data is an easy and flexible method of attaching tabular data to objects in AutoCAD Map 3D.

After acquiring or creating map geometry and objects’, the next step is to associate data with those objects. Other than land features, such as contour lines, nearly every object in a map has underlying data that describes or controls the objects attributes, in addition to its location and object type. Examples include fire hydrants with physical attributes and maintenance records, and streets with speed limits and maintenance records. The underlying data, and how it is used or displayed, provides a rich and sophisticated environment for the analysis, display, and reporting of a digital representation of your mapping project.

You can think of object data as block attributes, except you are not limited to attaching the Object Data to a block reference. You can create Object Data tables and attach them to AutoCAD objects for many purposes. AutoCAD Map 3D generates Object Data automatically to store topology information and store information when you move data into and out of AutoCAD Map 3D. For example, when importing data from other file formats, tabular data is imported and associated to AutoCAD objects as Object Data.