A Tile Server provides access to pre-rendered cartographic maps of georeferenced data online. Some users needs data from this sources and Plex-Earth offers a feature to connect to a Tile Server using our Map Explorer. This tutorial will show the procedure on how to connect to a Tile Server for the creation of new map provider in Plex-Earth.
Step 1: Accessing The Map Explorer
Select "Show Imagery Manager" in the Imagery panel of Plex-Earth 5 ribbon.
On the Imagery Manager tab, click on the "Sources" icon. The Imagery Providers window will pop up and then click on "+ CREATE A NEW MAP" at the left bottom corner of the window.
Assign a name to your customized map and add a thumbnail (optional). Click on "SAVE & EDIT" afterwards.
The Map Explorer window will be displayed and then click on the "CREATE NEW MAP" button.
Step 2: Creating and Setting Up a New Map Layer
The Layer list will be displayed on the left side. Click on the encircled "+" button and select "Tile Server" from the dropdown list.
Fill up the required fields for the name and URL of your layer. You may also add a description and a thumbnail for the layer if you have its link (optional). For this tutorial, we will be using the USGS Topo as an example.
The link for USGS Topo is specified below:
http://basemap.nationalmap.gov/ArcGIS/rest/services/USGSTopo/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}
Paste this link on the URL text box provided and click "CREATE" to finalize.
Step 3. Finalizing the Tile Server Layer
After creating the Tile Server layer, your customized map will be displayed on the Map Viewer. For this example, the resulting map will look like below when zoomed in around Washington D.C. area.
You may create additional layers if preferred by repeating Step 2 and arrange the layers accordingly.
Layers higher in the list will appear on top of those under them. You can rearrange layers by holding on the layer (mouse pointer will change into the move pointer) and dragging them in place.
You can also select which layer/s you'd like to display by using the "show/hide" icon. When the layer is hidden, the thumbnail of the layer will be blurred as shown for layers below USGS Topo.
After finalizing your custom map, exit the Map Explorer window and you may now proceed on importing an imagery and selecting your customized map as the imagery provider into your AutoCAD project.
Conclusions:
With a vast database of Tile Map Servers readily accessible online which contain valuable information for companies and professionals, Plex-Earth 5 offers the capability to view them within AutoCAD, and import imagery from these providers for further customization and usability on a project.
| NOTE 1:There are cases where some Tile Server layers does not show up right away. Allow some time for the layers to load. Also, certain layers only appear when a specific zoom level is reached. |
| NOTE 2: If the Tile Server is not loading properly (see Note 1), take a look into the capabilities file for information about the Tile Server and its parameters. The capabilities file can usually be found in the location from which you obtained the Tile Server URL. |
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