Introduction
One of the key features of Plex-Earth offers the ability to import high-resolution imagery consisting of multiple tiles.
This can be a very useful tool for professionals looking to acquire detailed depictions of any given project site regardless of size, as the quality of an image depends on the zoom level applied, which is directly related to the vertical distance between an observer and the Earth's surface. In other words, the higher the eye altitude, the lower the zoom level applied and the larger the area covered. However, this takes a toll on the clarity of the imagery.
On the contrary, by applying a much higher zoom level, the end product will be of much higher quality, containing valuable information about our project site and, therefore, enabling us to pay attention to detail while designing. Nevertheless, a higher zoom level would induce the need for a greater number of images in order to cover a given area, as eye altitude and coverage are inversely proportional. This is precisely why we have the Create Mosaic command, which automatically takes all images necessary depending on the desired zoom level, and creates a high-quality image consisting of a grid of multiple tiles.
Imagery Mosaics come in handy if you are looking for top-notch depictions of any given project site, and this tutorial is intended to provide a brief breakdown of the details regarding this particular key feature of Plex-Earth.
Step 2. Specify Geographic Location or Cover Area in Drawing
Step 3. Select Imagery Source: Select Provider and Dataset
Step 4. Select Resolution and Tile Selection
Step 1. Create Mosaic Command
To create an Imagery Mosaic, visit the Contextual Data panel of Plex-Earth, go to the "Create Imagery" drop-down menu, and select the "Create Mosaic" command, as shown in the screenshot below:
Step 2. Specify Geographic Location or Cover Area in Drawing
You are then prompted to choose your area of interest by entering your geographic coordinates "Enter or paste the geographic coordinates (Latitude, Longitude)" or "Paste from Clipboard".
Alternatively, you can use one of the 5 methods shown in the picture below:
1. From Google Earth: You can choose a Google Earth placemark/polygon/path to define your project’s location. Go to Google Earth, right-click on the placemark/polygon/path, and copy it.
Then go back to your drawing, click “From Google Earth” and then “Accept”.
After defining your area via the “From Google Earth” option, go to the Collection Manager at the left of your screen to confirm the area. If you want to continue, click on “Next: Select Imagery Type”. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
2. By Point: You can choose an area by selecting a single point in your drawing. Go to your drawing, and click on your preferred point.
After defining your area via the “By Point” option, go to the Collection Manager at the left of your screen to confirm the area. If you want to continue, click on “Next: Select Imagery Type”, as mentioned above. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
3. By rectangle: You can choose an area by drawing a rectangle into your drawing. Go to your drawing, and by clicking this option you will be prompted to draw your first and second corners to create your preferred rectangle.
After defining your area via the “By Rectangle” option, go to the Collection Manager at the left of your screen to confirm the area. If you want to continue, click on “Next: Select Imagery Type”, as mentioned above. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
4. By Polygon: You can choose an area by selecting an existing polyline into your drawing.
After defining your area via the “By Polygon" option, go to the Collection Manager at the left of your screen to confirm the area. If you want to continue, click on “Next: Select Imagery Type”, as mentioned above. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
5. By Route: You can choose a corridor-type area by outlining a route or path into your drawing. It is the same procedure as creating a path in Google Earth.
You are then prompted to select the corridor’s preferred swath width. Define your preferred width and then click "Accept".
After defining your area via the “By Route” option, go to the Collection Manager at the left of your screen to confirm the area. If you want to continue, click on “Next: Select Imagery Type”, as mentioned above. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
If you want to continue, click on “Yes, Create a Corridor!”.
Step 3. Select Imagery Source: Select Provider and Dataset
Step 3a. Select Provider
Then, it's time to select your preferred provider and click “Next”.
Step 3b. Select Dataset
Then, you are prompted to select your preferred dataset. For Google Maps, for example, you can choose among Satellite, Roads, Hybrid Satellite, and Terrain. Then click on “Next”.
Step 4. Select Resolution and Tile Selection
The next step is to choose your resolution. You can choose between medium resolution, high resolution, very high resolution, and ultra high-resolution options.
After choosing the resolution, you can proceed with fetching the imagery by clicking "Accept".
By default, the "Edit tile selection" box is unticked and will fetch all the tiles of the mosaic.
Now, Plex-Earth is starting to fetch the imagery.
On the other hand, you can tick the "Edit tile selection" box to choose the tiles you want to fetch. This will prompt you to choose the tiles you prefer for your drawing.
Then, by clicking on “Select tiles in drawing”, you can choose which tiles you want to fetch.
After clicking “Select tiles in drawing” on the Collection Manager, you are given the option to select the tiles you would like to capture by a point or by a rectangle. It is also possible to select or unselect all tiles, as well as to revert our selection with the click of a button. Once we have selected the tiles we would like to keep, we hit the Captured x selected tiles icon on the Collection Manager:
Once done, Plex-Earth captures the selected tiles and gives us a clear view of our project site:
Which only gets better as we zoom in:
We can also choose to hide our Mosaic's gridlines by clicking on the respective icon on the Collection Manager, as shown in the screenshot below:
After creating your Imagery, you can see how you can edit it via this tutorial.
Also, if you want to insert your Plex-Earth Imagery as Raster and save it locally to your Hard Drive, you can use this tutorial.
Conclusion
Plex-Earth offers the ability to import high-quality, up-to-date imagery from the best providers in the field into AutoCAD drawings. Our software was developed to help you save precious time and resources, as we do realize the importance of meeting deadlines and maximizing efficiency throughout your journey in the AEC industry.
We hope that you have found this tutorial about creating Imagery Mosaics, helpful. Feel free to contact us at support@plexscape.com for any questions you may still have.
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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: V25, V24 , V23 , V22 , V21