4/28/2019 Extracting Metadata from a .

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Thread: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG

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2009-12-03, 01:12 PM #1

nicholas.amphlett
Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Member Give a
Hi there, bone
Join Date: 2009-12
Posts: 7 I have been given a task by work to figure out a way of extracting metadata
from a .dwg so that the information can be inputted into an application that is 0
being developed.

It is my understanding that a .DWG is purely an image with attributes and there

is no metadata, however there is text information in each .dwg that i need.

I have 15,000 drawings to sift through and manually viewing each one and
noting the information down i.e drawing number, location etc etc would be an
extremely tedius job that would take far too long.

Does anyone have any ideas how i can do this? preferably with a batch
application.

I have had a look on google and have found a few applications that would be
able to extract information (attributes) but none that extract the information
that i actually need.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks very much

Nick

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2009-12-03, 01:25 PM #2

rkmcswain
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG
https://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?111379-Extracting-Metadata-from-a-DWG 1/6
Certified
4/28/2019AUGI Addict What information are you trying to Metadata
Extracting catalog?from
You mentioned the drawing number,
a .DWG
location, etc. Login to
Give a
Would something like this work? bone
http://www.dotsoft.com/demos/tpdwgcatgen.htm
0
Join Date: 2004-09
Location: Earth
Posts: 9,564

R.K. McSwain | CAD Panacea |

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2009-12-03, 02:08 PM #3

nicholas.amphlett
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Member Give a
bone
Join Date: 2009-12 Originally Posted by rkmcswain
Posts: 7 What information are you trying to catalog? You mentioned the drawing
number, location, etc. 0
Would something like this work?
http://www.dotsoft.com/demos/tpdwgcatgen.htm
The application could potentially work, just trying to get a free trial to give it a
go,

Thanks very much for your help,

Nick

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2009-12-03, 02:52 PM #4

jaberwok
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Certified AUGI Addict Give a
bone
Originally Posted by nicholas.amphlett
It is my understanding that a .DWG is purely an image with attributes and
there is no metadata, however there is text information in each .dwg that i 0
need.
Join Date: 2000-12
Location: 0,0,0 The Origin Just FYI, a DWG file is actually a database, not an image.
Posts: 8,569

John B

"You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-
seated need to believe." - Carl Sagan

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2009-12-04, 09:55 AM #5

nicholas.amphlett
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Member Give a
I have tried to get in contact with that company about a trial of there product bone
Join Date: 2009-12 but i have had no response,
https://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?111379-Extracting-Metadata-from-a-DWG 2/6
Posts:
4/28/2019 7 Extracting Metadata from a .DWG
In response to the question about what information i require, when you open up
a dwg drawing there is borders around the drawing itself and on the right hand 0
side (i think) there is information such as drawing number, location, client
address etc etc - that is the information that i need to get from 15,000 dwg's.

Does anyonbody else have any other ideas please?

Thanks again,

Nick

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2009-12-04, 10:16 AM #6

jaberwok
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Certified AUGI Addict Give a
When acad opens a dwg file it reads the contents of the (database) file and bone
generates graphical elements (lines, circles, text) accordingly.

You could check to see if the information has been saved as metadata by right- 0
clicking, one at a time, on each of a few files, selecting Properties and seeing if
there is any information on the Summary and Custom tabs. I doubt that there
Join Date: 2000-12 will be.
Location: 0,0,0 The Origin
Posts: 8,569 You could save each file to the DXF format, open them in a text editor
(Wordpad) and search for the info you want but that would take forever even for
a few files.
You need to automate that process (in effect if not it fact) and the best place to
start would probably be in the programming forums.

John B

"You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-
seated need to believe." - Carl Sagan

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2009-12-04, 11:22 AM #7

nicholas.amphlett
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Member Give a
bone
Join Date: 2009-12 Originally Posted by jaberwok
Posts: 7 When acad opens a dwg file it reads the contents of the (database) file and
generates graphical elements (lines, circles, text) accordingly. 0
You could check to see if the information has been saved as metadata by
right-clicking, one at a time, on each of a few files, selecting Properties and
seeing if there is any information on the Summary and Custom tabs. I doubt
that there will be.
You could save each file to the DXF format, open them in a text editor
(Wordpad) and search for the info you want but that would take forever even
for a few files.
You need to automate that process (in effect if not it fact) and the best place
to start would probably be in the programming forums.
Thanks alot for your response, i have tried your recommendation and it is
definetly not an efficient way of doing this.

Keep the ideas coming though guys! Really appreciate it!

https://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?111379-Extracting-Metadata-from-a-DWG 3/6
 4/28/2019 Extracting Metadata from a .DWG
Thanks again

Nick

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2009-12-04, 01:19 PM #8

dotson
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Member Give a
bone
Originally Posted by nicholas.amphlett
I have tried to get in contact with that company about a trial of there product
but i have had no response 0

Join Date: 2005-01 Just noting that at the time you posted this it had been roughly 21 hours since
Posts: 15 your email.

Originally Posted by nicholas.amphlett

In response to the question about what information i require, when you open
up a dwg drawing there is borders around the drawing itself and on the right
hand side (i think) there is information such as drawing number, location,
client address etc etc - that is the information that i need to get from 15,000
dwg's.
Assuming ALL these drawings are consistant with that information in a block
insert it would fairly easily be harvested, possibly by tools built into AutoCAD. If
it's random text it would provide more of a challenge. That is the first
determination you will need to make.

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2009-12-04, 01:54 PM #9

nicholas.amphlett
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Member Give a
Hey Dotson, bone
Join Date: 2009-12
Posts: 7 Further to our telephone conversation i have checked with the department that
deals with DWG's. They have advised that the majority of the drawings are 0
consistent however the text that is required is "completely separate from the
rest of the drawing" - they are not attributes - with that in mind they also
advised that there would be no efficient way within AUTOCAD to get this
information and the only solution they say would work is to hire some temps to
go through the drawings and manually input the text needed.

Thanks again,

Nick

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2009-12-04, 03:13 PM #10

jaberwok
Re: Extracting Metadata from a .DWG Login to
Certified AUGI Addict Give a
bone
Originally Posted by nicholas.amphlett
Hey Dotson,
0
Further to our telephone conversation i have checked with the department
that deals with DWG's. They have advised that the majority of the drawings
https://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?111379-Extracting-Metadata-from-a-DWG 4/6
 4/28/2019 are consistent howeverExtracting
the text that is required
Metadata from a is "completely separate from
.DWG
the rest of the drawing" - they are not attributes - with that in mind they also
Join Date: 2000-12

advised that there would be no efficient way within AUTOCAD to get this
Location: 0,0,0 The Origin

information and the only solution they say would work is to hire some temps
Posts: 8,569

to go through the drawings and manually input the text needed.

Thanks again,
Nick
If Terry Dotson says it can be done, it can be done.

John B

"You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-
seated need to believe." - Carl Sagan

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