Create a Northing & Easting Block With Fields
Comments(34) Recently I was asked to create a grid that labels the Northings & Eastings on a map. There are a couple of ways you could do this: 1) If you have Civil 3D, create a point style that labels the Northing & Easting. 2) If you have AutoCAD create a block that displays the Northing & Easting with fields.
If you have Civil 3D, the point-style method works the best but today I am going to show you how to use fields to make this happen.
This is our goal:
This block contains a point, an X position field, and a Y position field.
THE POINT
First type POINT on the command line and place the point anywhere in your drawing. Type DDPTYPE to modify the size and style of the point if you’d like. I set mine to a plus sign and set the size to 0.125 in absolute units.
THE NORTHING
Next we are going to create the Northing field. To do this, type ATTDEF. Take a look at the picture to see how I setup the attribute definition.
Your standard text settings may look different than mine, but you get the idea. Make sure “Annotative” is unchecked.
Click the Field button to add a field to the Default attribute:
In the Field dialog box, click the “Select Object” button:
…and select the point object. You will then get something like this:
Select the “Position” property. Set the Format and Precision properties and uncheck the X and Z check-boxes. We are choosing only the Y coordinate because Y equals Northing. Hit OK.
This is the final result in the Attribute Definition dialog box for the Northing attribute.
Hit OK.
THE EASTING
Then follow the same steps for the Easting field by typing ATTDEF…
When creating the Easting field, be sure to check the X check-box and uncheck the Y check-box.
The Attribute Definition dialog box should look something like this:
Notice I checked the box that says, “Align below previous attribute definition”. This will place the EASTING directly under the NORTHING attribute:
FINAL STEPS
Finally WBLOCK the point and attribute definitions. Make sure your insertion point is set to the NODE of the point.
Insert your newly-created block and it should display the Northing and Easting wherever you insert it. Copy it around if you like or array it on a grid.
If you have more time, add even more functionality to your block by turning it into a dynamic block.
So how can that be done with DMS instead of just decimal degrees?
Are you referring to a bearing (rotation) label using DMS? I’ll post a blog entry about that today.
i tried the N, E block and it works fine. However, I use a specific dimension style to apply coordinates in the form of feet and decimal of a foot. I set the units to decimal and use a scale factor of 1/12 with a suffix of ‘. This gives me a direct correlation to surveying equipment which generally returns the same format for distances. I know civil dwgs are usually in "units" but I can draw fullscale structures, etc. and place them on a "fullsize" model and then pick points for coordinates that no one has to manulate. they can use them directly.My question then is how do I make this coordinate label return feet and decimals of a foot? 1200.0000′
I really enjoy your tips, many of which are useful to most of us.Thanks for any help.Tim Morgan
My labels do exactly that. They are in feet and you can add the ‘ suffix by clicking the “Additional Format…” button inside the FIELD dialog box. Does this answer your question?
Create a Northing …
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Josh, your post is timely as I have been wrestling with creating a dynamic block to do exactly this, and with fields. It works great, except for one thing – I can’t get the field to display the thousandths separator in my coordinates! It’s greyed out in the dialog and simply unavailable. When working in something like UTM, there’s nothing worse than trying to read a coordinate and continually having to parse the the numbers in your head. 7,563,200 is so much nicer than 7563200!Any idea how to get at the separator option?
Using Point is a bad idea, two crossing lines would be a better idea. The point style and size can be changed too easily, and many times they need to be turned off because so many are displayed as the points are used by others and included in their blocks.
thanks for this, I followed your easy instructions and it works! I agree with COJOnes, and used a circle instead of a point. Thanks!
Josh, great post! Just what I was looking for. One problem though, when xref-ing a model file which contains the NE blocks into a separate drawing sheet file, the NE values default to zero………! Is there any way round this?
Sat, I’m sorry but I don’t know what’s going on here. It works for me when XREF’d into another drawing.
Only one comment: at the beginning of your post you say “First type POINT on the command line and place the point anywhere in your drawing.”
I would revise that to say “Place the POINT at 0,0,0 in the drawing.” It has been my experience with creating files intended to be used as blocks that not making the base of the file at zero,zero,zero can sometimes lead to unexpected results when the block is inserted. Even if you make sure you issue the BASE command and make the base of the block drawing where you put the POINT. It’s a good practice that one won’t regret.
Good point! (pun intended)
This is a good safeguard in case you forget to set the insertion point in the WBLOCK command.
To address this issue, I wrote this at the end of my post: “Finally WBLOCK the point and attribute definitions. Make sure your insertion point is set to the NODE of the point.”
Hopefully this makes sense to most people.
I have been trying to do this same thing with northing and easing points. However when I xref these automatically updating northing easting points into another drawing they look fine on the screen but when I go to print all the values are at 0.00. How can I get my blocks to work in this situation? Any ideas?
I haven’t experienced that before. I’m not sure what would cause that.
Well, I did find a kind of workaround. If you turn off the ‘Plot’ check box under ‘Field Update Settings’ in the ‘Options’ User preferances tab it does seem to not only display correctly but also not print out as zeros in the fields. Kinda goes contrary to our company setting standards but if might be easier to change the standards then get autocad changed. Thanks for site.
That is strange. The “plot” checkbox is checked in my preferences and it plots just fine. What version of AutoCAD are you using?
Currently using Land Enabled Map version of LDT 2009. Fieldeval value of 31.
I find your post extremely helpful but i do have a question. I need my northing and easting to read a custom ucs (not world). Example, I’m giving a contractor a benchmark to work from which in world ucs is: N: 12213.19 E:-33516.2 but for ease we are setting that coordinate as N:0.00 and E:0.00 by making a custom layout ucs.
When i test the block it will only read out and display the world ucs even when i’ve set it to my custom ucs. Any thoughts? I want to place this block and have it read my custom ucs coordinate system instead of the world…
I believe there is a way to do this, but it’s too involved for a comment. I’ll post a new blog post with my idea.
[...] received this question from Erik about creating a Northing & Easting block with fields. Here is his [...]
Erik,
I replied to your question in my latest blog post: http://www.lazydrafter.com/autocad-tips/using-fields-within-field-formulas
Let me know if it helps.
-Josh
Hi Josh,
your block is great. and its going to save me SOOO much time. i was wondering if you can help me alter it in a couple of ways..
1. how can i add a : between the N and 0000.000
so it looks like N:0000.000
E:0000.000
2. how can you change the background fill colour behind the coordinates? and can you include the N and E in the fill?
3. probably my trickest question… if there is no space for the text of the easting and northing, can i edit the block in such a way that if i move the text it will add a leader from the point to the text?
4. if the point for the block is moved, can the text be made to automatically update?
sorry for asking so much. i’m pretty new to blocks with attributes. thanks in advance
Great questions!
1. If you’ve already created the block, simply edit the attribute, add a colon between the letter and the field, and edit the field (by double-clicking on it) to set the precision to thousandths (look for the “additional format” button). Otherwise, you can do this when creating the block for the first time.
2. The background fill is only there to show you that the text is actually a field. The fill will not plot. You cannot add the N or E to the fill because those letters are not a part of the field. Also I am not sure if you can change the color. Someone else may know that answer.
3. Yes, you can add a leader just like I suggested at the end of my blog post by turning the block into a dynamic block. This is very easy to do. Maybe I should post a new blog entry on how to do this.
A dynamic block tutorial for a leader would be great! I will watch out for your blog on how to do this.
As well as a updating insertion point if the block is moved.
[...] of my most popular posts has been Create a Northing & Easting Block With Fields and a commenter requested that I post how to create the dynamic block version of the [...]
Michael,
The fields should automatically update when you move the block. Just REGEN to see the change.
I’m pretty excited about this as I have recently purchased a total station for project layout and want a quick way to label drawings with these coordinates. When I create and then insert the block though, the attributes don’t show up on the page, but if I double click on the block the attributes are there. Any suggestions on why they wouldn’t be visible? Thanks much
Shawn, I’m stumped on that one.
This is a great block and has saved me lots of time. However whenever i copy this block into a new file the N & E coordinates are replaces by ########. How do i updated the fields/block without having to recreate / redefine the block?
I’ve experienced the same problem too. Are you copying the block or are you re-inserting it into new drawings?
I suspect that this method displays decimal feet because UNITS in the drawing that its being inserted into is set to feet.
I have a strange condition where the drawings my office is using have UNITS set to inches but we need the fields to display decimal feet.
My hunch would be to click “additional format” and put “1/12″ in the “Conversion factor” field, but its always greyed out.
Any ideas… anyone?
Thanx for your tip. The problem I have is I want the northings and eastings on some points not all. In my drawing it is automatically placing attributes on all points. Please help.
Use WBLOCK to insert the block into a new drawing. You wil have to write it first and then insert it. I do this and my field attributes come out OK in new drawings.
To have the block display decimal feet when the UNITS is set to inches, copy the field expression at the bottom of the field dialogue box. Then select All under Field Category and Formula under Field Name. Paste the expression into the formula followed by \12. This works, but it will give you all three coordinates even if you only select one when you are copying the field expression.