Learn how to use Plex-Earth’s Imagery Mosaic feature to import high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery into your CAD drawing by specifying an area in AutoCAD or Civil 3D, choosing imagery sources and datasets, and assembling multiple tiles into a detailed mosaic basemap. This tutorial walks you through defining the cover area (by Google Earth object or drawing selection), selecting imagery providers and resolution, adjusting tile fetch options, and capturing the mosaic grid, and also includes alternative ways to start the imagery import process.
Create high-quality imagery mosaics and import detailed satellite or aerial maps from several providers like Google Maps, Azure Maps, Nearmap, Hexagon, and custom maps via WMS/WMTS/TMS into your drawing in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Map 3D, and BricsCAD.
Introduction
Imagery Mosaic allows you to import high-resolution satellite or aerial imagery into your drawing using a grid of multiple tiles. This is ideal when you need a clear basemap or orthophoto-style background for design work—especially for large areas where a single image may not provide enough detail.
Because imagery quality depends on the selected zoom level, greater detail requires more tiles to cover the same area. The Create Mosaic command automates this process by fetching the required tiles and assembling them into a mosaic, helping you achieve better clarity without manually importing and aligning multiple images.
Video for the From Google Earth option:
Video for the By Point, By Rectangle, or By Polygon option:
Step 1. Create Mosaic Command
To create an Imagery Mosaic, go to the Plex-Earth ribbon → Contextual Data panel → Create Imagery drop-down menu → Create Mosaic, as shown in the screenshot below. Alternatively, type in: PXV_IMAGERY_MOSAIC
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 using Enter or paste the geographic coordinates (Latitude, Longitude) or Paste from Clipboard options.
Alternatively, you can use one of the five methods provided: From Google Earth, By Point, By Rectangle, By Polygon, By Route
From Google Earth
You can choose a Google Earth placemark/polygon/path to define your project’s location.
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Go to Google Earth → right-click on the placemark/polygon/path → copy it
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Go back to your drawing in CAD, click on From Google Earth, and then Accept.
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The Collection Manager palette will show up, usually on the left side of your screen, to confirm the area. To continue, click on Next: Select Imagery Type. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
By Point
You can choose the cover area by selecting a single point in your drawing.
Click on the By Point option
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In the drawing, click on your preferred point.
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The Collection Manager palette will show up, usually on the left side of your screen, to confirm the area. To continue, click on Next: Select Imagery Type. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
By Rectangle
You can choose an area by drawing a rectangle in your drawing.
Click on the By Rectangle option, then draw a rectangle using your mouse cursor by specifying the first and second corners of the rectangle.
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The Collection Manager palette will show up, usually on the left side of your screen, to confirm the area. To continue, click on Next: Select Imagery Type. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
By Polygon
You can choose an area by selecting an existing polyline in your drawing, which will serve as a clipping boundary.
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Click on the By Polygon option → select the existing polyline you want to use as a clipping boundary.
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The Collection Manager palette will show up, usually on the left side of your screen, to confirm the area. To continue, click on Next: Select Imagery Type. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
By Route
You can choose a corridor-type area by outlining a route or path in your drawing.
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Click on the By Route option → select the existing polyline you want to use as the corridor centerline.
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Define the corridor’s swath width → Accept.
The swath width refers to the width of the area spanned by a linear feature, such as a road, highway, or railway, measured perpendicular to its direction. -
A palette will show up, usually located on the left side of your screen or undocked, to confirm the area. To continue, click on Next: Select Imagery Type. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
📝 Note: When you create a path in Google Earth and then choose the From Google Earth option and then Accept, you are prompted to create a Corridor. To continue, click on Yes, Create a Corridor!
Step 3. Select Imagery Source: Select Provider and Dataset
Step 3a. Select Provider
Select your preferred imagery provider from the Basemaps tab or Custom Maps tab, and click Next. Basic providers such as Google Maps and Azure Maps are some of the included options, but depending on the area, premium imagery providers, like Nearmap, will also show up as options. More information on our providers can be found here.
You can also set a provider to be the Default and unset it, if necessary.
Step 3b. Select Dataset
Select the preferred dataset from the available options, if any. 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
Choose the image resolution by selecting the preferred zoom level. Each zoom level will show how many mosaic tiles will be fetched and the number of credits required, if applicable.
By default, the Edit tile selection box is unticked and will fetch all the tiles of the mosaic.
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.
Click on Select tiles in drawing, and you are given the option to select your preferred tiles by a point or by a rectangle. It is also possible to select or unselect all tiles, as well as to revert the selection. Once you have selected the tiles we would like to keep, click on the Fetch selected tiles button in the Imagery Editor:
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 gridlines icon in the Mosaic Editor, as shown in the screenshot below:
Alternative Ways to Create an Imagery Mosaic
You can also start an Imagery Mosaic using either of the following methods:
From Site Area
If you already created a Site Area, you can create mosaics directly from the Site Editor. Open the Site Area → Imagery tab → Select Imagery Source.
Using Create Imagery
You can also access this feature via Create Imagery button in the Plex-Earth ribbon, as shown below:
Choose your area → Next: Select Imagery Type → Create Mosaic.
Using a Command
You can type in the following command in AutoCAD/Civil 3D/BricsCAD's command line to start creating a mosaic: PXV_IMAGERY_MOSAIC
Editing and Downloading the Imagery
After creating your imagery, you can see how you can edit it via this tutorial: Edit Imagery
If you want to insert your Plex-Earth Imagery as a raster image, save it locally to your hard drive, or download it, refer to this tutorial: Convert Plex-Earth Mosaic to Raster Image
FAQs
My satellite image looks blurry/pixelated/low-resolution — how do I improve the quality?
Image quality is controlled by the zoom level you select in Step 4. A higher zoom level fetches more tiles and produces sharper detail — each level shows the tile count and any credits required before you commit. If the result still appears blurry at a given zoom, select the next level up.
What's the difference between Imagery Mosaic and Single Image?
Imagery Mosaic assembles multiple tiles into a high-resolution basemap — best for larger areas or when you need detailed imagery for design work. Single Image imports one raster image quickly and is suited for a smaller, defined area when tile-level detail isn't required. For the Single Image workflow, see Create Single Image.
Nearmap (or another premium provider) isn't showing in my provider list — why?
Premium providers like Nearmap and Hexagon are only available for regions they cover — if your project area falls outside their coverage, they won't appear as options. Basic providers (Google Maps, Azure Maps) are available globally. For a full overview of providers and coverage, see Useful Information about our Providers. If you believe your area should be covered, contact support.
My mosaic area requires too many tiles — can I import only part of it?
Yes. In Step 4, tick the Edit tile selection box, then click Select tiles in drawing to manually choose only the tiles you need — by point or by rectangle. This lets you fetch a subset of the mosaic grid without changing your defined area.
How do I hide the tile grid lines on my imagery mosaic?
Click the gridlines icon in the Mosaic Editor toolbar after the mosaic is created. This toggles the tile boundaries off without affecting the imagery itself.
Related Questions
This article explains how to import high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery into AutoCAD or Civil 3D using the Imagery Mosaic feature. You may have searched for:
- How to add a satellite background image in AutoCAD
- How to import a Google Maps image into Civil 3D
- Aerial photo or orthophoto as a background map in CAD
- How to get a high-resolution satellite photo for my project area
- Google Earth image import into AutoCAD drawing
- How to use a map as a background in BricsCAD