An Esri coordinate system is used across ArcGIS to ensure that the ArcGIS content is placed in the correct geographic location. The coordinate system definition is used to properly display CAD files when used in ArcGIS software.
The best practice is to choose a projected coordinate system with a linear unit of measure that matches the units of your CAD drawing.
In drawings where no Esri coordinate system has been selected, the coordinate system of the first ArcGIS web layer added to the drawing will be used for the drawing.
- On the ribbon, in the Project group, click the Coordinate System button
. - For Type, select Projected or Geographic.
- For Units, select the linear units based on the AutoCAD drawing units.
- For Category, select the map projection category.
- In the search box, type a term or well-known ID (WKID) to narrow your options.
- Select a coordinate system and click Set.
Note:
ArcGIS for AutoCAD requires its own coordinate system information separate from any AutoCAD coordinate system or GEODATA information. When working within AutoCAD or Civil 3D whenever ArcGIS for AutoCAD sets an Esri coordinate system it will also attempt to set a matching Civil 3D GEODATA coordinate system, if one is not already set.
For more information, see Esri coordinate systems.