Get your contextual data all at once!

Plex Earth Symbol more intense orange.png

What is Plex-Earth?

Plex-Earth is a powerful software tool that integrates with CAD programs (such as AutoCAD) to bring real-world geographic data, satellite/historical imagery, and terrain models directly into design workflows. For more than 10 years, we've been helping some of the most notable engineering firms worldwide design in a way that's swifter, smarter, and more cost-effective.

Which providers can you reach through Plex-Earth?

We are proud to collaborate with the best base map and premium providers worldwide, covering the whole extent of the globe, namely: Google Maps, Google Earth, Azure Maps, OpenStreetMap, Airbus, Maxar, Nearmap & Hexagon (and many more to come).

Plus, with our Custom Maps tools, you can connect our server with whichever provider you like through WMS/WMTS/Tile Server.

First time in Plex-Earth: How can I start?

1. Georeferencing

Relating a drawing to a Coordinate System is the first thing you should do before applying any command in Plex-Earth. This way, all the imported or exported data will be placed in the correct coordinates.

In Plex-Earth, there are various ways to georeference your drawing:

Choose from our extensive list of thousands of coordinate systems, each categorized by country—command: By Coordinate System.
Corresponding a Google Earth placemark with a point in CAD—command: By Geographic Location (Custom Georeference).
Georeferencing your drawing with CAD's GEO command—We will recognize any Coordinate System you have chosen.

However, if you want to try out Plex-Earth for the first time and play with it in a blank drawing, we recommend you to copy a placemark of your project area in Google Earth and then go to Quick Site View. This will bring a quick base map of your project area and georeference your drawing at the same time; no further georeference actions are needed. See how this is done here.

2. Contextual Data

GIF-SITE AREA.gif

After georeferencing, you can proceed to the Contextual Data. This is where the software imports satellite and aerial imagery and terrain data for your project site directly into your AutoCAD drawings without having to actually go there.

We recommend you always start with Quick Site View, whether you want to import imagery or terrain, so you can specify the exact area in which you want to import data.

Then you can Create Imagery, Timeline or Terrain. Just go to Contextual Data and hover over the relevant commands on the ribbon to visualize all the available options.

Moreover, Plex-Earth has found a way to help you gather all the data you need for your project all at once. Imagery, Terrain, and Historical views of your project area, all under the umbrella of Site Area.

Just go to the Contextual Data section in the Plex-Earth ribbon, hover on Quick Site View, and select Create Site Area.

You can access more detailed tutorials for each one of them here.

Some of the capabilities you can find generally in Plex-Earth regarding Imagery and Terrain are the following:

Imagery

Insert mosaic imagery as AutoCAD raster image object(s)
Adjust image properties, such as brightness, contrast, saturation, and transparency
Apply clippings/cutouts
Create a Timeline of images (Airbus, Maxar)
Import Historical Imagery from Google Earth
Create a Point of Interest

Terrain

Terrain Analysis gif.gif

Create Labels for the Terrain Contours
Convert the Dynamic Plex-Earth Terrain into a Static AutoCAD Object (Contour Polylines, Tin Mesh, Points, Civil 3D surface)
Drape Image to surface
Snap objects on terrain
Create Elevation, Slope, or Direction Analysis
Create Terrain from Geotiff
Create Terrain from objects or mesh
Create Terrain from a CSV file
Create volumes between surfaces

3. Google Earth Tools

Plex-Earth does not stop in two dimensions! It allows you to export whole 2D or 3D drawings or models into Google Earth. This way, everyone can see how your models interact with the real world, helping them to better understand your designs or proposals!

Plex-Earth supports all AutoCAD and BricsCAD objects and preserves their look and feel inside Google Earth, such as linework, text, hatch, blocks, external references, and so on.

You can also import Google's KML files into AutoCAD or BricsCAD using Plex-Earth! So paths, polygons, and anything you can create in Google Earth can be literally copied and pasted into your drawing, perfectly aligned for you.

You can get fully accustomed to all things Google/KML, both importing and exporting, by checking out these tutorials.

Export to Google Earth GIF.gif

4. Raster Tools

Our guidance through the ribbon ends with the Raster Tools section. You can import Camera photos from GPS-enabled devices, Import/Export World Files, Merge, Trim, Replace, Create Clippings, or Drape images on mesh with just a few clicks.

Thrilled and ready to find out more? Try our Advanced Tutorials!

We hope you have found this article on how to get started with Plex-Earth, helpful. Feel free to contact us at support@plexscape.com for any questions you may still have.

Don't have Plex-Earth yet? Install a fully functional 7-day free trial of Plex-Earth now!

Compatibility includes:

AutoCAD Version: 2025, 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , 2020

Civil 3D® Version: 2025, 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , 2020

AutoCAD Architecture Version: 2025, 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , 2020

BricsCAD Pro: V24 , V23 , V22 , V21

Related to