How to import high-resolution imagery from Nearmap to AutoCAD with Plex-Earth

Now you can design directly onto Nearmap imagery in your CAD design today, via Plex-Earth’s simple and super-efficient interface, which auto-aligns exactly what you need, where you need it!

Plex-Earth is empowering thousands of engineers worldwide with correctly-aligned geographical views of their project sites, while still inside AutoCAD.

It’s super-fast and easy, via Google Earth, Bing Maps, OpenstreetMap or ANY other web-map service (WMS) provider.

BUT we don’t stop there!

We’re also partnered with PREMIUM imagery providers to enable you to access ultra high-resolution and updated imagery, still right inside your AutoCAD, via Plex-Earth’s easy-to-use interface.

Let’s look at a great example, Nearmap:

Nearmap is one of our most popular premium providers for the 3 countries they cover, which are the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Nearmap offers top-notch updated aerial imagery, down to an impressive resolution as fine as 3” – 7cm per pixel, and yes, automagically georeferenced, scaled and aligned for you, inside AutoCAD! This automatic aspect of Plex-Earth saves you a LOT of time or re-tries, and time is money!

You can do this either by using your own API key (if you already have a subscription with Nearmap) or by purchasing data directly from Plexscape and benefit from Plex-Earth’s acclaimed user interface. Using Plex-Earth optimizes both image clarity and the way you use your data, specifically for civil engineering and architectural use, without you needing to keep zooming or panning around.

Want to learn more about how Plex-Earth can geo-visualize your next, or even your current project, because it’s so easy to use? Then contact us and we’ll be glad to show you the process and answer any and all of your questions.

Or you can just start designing with Plex-Earth right now, because you can download your fully-functional free trial.

This Christmas, we lend a hand to those in need

You get more by giving, don't you think? We firmly believe so.

That's why, this Christmas we decided to support the work of Doctors Without Borders and their mission to provide lifesaving medical care to the people who need it most, in more than 70 countries worldwide.

From all of us, we wish you laughter and love as you celebrate your holidays with family and friends, and we look forward to a peaceful and prosperous 2020!

Introducing Plex.Earth Timeviews™: View the most up-to-date satellite imagery in AutoCAD

How many times did you wish you could have the current view of your project area? Outdated imagery can lead to costly design mistakes. Not anymore.

We have launched Plex.Earth Timeviews™, our new premium service, which brings Bird.i's up-to-date satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe, Airbus and Planet into your designs. Now you can get the most current view of your project area for any place in the world (you can read more here).

To guide you through Timeviews™, we have prepared a tutorial to show you how easy is to view the newest satellite imagery into your AutoCAD designs, for any project in the world.

Do you want to get free and unlimited access to Timeviews™ until the 31st of August?

We have an exclusive offer currently running for our amazing customers and anyone who wants to grab a new Plex.Earth subscription now!

Just make sure you download the newest version of Plex.Earth and follow the in-app instructions.

3 tips to optimally export your 3D AutoCAD designs to Google Earth (Solar farm example)

Design should be a productive experience, not a laborious process don’t you think? We constantly improve Plex.Earth to increase your workflow efficiency and enable any engineer focus on what matters most: his/her design.

Therefore, we have put together a detailed tutorial with three clever tips to show you how you can export your 3D AutoCAD designs into Google Earth faster, better and more efficiently.

Take a look here and don’t forget to start your free trial today. The latest version of Plex.Earth is out with new features like this one and important improvements!

Copy KML/KMZ objects from Google Earth to AutoCAD with Plex.Earth

We have introduced a powerful new feature in the latest version of Plex.Earth 4, which allows you to import objects from Google Earth into AutoCAD with a simple copy and paste operation.

You can even import KMZ elements that are loaded dynamically into Google Earth!

Interested to find more? Read our tutorial here.

Free webinar: 3D vehicle simulations in Google Earth with Plex.Earth and AutoTURN Pro

Looking to publish your 3D vehicle simulations in Google Earth?

We’re hosting a free webinar with our trusted partners, Transoft Solutions, to show you how you can do this easily and quickly, with Plex.Earth and AutoTURN Pro.

Join this webinar to learn how to import the most up-to-date satellite imagery, create swept path analyses and display the end result in Google Earth.

The benefits are numerous:

► You can share breathtaking presentations with anyone you want.
► Take instant feedback whenever you need it to meet your project deadlines.
► Impress your clients and land new ones.

Plex.Earth and AutoTURN Pro live webinar
Date: Thursday, June 13, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM PT | 12:00 PM CT | 18:00 PM CET
Hosts: Nicolas Paraskevopoulos, Customer Support Specialist at Plexscape
Majo Varghese, Sales Consultant at Transoft Solutions

How to export object information to Google Earth with Plex.Earth

When it comes to your design, the devil is in the details. Plex.Earth 4 allows you to export even the most complex 3D models to Google Earth and visualize materials like bricks and textures.

You can even add object data to your elements (both as plain text and in an HTML format), which can then be exported to Google Earth with your AutoCAD drawing.

This way you can share information with your colleagues, customers, anyone you want, let everyone understand your designs and take instant feedback, keeping your project on time and on budget.

We’ve put together a detailed tutorial on how to do this in a few simple steps with Plex.Earth 4. Read it here and start your free trial today!

Lineweight options when exporting AutoCAD drawings to Google Earth

Do you want to assign lineweights to the polylines that you export to Google Earth, as KML/KMZ files?

Normally, when you publish elements, they attach to Google Earth in only one size by default (1 Google Earth unit) and they do not change when zooming in or out.

Plex.Earth 4 allows you to define lineweights to your drawings choosing from constant width, multiplier and physical scale.

Read our detailed tutorial for more and start your free trial today!

How to connect to the Hellenic Cadastre with Plex.Earth 4

Plex.Earth enables thousands of engineers worldwide to have the complete 3D geographical view of their project sites within minutes, through Google Earth, Bing Maps, OpenstreetMap or any other WMS provider.

For those based in Greece, we have prepared a tutorial to show you how to connect to the Hellenic Cadastre with Plex.Earth 4, easily and quickly.

The Hellenic Cadastre records the legal, technical and other additional details about real estate properties and the rights on them, meaning that every person or legal entity that owns a real property or a registrable right on real property is obliged to submit a declaration to the service.

Due to the non-proper spatial representation of real estates mostly in rural areas, the submission of a dependent topographic diagram is required.

Thanks to Plex.Earth’s integration with the Web Map Service (WMS) of the Hellenic Cadastre, every land surveyor and civil engineer can have the real-world representation of a land property.

Also, with Plex.Earth’s 4 powerful mosaic tools, you can import hundreds of high-resolution images into AutoCAD from the service and merge them into one in few minutes, covering even the largest areas.

You can read our tutorial here and try Plex.Earth 4 for free today!

How to 3D print terrain created with Plex.Earth 4 (Civil 3D users)

Most 3D printing professionals, like Aristeidis Loukrizis (read his story here) have to visualize the surrounding environment and represent the terrain morphology of a project area to reproduce it in their final 3D printed models - a process that is time-consuming and prone to errors.

However, they can overcome these difficulties and create the desired 3D printed models with Plex.Earth, easily and quickly.

We’ve prepared a detailed tutorial to guide you step by step on how to create a 3D solid object from your imported terrain with Plex.Earth, before exporting it as an .stl file which is proper for 3D printing.

Read it through and stay tuned for more technical resources and tutorials.

You can also unlock Plex.Earth’s 4 powerful capabilities by starting your free trial today!

Plex.Earth is featured on DigitalGlobe's official blog

Data is the new oil, don’t you think? We firmly believe so!

Our new partnership with Bird.i is based on our shared vision to bring the value of the most up-to-date satellite imagery to businesses of any size for better -informed decision making (you can read our joint press release and visit our page for more information).

Corentin Guillo, Bird.i CEO, has written a great guest post on DigitalGlobe company blog about our partnership, explaining the real value it brings to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of high-resolution Earth imagery, data and analysis, owning and operating an agile and sophisticated constellation of
high--resolution commercial Earth imaging satellites.

Read the guest post here and watch this space for more news and updates regarding this powerful partnership.

JPG Quality: Image Clarity vs File Size

Is your AutoCAD drawing file size too large because it contains big mosaics?

Nikos Chanakoulas from our technical support team explains in a detailed tutorial, how you can set the JPG quality to the desired level to decrease the file size.

The difference can be very subtle in imagery clarity and you can work with smaller files, taking not much space on your hard drive!

Read more here.

Transoft Solutions and Plexscape partnership offers the most realistic 3D vehicle representation on Google Earth

Transoft Solutions Inc., a global leader in transportation engineering design and analysis software, has partnered with Plexscape, developers of Plex.Earth®, one of the most popular tools for AutoCAD for the acceleration of architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) projects. Central to the partnership was integrating AutoTURN® technology with Plex.Earth to allow engineers and designers to demonstrate vehicle swept path analyses directly into Google Earth enabling them to create and share engaging presentations and reduce revisions and overall cost.

“Civil engineering is about making the world a better place and here at Plexscape we are committed to help engineers by always giving them the most accurate real-world view of their project sites”, said Mr. Lambros Kaliakatsos, Founder & CEO of Plexscape. “For 9 years now, Plex.Earth, our flagship solution, enables them to have instant access to high-quality satellite imagery and terrain morphology data. We strongly believe that our partnership with Transoft Solutions, a company that has changed the way the future of transportation is being designed, will help AEC professionals make design decisions with more confidence and keep their projects on time and on budget".

This statement is fully aligned with Transoft’s mission to provide solutions that allow its customers to design with the utmost confidence.

“Plex Earth is a perfect addition to AutoTURN Pro. In our partnership with Plex.Earth we made sure that our massive 3D vehicle content is displayed well in Google Earth” says Alexander Brozek, Vice President & General Manager of Transoft Solutions EMEA. Engineers can easily demonstrate their performed swept path analysis for impressive and self-explaining presentations or running quick checks in the conceptional phase of a project. It was our pleasure to work with Plexscape on a project which makes the real capabilities of AutoTURN Pro to stand out."

About Transoft Solutions, Inc.

Transoft Solutions develops innovative and highly specialized software for aviation, civil infrastructure, and transportation professionals. Since 1991, Transoft has remained focused on safety-oriented solutions that enable transportation professionals to design with the utmost confidence. Our portfolio of planning, simulation, modeling, and design solutions, are used in over 130 countries serving more than 50,000 customers across local and federal agencies, consulting firms, airport authorities, and ports. We take pride in providing best-in-class customer support from our headquarters in Canada, and through offices in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, Germany, India, Belgium, and China.

For more information on Transoft’s range of trusted and field-tested engineering software, visit www.transoftsolutions.com/emea.

About Plexscape MON. E.P.E.

Plexscape is a software company committed to changing the way engineers work on Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) projects, by developing innovative solutions that bridge the gap between design and the real-world.

Plex.Earth, our flagship product, is the first cloud-based software ever created in the CAD market and one of the most popular tools in the Autodesk App Store.

Our solution, originally released in 2009, is being used by more than 15,000 engineers in over 120 countries worldwide, enabling them to have the complete 3D geographical view of their real-world project sites within minutes, through Google Earth and other satellite data providers.

For more information on Plex.Earth's benefits, visit https://plexearth.com/