A November 2024 release of ArcGIS for AutoCAD is now available for download. Enhancements for version 430.1.1 of the plug-in pertain exclusively to improving the user experience for editing and synchronization workflows. With these latest updates, CAD teams can more robustly synchronize edits to polylines and polygons making up hosted feature layers in ArcGIS Online.
Background
Working with curved geometry in CAD
Projects across AEC, transportation, and other industries commonly require working with curved geometry. Design teams making use of Autodesk® AutoCAD® and Civil 3D® have the flexibility to draw various types of curves. Common types of curves that can be drawn in AutoCAD and Civil 3D include arcs, circles, ellipses, and splines.
ArcGIS for AutoCAD support for editing true curves
In ArcGIS, “true curves” can be edited using ArcGIS tools that support editing without approximating the curved geometry as densified line and vertex approximations. ArcGIS for AutoCAD supports editing and synchronization for a wide variety of curved geometry, such as for referenced layers in ArcGIS Enterprise. However, consideration should always be given when making use of curved geometry and web feature layers, such as those hosted in ArcGIS Online.
Introduction of true curve support in ArcGIS Online (June 2024)
The June 2024 release of ArcGIS Online introduced true curve support for hosted feature layers. This approach holds several advantages. For example, true curves take up less storage space and appear smoother. Serving as the introductory release of true curve support, hosted features defined as circular arcs in ArcGIS Online are supported. While the June 2024 release of ArcGIS Online introduced true curve support for circular arcs, support for other types of curves was not included.
New configuration option in ArcGIS for AutoCAD for densifying curves
A new configuration option in version 430.1.1 of ArcGIS for AutoCAD enhances the user experience when, for example, synchronizing edits from CAD to hosted feature layers in ArcGIS Online. Namely, the configuration option makes it so that curved geometry on any synchronized feature layers is automatically densified. This setting prevents instances where synchronization would fail, such as when attempting to synchronize non-circular curves to hosted feature layers on ArcGIS Online.
To enable the configuration option, carry out the following steps:
- Issue the command: “ESRI_CONFIG”.
- Select the “Densify-curves” option.
- Select “Yes”.
Whenever the “Densify-curves” option is set to “Yes”, all curved geometry will be densified when synchronizing edits. To disable the configuration option, repeat steps 1 and 2 above, and then select “No”. With this new configuration feature, ArcGIS for AutoCAD offers more robust support for both editing of true curves, and when needed, densifying curved geometry into line segments.
Summary
Version 430.1.1 of ArcGIS for AutoCAD is now available. This release focuses on increasing robustness for editing and synchronization workflows that warrant densification of curved geometry. ArcGIS for AutoCAD maintains robust support for synchronization and curved geometry via referenced layers in ArcGIS Enterprise. By adding a new configuration option to automatically densify curves, CAD teams can continue to smoothly transact on centralized datasets, such as those from ArcGIS Online, as part of integration workflows.
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