Introduction
This tutorial shows how to import imagery along a corridor in AutoCAD or BricsCAD with Plex-Earth. This feature can be fully utilized in long construction projects such as roads, bridges, railroads, pipelines, etc.
Usually, when importing imagery by selecting a rectangular area, like for the road project below, Plex-Earth will generate tiles for the whole area, even though many of them might not be useful. For example, it will import 81 tiles (for Zoom Level 19) in order to cover the totality of the north/southbound road.
Luckily, Plex-Earth has got you covered! With the By Route option from the Create Mosaic feature of Plex-Earth, the tiles required will be greatly reduced to almost half.
This tutorial will present the way this can be done.
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. Proceed to choose "By Route".
Then select the respective polyline.
You are then prompted to select the corridor’s preferred swath width. Define your preferred width and then click "Accept". Take note that the swath width refers to the width of the whole corridor.
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”. Alternatively, you can choose to specify another area or completely close this command.
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. You can also 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.
Now, Plex-Earth is starting to fetch the imagery.
Once done, Plex-Earth captures the selected tiles and gives us a clear view of our road project:
For creating an Imagery Mosaic, you can also consult this tutorial.
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 along a Corridor 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 importing imagery along a corridor, helpful. Feel free to contact us at support@plexscape.com for any questions you may still have.
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Compatibility includes:
AutoCAD, Civil 3D®, AutoCAD Map 3D, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD MEP, AutoCAD Plant 3D: 2026 , 2025 , 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , 2020
BricsCAD (Pro, Mechanical, BIM, Ultimate): V25 , V24 , V23 , V22 , V21