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Exporting Shapefiles from Georeferenced Files


lisagravy

Question

I'm having issues exporting shapefiles from VW2020 files which have the geo-referencing settings switched on as default.

 

If I select a simple polygon within a georeferenced / geolocated file, and navigate to File > Export > Export Shapefile; I typically then would choose selected objects, keep projection, and write .prj file (and choose all additional object data). When I do this and click OK, I am prompted where to save the file, and click OK again. Nothing happens, and no file is generated. 

 

What I'm having to do as a workaround is open a new file, turn off all the geo-referencing settings, copy / paste in place my polygon to the corresponding X Y location to the co-ordinate position, and then go through these steps again for a shape file to actually output? Is this a bug or is there a flaw in my workflow somewhere? 

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

OK - I tested this as follows:

  1. Created a file with UK georeferencing.
  2. I used the Geolocate tool to search for my home postcode and place the internal origin in my street.
  3. I selected the single design layer and georeferenced it to match the document.
  4. I then used the option to Align User Origin with Georeferenced Coordinate System.
  5. I then used the Geoimage tool to create an image of my street.
  6. I traced over the roads with polygons, and added a record that included the street name.
  7. I traced over some houses and added a record which categorised the size of house and the poshness vs normalness of the occupants (! - well, it IS Friday).
  8. I added a GIS Stake close by, and adjusted its X and Y to give me an easy to remember whole number on the E and N.
  9. I then used the Geolocate tool to move the internal origin to the point of this stake. (I did this to help me ensure that the resulting shapefiles ended up in the correct location).
  10. I then exported the files, by record. I re-ran the export for each type of record, including the Stake record, so that I would have all the geometry and that all important coordination point. 
  11. This seemed to work just fine.

I then imported the shapefiles into a blank document, and had the import process georeference the document according to the shapefile. Everything ended up in the correct place. A Stake placed over the 3D Locus designating my original stake point, showed the correct Easting and Northing. The only thing I had to do was use Geolocate to move the internal origin to my known point (the stake), just for completeness. As we learnt from the Design Layer Viewport referencing of GIS data, the location of the internal origin is important and needs to be consistent for coordinating across files.

 

Now, I will test the export using the selection option instead of exporting everything by record...

 

(P.S. Can't share my files on this one, as my neighbours might take exception to their posh vs normal classification!)

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@Tamsin Slatter I LOVE the poshness v normalness classification! 😂

 

Weird you can get it to work. I've tried on both my machine and a colleague's, and when I hit OK to export the shapefile, the dialogue box goes away but no shapefile is ever created? Can chat next week, I'll maybe send you a basic test file! None of my tests are as fancy as yours though, literally just using a single polygon.

 

Have a good weekend, and thanks very much for all your help on this!! Really excited to roll it out as our new workflow ☺️

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Interestingly. I have been playing with this and I had the same issue (Exporting a shapefile not creating anything). 

In that case it happened when I was trying to export symbols. 

 

If I am trying to export GIS Stake Objects it will create a file (not with anything useable/correct mind you, but it will create a file) ..but only if I select "Objects with record: <objects without record>" 

If I select 'Stake Record' it returns an error:  "An unknown error has occurred in this geographic operation"

 

So far I am unable to get Vectorworks (2023) to export any georeferenced data that is useable. 

(By useable I mean it can be imported into / read by QGIS and display in the correct position).

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5 hours ago, Shane W said:

Interestingly. I have been playing with this and I had the same issue (Exporting a shapefile not creating anything). 

In that case it happened when I was trying to export symbols. 

 

If I am trying to export GIS Stake Objects it will create a file (not with anything useable/correct mind you, but it will create a file) ..but only if I select "Objects with record: <objects without record>" 

If I select 'Stake Record' it returns an error:  "An unknown error has occurred in this geographic operation"

 

So far I am unable to get Vectorworks (2023) to export any georeferenced data that is useable. 

(By useable I mean it can be imported into / read by QGIS and display in the correct position).

 

I should clarify and expand a little following my testing:

 

What I have found:

If I attempt to export GIS Stake Objects using the selection for "Objects with record: Stake Record" it returns an error:  "An unknown error has occurred in this geographic operation”.

I have tried with both ‘Keep projection’ and ‘Deproject' options

 

If I try to export symbols (as per the instructions) - selecting 'objects with no record' - it will export to a file ok (adds 3D points to file name) but the georeferencing is incorrect (it places the points 10km apart instead of 9m, and at different places around the globe) so is unusable.

Examining the attribute table in QGIS shows that no GIS data is included.

I have tried every combination of 'de project' / 'keep projection' / 'write projection' on/off / 'additional data' (position x / y) on / off etc.

If I do the above selecting 'Objects with record: stake record' - and select by layer (containing the symbols) it completes but exports nothing at all. (Tested twice - no file is created).

 
The upshot of it all is that so far I am unable to get Vectorworks (2023) to export any georeferenced data that is useable. 
(By useable I mean it retains the georeferenced data, can be imported into / read by QGIS and display in the correct spatial position).

I can import ok but I’ll be damned if I can get anything useful out!

 

This either needs to be fixed or explained WAY better so it's useable. At this stage I'd rather do 2D design of shape layouts in QGIS than use Vectorworks.

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