How to import high-resolution imagery from Nearmap to AutoCAD with Plex-Earth

Now you can design directly onto Nearmap imagery in your CAD design today, via Plex-Earth’s simple and super-efficient interface, which auto-aligns exactly what you need, where you need it!

Plex-Earth is empowering thousands of engineers worldwide with correctly-aligned geographical views of their project sites, while still inside AutoCAD.

It’s super-fast and easy, via Google Earth, Bing Maps, OpenstreetMap or ANY other web-map service (WMS) provider.

BUT we don’t stop there!

We’re also partnered with PREMIUM imagery providers to enable you to access ultra high-resolution and updated imagery, still right inside your AutoCAD, via Plex-Earth’s easy-to-use interface.

Let’s look at a great example, Nearmap:

Nearmap is one of our most popular premium providers for the 3 countries they cover, which are the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Nearmap offers top-notch updated aerial imagery, down to an impressive resolution as fine as 3” – 7cm per pixel, and yes, automagically georeferenced, scaled and aligned for you, inside AutoCAD! This automatic aspect of Plex-Earth saves you a LOT of time or re-tries, and time is money!

You can do this either by using your own API key (if you already have a subscription with Nearmap) or by purchasing data directly from Plexscape and benefit from Plex-Earth’s acclaimed user interface. Using Plex-Earth optimizes both image clarity and the way you use your data, specifically for civil engineering and architectural use, without you needing to keep zooming or panning around.

Want to learn more about how Plex-Earth can geo-visualize your next, or even your current project, because it’s so easy to use? Then contact us and we’ll be glad to show you the process and answer any and all of your questions.

Or you can just start designing with Plex-Earth right now, because you can download your fully-functional free trial.

Plex-Earth 2023 - Blockbuster Release!

Plex-Earth 2023: Our Biggest Blockbuster Ever!

Plex-Earth 2023 – it’s our biggest release… EVER!

First up is the debut of our newest rising star…

Introducing Inflights drone data – book custom flights!

Yes! For the first time ever, Plex-Earth brings you discounts on custom DRONE flights, with our little flying friends available almost anywhere on Earth!

Generating 2D orthomosaics, 3D models and maps can often have a higher degree of precision than traditional surveying methods. This game-changing development transforms Plex-Earth into a mandatory tool, not only for your early design stages, but for all design and even the later construction stages!

You just select the target area and pick your options from within Plex-Earth. You’ll soon receive a fast and firm quotation from a local independent pilot – and your Plex-Earth discount!

Your order activates the Inflights platform, which can obtain, process and analyze imagery and data from a global network of independent drone pilots and their equipment. This brings you consistent results with expert processing and analysis, while smartly avoiding the usual hassles of trying to arrange your own equipment or permits

It’s (nearly) all the fun of flying your own drone, without the flip-sides!

Orthomosaic expertise - multiple high-res’ drone images stitched together for you!

See our joint press release here: Drone data in AutoCAD: Plex-Earth and Inflights

Co-starring Cesium, a rising star in global 3D terrain!

Analytical Graphics Inc. went on a mission to produce the most accurate digital 3D version of our planet – all of it – ever created. The results are impressive!

Plex-Earth still offers terrain data from Amazon and Google Earth, but also introduces Cesium. Now you can choose from the unique characteristics of each provider, picking the best option for the different stages of your project, including the risks to avoid or the people you need to impress!

Importing 3D terrain into AutoCAD is now much improved, with:

• Google Earth, Terrain Tiles (AWS) and now Cesium!

• Fewer clicks

• More features

• Faster processing - much faster!

• Global coverage of 3D terrain

• Mesh points or contours, you’ve got it all!

• Effortlessly imported onto your AutoCAD .dwg

• Terrain analysis made easy (see tutorial link below)

• Resolution varies by location, from 30 meters down to 50 cm!

Rising star Cesium is already winning the hearts of engineers!

See more here: Importing terrain into AutoCAD tutorial

Time-Travel Special Effects by TimeViews™!

It wouldn’t be a blockbuster without a superpower or some special effects, and in Plex-Earth 2023 the hero – that’s YOU – can travel back in time!

A timeline of historical satellite imagery inside AutoCAD let’s you see what’s stayed the same, changed or is still changing, with:

• Worldwide coverage!

• Various datasets available

• High-quality and high-resolution from Airbus and Maxar

• Spanning as long as 10 years or as recent as a few days ago!

This is the Arena MRV in Brazil, during construction.

Note that because this is real imagery, for best results you can select periods without cloud cover!

See more about Plex-Earth Timeviews

Talking about timeliness and being up-to-date…

Putting premium satellite and aerial imagery in AutoCAD: Maxar, Airbus, Hexagon and Nearmap!

Satellite imagery doesn’t have to be Bing!

With global coverage, imagery that can be just a few days old and resolutions down to 30cm, Maxar or Airbus can take your satellite image background to the next level!

It’s not hard to tell which image is most up to date…

With Plex-Earth 2023:

• Static raster image – no flickering or reloading every time you zoom

• Static images also avoid over-consumption of premium imagery

• Multiple-image mosaics, to cover large areas at high resolution

• Most areas only weeks old, not months or years!

• Resolutions down to 50 or even 40 cm satellite

• Resolutions down to 30, 15 or even 7.5 cm aerial

You can see the bigger picture with satellites, while our aerial imagery from Nearmap and Hexagon can reveal the finer details across the US, Australia, Canada and the urban areas of New Zealand.

How fine? Depending on the supplier and area it can be 30cm, 15cm, even 7.5cm resolution!

Special Guest Appearance: Google Maps and Google Earth

Yes, the crowd-pleasing Google Twins return to your big AutoCAD screen!

Google Earth + AutoCAD = easy with Plex-Earth 2023!

Exporting objects into Google Earth is another crowd-pleaser that returns to grace the big screen!

Exporting from AutoCAD into Google Earth is easy with Plex-Earth!

Updating from Plex-Earth 4.0?

Plex-Earth 2023 offers you everything you love about 4.0, including the return of the Google Earth goodness, while offering you even more flexibility and power!

As a current Plex-Earth 4.0 user you’re entitled to extra-special assistance when stepping up to this new platform, including booking a free Teamviewer session where we’ll walk you through the differences. We even have a special PE4 to PE2023 transition tutorial just for you!

Functional free trial? Of course!

Most movies only last around 90 minutes; our free trial lasts 7 whole days and yes you can use Plex-Earth 2023 on a real project, right now!

Compatibility with AutoCAD 2023

Game changing companies look forward and being one step ahead is always a plus. Plex-Earth 2023 offers full compatibility with the just released AutoCAD 2023, as well as with its most popular verticals (Civil 3D, Map 3D, Architecture, Mechanical, Steel).

Introducing Plex.Earth Timeviews™: View the most up-to-date satellite imagery in AutoCAD

How many times did you wish you could have the current view of your project area? Outdated imagery can lead to costly design mistakes. Not anymore.

We have launched Plex.Earth Timeviews™, our new premium service, which brings Bird.i's up-to-date satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe, Airbus and Planet into your designs. Now you can get the most current view of your project area for any place in the world (you can read more here).

To guide you through Timeviews™, we have prepared a tutorial to show you how easy is to view the newest satellite imagery into your AutoCAD designs, for any project in the world.

Do you want to get free and unlimited access to Timeviews™ until the 31st of August?

We have an exclusive offer currently running for our amazing customers and anyone who wants to grab a new Plex.Earth subscription now!

Just make sure you download the newest version of Plex.Earth and follow the in-app instructions.

How to create imagery and terrain corridors with Plex.Earth 4 (roadwork/railroad projects)

Looking to import imagery/terrain along a corridor into AutoCAD for your roadwork or railroad project?

We have prepared a tutorial to show you how to do this, with Plex.Earth 4, easily and quickly: By choosing to import imagery using the “By Path” option, you can decrease the import time significantly and boost your productivity.

Check it out and watch this space for more tutorials and helping materials!

How to connect to the Hellenic Cadastre with Plex.Earth 4

Plex.Earth enables thousands of engineers worldwide to have the complete 3D geographical view of their project sites within minutes, through Google Earth, Bing Maps, OpenstreetMap or any other WMS provider.

For those based in Greece, we have prepared a tutorial to show you how to connect to the Hellenic Cadastre with Plex.Earth 4, easily and quickly.

The Hellenic Cadastre records the legal, technical and other additional details about real estate properties and the rights on them, meaning that every person or legal entity that owns a real property or a registrable right on real property is obliged to submit a declaration to the service.

Due to the non-proper spatial representation of real estates mostly in rural areas, the submission of a dependent topographic diagram is required.

Thanks to Plex.Earth’s integration with the Web Map Service (WMS) of the Hellenic Cadastre, every land surveyor and civil engineer can have the real-world representation of a land property.

Also, with Plex.Earth’s 4 powerful mosaic tools, you can import hundreds of high-resolution images into AutoCAD from the service and merge them into one in few minutes, covering even the largest areas.

You can read our tutorial here and try Plex.Earth 4 for free today!

Plex.Earth is featured on DigitalGlobe's official blog

Data is the new oil, don’t you think? We firmly believe so!

Our new partnership with Bird.i is based on our shared vision to bring the value of the most up-to-date satellite imagery to businesses of any size for better -informed decision making (you can read our joint press release and visit our page for more information).

Corentin Guillo, Bird.i CEO, has written a great guest post on DigitalGlobe company blog about our partnership, explaining the real value it brings to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of high-resolution Earth imagery, data and analysis, owning and operating an agile and sophisticated constellation of
high--resolution commercial Earth imaging satellites.

Read the guest post here and watch this space for more news and updates regarding this powerful partnership.

JPG Quality: Image Clarity vs File Size

Is your AutoCAD drawing file size too large because it contains big mosaics?

Nikos Chanakoulas from our technical support team explains in a detailed tutorial, how you can set the JPG quality to the desired level to decrease the file size.

The difference can be very subtle in imagery clarity and you can work with smaller files, taking not much space on your hard drive!

Read more here.