GeoTools for MapInfo
Rakesh Rao
Hello,
I own a GIS-CAD application development company, based in Bangalore,
India and we specialize in customizing AutoCAD for GIS and mapping.
We have developed a productivity tool for AutoCAD called GeoTools which
has been in the market for over 7 years and has about 750+ customers in
35 countires across the world.
Many of the tools we have in 'GeoTools for AutoCAD' are common
requirements in any typical GIS-CAD user organizations.
We have been now thinking of creating similar tools for MapInfo.
I would like to hear the views of experienced MapInfo users from this
forum as to what would be the demand / usefullness / market /
opportunities for these kinds of tools. In AutoCAD, we offer these
tools as a low-cost product selling at USD 159 per license.
I would appreciate any feedback from fellow MapInfo users / programmers
/ resellers / system integrators about what they think aboout this.
Interested people (who use AutoCAD as well) can download GeoTools at
this URL:
www.4d-technologies.com/geotools
If you are interested in getting involved with us, please write to me
directly to discuss posibilities.
I am pasting a comlpete list of the tools we have in GeoTools. Not
every tool is relevant in MapInfo but this should give a fair idea of
what we have any whether it makes sense in MapInfo.
I thank in advance everyone for their time to read through this (rather
long) post.
Regards
Rakesh Rao
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GeoTools Commands Snap-Shot:
Tool # 1 - [Polyline] - Join 3D polylines
Tool # 2 - [Polyline] - Automated join [2d polylines]
Tool # 3 - [Polyline] - Flexible ways to convert 2D-3D and 3D-2D
polylines
Tool # 4 - [Polyline] - Specify a new start point for closed polylines
Tool # 5 - [Polyline] - Single pick add-vertex, delete vertex
Tool # 6 - [Polyline] - Convert zero length to points
Tool # 7 - [Polyline] - Identify & Reverse direction
Tool # 8 - [Polyline] - Distance and angle based weeding
Tool # 9 - [Polyline] - Set zero elevations to nearest non-zero value
Tool # 10 - [Polyline] - Populate zero value elevations by linear
interpolation
Tool # 11 - [Polyline] - Label vertices, Label segments, angles. Fully
user customized
Tool # 12 - [Polyline] - Compute summed lengths
Tool # 13 - [Polyline] - Control polyline line-type
Tool # 14 - [Polyline] - Multiple Pedit
Tool # 15 - [Polyline] - Identify zero elevation vertex
Tool # 16 - [Polyline] - Explode wide polylines, retain width geometry
Tool # 17 - [Polyline] - Place Points/Blocks along vertices
Tool # 18 - [Polyline] - Powerful property based filtering
Tool # 19 - [Polyline] - Offset, Move, Extract, Mirror, Rotate, Stretch
part of polyline
Tool # 20 - [Polyline] - Find direction of vertices
Tool # 21 - [Polyline] - Convert arc segments to linear in many ways
Tool # 22 - [Polyline] - Convert from spline, Convert to spline
Tool # 23 - [Polyline] - Compute detailed statistics
Tool # 24 - [Polyline] - Easy 3d polyline
Tool # 25 - [Polyline] - Express Pedit
Tool # 26 - [Polyline] - Highlight elevation differences
Tool # 27 - [Polyline] - Add/Remove closing vertices
Tool # 28 - [Polyline] - Fillet between two polylines
Tool # 29 - [Polyline] - Fillet multiple polylines
Tool # 30 - [Polyline] - Offset and delete original
Tool # 31 - [Polyline] - Offset closed polylines INwards / OUTwards
Tool # 32 - [Polyline] - Break crossing objects at end of polyline
Tool # 33 - [Polyline] - Multiple Variable distance measure
Tool # 34 - [Polyline] - Multiple Variable polyline segment offset
Tool # 35 - [Polyline] - Convert lines, arcs, circles to polylines
Tool # 36 - [Polyline] - Offset 3d polylines
Tool # 37 - [Polyline] - Weed (remove) collinear vertices from polyline
Tool # 38 - [Polyline] - Draw 2d/3d polylines with auto-edge panning
Tool # 39 - [Polyline] - Join nearest ends of lines and/or polylines
Tool # 40 - [Polyline] - Create polygonal centroid points / labels
Tool # 41 - [Polyline] - Create closed polylines from a mass of
networked polylines
Tool # 42 - [Polyline] - Convert polylines to 3dfaces
Tool # 43 - [Polyline] - Compute summed polyline areas from selected
layers
Tool # 44 - [Polyline] - Merge adjacent closed polylines
Tool # 45 - [Polyline] - Draw 3d polylines with
auto-incrementing/decrementing elevations
Tool # 46 - [Polyline] - Multiple polyline / line/ arcs vertex editor
Tool # 47 - [Polyline] - Create mathematical offsets between two
contour polylines
Tool # 48 - [Polyline] - Analyze and fix Z elevation trends
Tool # 49 - [Conversion] - Scale Z values
Tool # 50 - [Conversion] - Change Properties ByLayer-to-ByEntity
Tool # 51 - [Conversion] - Convert Blocks/Shapes to Points
Tool # 52 - [Conversion] - Convert Points to Blocks/Shapes
Tool # 53 - [Conversion] - Assign inherited Properties
Tool # 54 - [Conversion] - Assign contour elevation semi-automatically
Tool # 55 - [Conversion] - Assign contour elevations from text objects
Tool # 56 - [Conversion] - Change to current layer
Tool # 57 - [Conversion] - 3DFaces to polylines
Tool # 58 - [Conversion] - 3DFaces to polyface mesh
Tool # 59 - [Conversion] - Polyface meshes to polylines
Tool # 60 - [Conversion] - Convert Object Table Data to Xdata
Tool # 61 - [Conversion] - Transfer Object Table Data to Block
Attributes
Tool # 62 - [Conversion] - Convert lines, arcs, circles to polylines
Tool # 63 - [Conversion] - Convert polylines to 3dfaces
Tool # 64 - [Conversion] - Flatten - Convert to elevation = 0.0
Tool # 65 - [Text] - Add Prefix/Suffix to Text
Tool # 66 - [Text] - List Drawing Fonts
Tool # 67 - [Text] - Enclose Text in Box
Tool # 68 - [Text] - Align Text
Tool # 69 - [Text] - Change to upper, lower, mixed case
Tool # 70 - [Text] - Globally modify TEXT/MTEXT properties
Tool # 71 - [Text] - Draw quick auto-incrementing text (running
numbers)
Tool # 72 - [Text] - Draw Multiple Text
Tool # 73 - [Text] - Trim characters
Tool # 74 - [Text] - Filter by property
Tool # 75 - [Text] - Round Off Numeric text
Tool # 76 - [Text] - Slide (move) text relative to its rotation angle
Tool # 77 - [Text] - Write Text to File
Tool # 78 - [Text] - Add/Remove underlining
Tool # 79 - [Text] - Consolidate into MText
Tool # 80 - [Text] - Search, Replace and Zoom to Text & Attributes
Tool # 81 - [Text] - Search Blocks for text strings
Tool # 82 - [Text] - Transfer text strings as object data
Tool # 83 - [Text] - Transfer text strings as block attributes
Tool # 84 - [Text] - Split long text strings into smaller delimited
strings
Tool # 85 - [Text] - Create text along a curve
Tool # 86 - [Text] - Un-clutter text labels by repositioning them away
from each other
Tool # 87 - [Selection] - Polylines based on derived properties
Tool # 88 - [Selection] - 3DFaces based on derived properties
Tool # 89 - [Selection] - Powerful boundary based object selector
Tool # 90 - [Selection] - Powerful Object Selection Set
Tool # 91 - [Selection] - Find objects in selected Z range
Tool # 92 - [Selection] - Select Current Layer
Tool # 93 - [Selection] - Select Current Style
Tool # 94 - [Inquiry] - Display angle between two lines
Tool # 95 - [Inquiry] - Display info. about polyline bulge (arc
segments)
Tool # 96 - [Inquiry] - Compute Center of Gravity
Tool # 97 - [Inquiry] - Display Drawing Statistics
Tool # 98 - [Inquiry] - Compute running distance/perimeter
Tool # 99 - [Inquiry] - Compute summed areas of closed polylines
Tool # 100 - [Inquiry] - Object Selection Browser
Tool # 101 - [Inquiry] - Quick elevation Info
Tool # 102 - [Inquiry] - Display horizontal & Vertical distances
Tool # 103 - [Inquiry] - Find out direction of polyline vertices
Tool # 104 - [Inquiry] - Compute detailed polyline statistics
Tool # 105 - [Inquiry] - Identify objects with vertex elevation
differences
Tool # 106 - [Inquiry] - Compute summed polyline areas from selected
layers
Tool # 107 - [Draw] - Helix
Tool # 108 - [Draw] - Parabola
Tool # 109 - [Draw] - Involute
Tool # 110 - [Draw] - Perpendicular lines
Tool # 111 - [Draw] - Box with diagonals
Tool # 112 - [Draw] - Running Numbers Text
Tool # 113 - [Draw] - Multiple Text Insertions
Tool # 114 - [Draw] - Projected (construction) lines
Tool # 115 - [Draw] - Easy 3dpoint
Tool # 116 - [Draw] - Easy 3dpolyline
Tool # 117 - [Draw] - Easy 3dface
Tool # 118 - [Draw] - Draw tangents to curves
Tool # 119 - [Draw] - Draw 2d/3d polylines with Auto Edge pan
Tool # 120 - [Draw] - Easy Extrude command
Tool # 121 - [Draw] - Create polygonal centroid points / labels
Tool # 122 - [Draw] - Draw 3d polylines with
auto-incrementing/decrementing elevations
Tool # 123 - [Draw] - Create Text along a curve
Tool # 124 - [Build] - Make right-of-way from center-lines
Tool # 125 - [Build] - Make road center-lines from rights-of-way
Tool # 126 - [Build] - Multiple polyline offsets - relative / absolute
Tool # 127 - [Build] - Offset and delete original
Tool # 128 - [Build] - Offset, Move, Extract, Mirror, Rotate, Stretch
part of polyline
Tool # 129 - [Build] - Move/Copy and then rotate
Tool # 130 - [Build] - Offset single segment from polyline
Tool # 131 - [Build] - Offset closed polylines INwards / OUTwards
Tool # 132 - [Build] - Multiple Variable distance Measure
Tool # 133 - [Build] - Multiple Variable distance polyline segment
offset
Tool # 134 - [Build] - Multiple drawing Inserts
Tool # 135 - [Build] - Create closed polylines from a mass of networked
polylines
Tool # 136 - [Build] - Create mathematical offsets between two contour
polylines
Tool # 137 - [Cleanup] - Weed (remove) polyline vertices based on
distance and angle
Tool # 138 - [Cleanup] - Weed (remove) collinear vertices from
polylines
Tool # 139 - [Cleanup] - Analyze and fix Z elevation trends in 3d
polylines
Tool # 140 - [Cleanup] - Remove overlapping line segments from a
selection of line objects
Tool # 141 - [Cleanup] - Delete Duplicate Objects
Tool # 142 - [Cleanup] - Delete Null TEXT
Tool # 143 - [Cleanup] - Purge All Unused Symbols
Tool # 144 - [Cleanup] - Linework and Node-work Snap (MAGNET)
Tool # 145 - [Cleanup] - Remove redundant closing vertex in polyline
Tool # 146 - [Cleanup] - Break crossing objects at end of polylines
Tool # 147 - [Blocks] - Place Points/Blocks along vertices
Tool # 148 - [Blocks] - Convert Blocks to Points
Tool # 149 - [Blocks] - Convert Points to Blocks
Tool # 150 - [Blocks] - Globally Modify Block Properties
Tool # 151 - [Blocks] - Extract Block attributes to file
Tool # 152 - [Blocks] - Transfer Attributes between blocks
Tool # 153 - [Blocks] - Explode only nested blocks
Tool # 154 - [Blocks] - Global Attribute Editor
Tool # 155 - [Blocks] - Multiple Redefine of Block definition
properties
Tool # 156 - [Blocks] - Replace Block
Tool # 157 - [Blocks] - Explode Block- Retain attributes as Text
Tool # 158 - [Blocks] - Express Block Insert
Tool # 159 - [Blocks] - Search and replace text/attributes
Tool # 160 - [Blocks] - Edit Block graphics and attributes globally and
independently
Tool # 161 - [Blocks] - Insert blocks with auto-incrementing attribute
counters
Tool # 162 - [Blocks] - Edit graphics and attributes globally and
independently
Tool # 163 - [Blocks] - Search Block definition for text string
Tool # 164 - [Blocks] - Define Object table from block attributes
Tool # 165 - [Blocks] - Change attributes to upper, lower or mixed case
Tool # 166 - [Blocks] - Rename block attribute tags, prompts and
defaults
Tool # 167 - [Autodesk Map] - Convert Object Data to Xdata
Tool # 168 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer Object Data between two objects
Tool # 169 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer Object Data to Block Attributes
Tool # 170 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer AutoCAD entity properties to
Object Data
Tool # 171 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer Object Data into Entity
elevations
Tool # 172 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer Block Attributes to Object Data
Tool # 173 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer Database linked data to Object
Data
Tool # 174 - [Autodesk Map] - Create Text Labels from Object Data
Tool # 175 - [Autodesk Map] - Merge two object data tables
Tool # 176 - [Autodesk Map] - Remove duplicate object table records
Tool # 177 - [Autodesk Map] - Export Object Data to ASCII files
Tool # 178 - [Autodesk Map] - Transfer Text Strings to Object Data
Tool # 179 - [Autodesk Map] - List Object Data
Tool # 180 - [Autodesk Map] - Search and replace Object table data
Tool # 181 - [Autodesk Map] - Select topology objects graphically
Tool # 182 - [Autodesk Map] - Copy Object Table definition
Tool # 183 - [Autodesk Map] - Define Object Table from block attributes
Tool # 184 - [Autodesk Map] - Define Object Table from linked database
table
Tool # 185 - [Autodesk Map] - Global Object Data Editor
Tool # 186 - [Autodesk Map] - Format text labels queried with 'Alter
properties'
Tool # 187 - [Autodesk Map] - Auto-Incrementing object data assignment
to objects
Tool # 188 - [Autodesk Map] - Break object but retain object data in
broken parts
Tool # 189 - [Autodesk Map] - Create auto-incrementing object table
data
Tool # 190 - [Autodesk Map] - Explode objects, retain extended entity
data and object table data
Tool # 191 - [Autodesk Map] - Check for no Xdata / object data
Tool # 192 - [Civil Tools] - Annotate surveyed traverse [planimetric]
with chainages
Tool # 193 - [Civil Tools] - Draw cross-sectional profile along a 3d
polyline
Tool # 194 - [Civil Tools] - Draw graded polylines
Tool # 195 - [Miscellaneous] - Control 3dface Face Normals
Tool # 196 - [Miscellaneous] - Draw slope lines between two edges
Tool # 197 - [Miscellaneous] - Object Chopper
Tool # 198 - [Miscellaneous] - Automatic Dimensioning
Tool # 199 - [Miscellaneous] - Export every layer to its own DWG
Tool # 200 - [Miscellaneous] - Match Object Properties
Tool # 201 - [Miscellaneous] - Roughen lines
Tool # 202 - [Miscellaneous] - Compute Surface Area of 3DFACEs
Tool # 203 - [Miscellaneous] - Align Objects
Tool # 204 - [Miscellaneous] - Extract from XREF
Tool # 205 - [Miscellaneous] - Multiple DWG XREF
Tool # 206 - [Miscellaneous] - Multiple DWG Insert
Tool # 207 - [Miscellaneous] - Split drawing using WBLOCK
Tool # 208 - [Miscellaneous] - Sort ASCII files
Tool # 209 - [Miscellaneous] - Draw vegetation cover symbols
Tool # 210 - [Miscellaneous] - Draw Embankment hatch slopes pattern
Tool # 211 - [Miscellaneous] - Fix objects with non-parallel UCS
Tool # 212 - [Miscellaneous] - Import ARC ASCII DEM files
Tool # 213 - [Miscellaneous] - Export ARC ASCII DEM files
Tool # 214 - [Miscellaneous] - Layer Names Editor
Tool # 215 - [Miscellaneous] - Export 3dfaces as SMS 2DM format
Tool # 216 - [Miscellaneous] - Import an SMS 2DM as 3dfaces
Tool # 217 - [Miscellaneous] - Compute summed polyline areas from
selected layers
Tool # 218 - [Miscellaneous] - Explode objects, retain extended entity
data and object table data
Tool # 219 - [Miscellaneous] - Insert geo-referenced images
Tool # 220 - [Miscellaneous] - Contour Spacing Distance Tools
Tool # 221 - [Miscelleneous] - Break (split) objects along a polyline
Tool # 222 - [Miscellaneous] - Flatten - Convert objects to 0.0
elevation
Tool # 223 - [Annotation] - Label picked points with XYZ values
Tool # 224 - [Annotation] - Label Polyline Vertices
Tool # 225 - [Annotation] - Label polylines with object / database
linked database
Tool # 226 - [Annotation] - Label Polyline Segments
Tool # 227 - [Annotation] - Label Contour polylines
Tool # 228 - [Annotation] - Label Polyline Angles
Tool # 229 - [Annotation] - Create polygonal centroid points / labels
Tool # 230 - [Annotation] - Annotate ends of curves with block symbols
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