A Tile Server provides access to pre-rendered cartographic maps of georeferenced data online. Some users need data from such sources to obtain further information about their project site and Plex-Earth 5D offers a feature to connect to a Tile Server via our custom map tool, 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
The Map Explorer can be accessed via the Imagery Manager.
First, select Show Imagery Manager on the Imagery panel of the Plex-Earth 5D ribbon.
The Imagery Manager palette will pop up and on its upper part, click on the Basemaps button. From the Basemaps window, hit on +CREATE A NEW MAP. ON the next window, assign a name to your customized map, and add a thumbnail (optional). Click on SAVE & EDIT to proceed.
The Map Explorer will then pop up and you can choose to pick from the ready-to-use maps from our collection or create an entirely new one by clicking on the CREATE NEW MAP button.
Step 2. Creating and Setting Up a New Map Layer
The Layer list will display the existing layers on the drawing. To create a new layer, 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 to connect to the tile server of 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 listed higher in the list will appear on top of those listed under them. You can rearrange layers by holding on a layer (mouse pointer will change to the move pointer) and dragging it in place.
You can also select which layer/s you want displayed 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 a Quick View or mosaic 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 5D offers the capability to view them within your AutoCAD workspace, 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. In addition, 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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