Using the Universal Translator Tool - MapInfo_Pro - 2023

By default, the Universal Translator is running when you launch MapInfo Pro. If you do not see the Universal Translator, then you must add it to MapInfo Pro.

For information about how to add a tool to the Tool Manager, see Working with MapInfo Pro Tools.

To use Universal Translator:

1. On the TABLE tab, in the Content group, click Universal Translator.
2. On the FME Quick Translator dialog box, on the File menu, click Translate to open the Set Translation Parameters dialog box.
3. Beside the Format list box in the Reader panel, click Browse the gallery . The Reader Gallery dialog box opens.
4. Select the format of the dataset that you want to translate and then click OK.
5. In the Dataset field, enter the path to the dataset file that you want to translate or click Open file browser and search for the file.
   Note: When you select AutoCAD as the format type, the translator defaults to DWG format.
6. Click Parameters to open a dialog box of parameters that may be set for the dataset that you want to translate.
7. In the Coord. System field, enter a coordinate projection to apply to this dataset or click Open file browser and search for the projection.

   The projection files that display in the Choose Projection dialog box are from the MapInfo Projection MAPINFOW.PRJ file. If the projection entry that you need does not display in this list, then you can make a custom matching projection entry beforehand in this file.

   See Building Blocks of a Coordinate System and Adding Projections to the MAPINFOW.PRJ File.

   See Building Blocks of a Coordinate System and Adding Projections to the MAPINFOW.PRJ File in the MapInfo Pro Coordinate Systems Guide.

   If you select the wrong projection, you may get erroneous results. Contact the vendor or creator of this data to obtain descriptive information and/or metadata about the projection\coordinate system used in the input files to translate them correctly into MapInfo format.

   If you do not select a projection and the input format does not have associated projection information (such as with DGN and DWG\DXF formats), then the FME Translator assigns a non-earth coordinate system. It uses the extents of the data in the drawing for the values that define the non-earth bounds.

8. Beside the Format list box in the Writer panel, click Browse the gallery . The Writer Gallery dialog box opens.
9. Select the format to translate to and then click OK.
10. In the Dataset field, enter the path to where you want to save the dataset file or click Open file browser and search for a location.
11. Click Parameters to open a dialog box of parameters that may be set for the dataset that you want to create.
12. Click OK to begin the translate.

A message log displays with details of the translation process. If the translation fails, look at the log to determine the cause of failure.