Avoid design errors, rework costs, and deadline delays in a rapidly changing real world with the aid of Plex-Earth.
Introduction
Understanding real-world site conditions from the very start of the preliminary design phase is essential for saving time, reducing risks, and making better decisions. In a constantly changing world, access to accurate, up-to-date geospatial data gives designers the confidence to move forward quickly and avoid costly surprises. Having Geospatially Informed Designs (GiD), this insight becomes available right inside your CAD environment.
How it all began
The Founder and CEO of our company, Lambros Kaliakatsos, was taking part in various sanitary landfill and dumpsite restoration projects in his first steps as a Civil Engineer. In one of the major projects he and his team had been working on, after several months of design and consultation, they were presented with a huge surprise that made them suffer a major setback.
Apparently, the morphology of the terrain of their area of interest was different than what they had thought and designed for, land use had changed drastically, and a local shepherd was housing sheep in their study area. As a result, they had no other option but to start over again, completely revising their initial planning. Needless to say, this had a huge impact on their budgeting, putting the whole project at risk and harming the company's reputation in the process.
To give you some context, in a €6 million project, the redesign cost accounted for more than €600k, plus four months of delay. That experience underscored a gap, not just lack of surveying, but lack of timely, geospatially accurate site data at the conceptual design stage. It became obvious that if engineers could bring recent aerial or satellite imagery, terrain models, land-use context and other geospatial data directly into their CAD environment, even before a ground-survey team visited, they could make far more informed decisions from the outset.
This incident was more than enough for Lambros to get working on a system that would provide engineers with the ability to acquire aerial/satellite imagery and terrain information from the comfort of their office, even before getting their hands on relevant data produced by local surveys. It was more than obvious to him that this option would help significantly with reducing risks associated with an incomplete understanding of existing site conditions.
And that's exactly how Plex-Earth, the first cloud-based software ever created in the CAD market, came to life. Today, Plex-Earth enables thousands of engineers in more than 120 countries to bring accurate, up-to-date geospatial information directly into their CAD environment. By providing immediate access to high-quality imagery, terrain data, and real-world context, it empowers a geospatially informed approach to conceptual and preliminary design. Over the years, Plex-Earth has continued to grow and evolve, with its newest and most advanced version now available.
Below are the five major components to the recipe for remote surveying success provided by Plex-Earth:
Importing high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery from the best providers in the field.
Importing terrain data and performing advanced terrain analysis.
Publishing 2D and 3D drawings to Google Earth for visualization purposes.
Accessing historical imagery datasets to monitor the evolution of a project site through time.
Defining the georeference settings of a drawing with just a few clicks.
Or, as we like to call them, the essential dimensions of a geospatially informed approach. Allow us to elaborate.
1. Importing high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery from the best providers in the field
Welcome to the first dimension. The ability to import high-quality, up-to-date imagery from the best providers in the field, like Google Maps, Airbus, Vantor (formerly Maxar), Hexagon, and Nearmap, straight into your AutoCAD environment with just a few clicks is no joke. Imagery is a powerful tool for engineering, and Plex-Earth was developed to enable you to design with better accuracy while avoiding rework costs.
Our software provides drafters with the ability to add Quick Site Views, which are dynamic Images that instantly cover the whole extent of a specified area with a single tile:
Most importantly, with Plex-Earth it is also possible to create Imagery Mosaics, which are high-resolution images consisting of multiple tiles:
In both cases, your images will be placed in the correct coordinates in a matter of seconds, provided that your drawing's georeference settings have been defined properly.
It is worth noting that Imagery Mosaics can also be converted to raster files and stored locally, enabling drafters to share their images with anyone interested, even without a Plex-Earth License.
2. Importing terrain data and performing advanced terrain analysis
Moving on to the second dimension, Plex-Earth makes it possible to import Terrain data into your AutoCAD drawings in a few easy steps, from the comfort of your office, and without having to conduct time and money-consuming surveys. That's right, you can have a clear view of your project site's shape and morphology with respect to its real-life surroundings in a matter of seconds:
But there's more to it. Our software makes it possible to use your Digital Terrain Models in order to generate drawing objects such as contour lines, import thousands of elevation points, perform advanced Terrain Analysis, and get your hands on all sorts of valuable information, from the beginning of your design:
The best part is that you can also combine your Imagery Mosaics and Terrain models in order to create 3D Images, which come in handy if you're looking to produce top-notch depictions of your area of interest within your AutoCAD environment:
3. Publishing 2D and 3D drawings to Google Earth for visualization purposes
The third dimension consists of Plex-Earth tools that can help with creating powerful visualizations to be used as a means of conveying and labeling information effectively.
Our software makes it easy to export any 2D or 3D drawing to Google Earth in the form of a KML/KMZ file, and this functionality can be a true asset across all stages of the design process, as it enables professionals to produce vibrant representations of their designs with just a few clicks:
Presenting your ideas to colleagues, clients, and stakeholders was never easier, however, that's not all there is to say. With Plex-Earth, you can also directly copy and paste Google Earth elements directly into your AutoCAD design, and thus, enjoy the privilege of creating instant connections between your AutoCAD drawings and Google Earth's rich geographical database.
4. Accessing historical imagery datasets so as to monitor the evolution of a project site through time
Time is the fourth dimension, and the Timeline functionality of Plex-Earth allows drafters to travel through it with little to no effort. You are granted the ability to create chronological visualizations of your area of interest by utilizing a variety of historical datasets from Airbus and Maxar. Observe the progress of your project and track any changes made in your area of interest from the comfort of your office, while minimizing redesign costs in a spectacular fashion.
The Timeline feature is intended to allow designers to have a clear view of their project site's conditions from years ago to just a few days back, making it possible to have a better understanding of the evolution of any given area of interest. Information is power, especially when it is available at your fingertips.
5. Defining the georeference settings of a drawing with just a few clicks
Finally, the 5th dimension of remote surveying may be the last one, but it actually comes first and is a prerequisite for bridging your designs with the real world. Defining the georeference settings of a drawing file properly is the first thing that needs to be done before utilizing any command of Plex-Earth, in order for the software to know where to place all the imported and exported data.
With Plex-Earth, it is possible to choose from literally thousands of different Coordinate Systems used worldwide:
Not sure which Coordinate System your drawing file was based on? Plex-Earth has got you covered. You can create a Custom Georeference by associating a point in your drawing with a Placemark in Google Earth:
Working with an already georeferenced drawing? That should be no problem at all, as Plex-Earth automatically recognizes the georeference settings applied.
Conclusion
Plex-Earth was created to give designers instant access to recent and historical imagery, terrain data, and real-world context—directly inside CAD. With accurate geospatial information from the start, you can reduce risks, avoid costly surprises, and make better decisions without needing an onsite visit. Bridging design with reality has never been simpler.
Built to support professionals shaping our world, Plex-Earth streamlines workflows and helps you work with greater confidence and efficiency. If you're ready to embrace a more geospatially informed design approach, try our fully functional 7-day free trial and see the difference for yourself.
Feel free to contact us at support@plexscape.com for any questions you may have, and don’t forget to start your free trial today.