Introduction

NEW in CAD-Earth 8.1:

•Use AI to improve image sharpness and color. Images can be enlarged up to 4x times using an AI neural network image enhancer to improve image resolution, light, and color balance.

•Preview images before importing them. Now, you can preview the area where the image is located to ensure the image is positioned correctly and select from different providers to choose the best image according to your needs.

•New image providers. You can now also select from ESRI© or Mapbox© image providers when importing or inserting images.

•New GPXZ terrain elevation and bathymetry provider (Plus Version). High-resolution elevation data is provided from Lidar and bathymetry datasets where available. Information about the resolution and dataset used can be displayed.

What can I do with CAD-Earth?

•Insert images from Google Earth an other providers. You can select different service providers (Google Earth, Google, Bing, ESRI, Mapbox), image resolution (normal, medium, high, highest) and image mode (satellite, map, hybrid). Images can be imported to AutoCAD in full color or grayscale in major image formats (BMP, JPEG, TIFF) and can be clipped inside a closed polyline. A world text file containing spatial data information can be created to georeference imported images. You can preview images by selecting different image providers before importing them to AutoCAD.

•Import Google Earth objects to AutoCAD. Polygons, routes and placemarks can be imported from Google Earth to AutoCAD and AutoCAD based products, such as Civil 3D©. Polygons can be imported as 2D or 3D polylines projected to terrain, optionally applying fill color. Placemarks can be imported as blocks with elevation, including placemark name and description. A symbol library is included where you can select the placemark block to be inserted or you can add your own blocks. Entities contained in blocks and nested blocks can be exported to Google Earth. A KMZ file will be created containing all the information to display the objects in Google Earth.

•Import and export 3D models from DAE, 3DS, FBX, and OBJ files to AutoCAD, and export them and other 3D entities such as 3D solids, regions, meshes or polymeshes to Google Earth. 3D entities contained in regular or nested blocks can also be exported.

•Insert georeferenced images. If you have image files with the corresponding world file containing spatial data information you can accurately place them in the drawing automatically applying XY scale and translation transformations.

•Export CAD objects to Google Earth. Lines, polylines, arc, circles, points can be exported to Google Earth as polygons, routes or placemarks. Object line thickness, outline, fill color and opacity can be adjusted. Curve smoothness can be controlled specifying the maximum segment length and deflection angle. Placemark name, description, scale and icon can also be set.

•Export CAD screenshots to Google Earth. AutoCAD drawings can be exported to Google Earth as image overlays. Image capture can be in full color, grayscale or B&W an can be in any of the major image formats (BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF). Background color can be completely transparent or can be changed to another color if desired. Screenshots can also be taken in sections to increase final image resolution. A KMZ file will be created with the image files included, to avoid displaying empty images when the files are not found.

•Get contour lines, profiles and sections from Google Earth (Plus version). A terrain configuration mesh can be created inside an existing closed polyline or along a polyline path calculating point elevations from Google Earth. By specifying the rotation angle and resolution the mesh density and precision can be adjusted. The resulting mesh can be used to obtain contour lines, dynamic profiles and section drawings complete with annotations. The terrain mesh can be exported to a LandXML file to be imported by another applications that can create surfaces from a LandXML file, such as Civil 3D©.

•Within the Mesh Viewer (Premium version), you can also do the following:

•Instantly get cut-fill volume calculations, comparing with another mesh inside a region defined by selecting points on the mesh or selecting an existing closed polyline in the drawing. You can preview the cut and fill areas with color and transparency, and insert a summary cut-fill volume table in the drawing, along with the plan view image of the area analyzed.

•View the surface by elevation or slope ranges, defining colors and minimum-maximum values for each range, and insert a summary table in the drawing with the corresponding plan view image.

•Display instant contour lines, defining the contour line color, gap and base elevation.

•Create animation videos, defining camera positions and view directions, speed and pause time. The resulting file can be opened in any mp4 compatible player, such as the Windows Media Player.

•Measure distance, slope and angles directly on the mesh, along any of the XYZ axis and planes.

•Open the Mesh Cross Section Viewer, where you can inspect an orthographic view of a mesh cross section.

•Take a screenshot of the current view, and save it to an image file or insert it in the current drawing as a raster image reference.

•Import surface from a LandXML file, from other software applications that can save surface information in this file format, such as Civil 3D©. The imported mesh is 100% compatible with CAD-Earth commands.

•Link an existing image in the drawing to a terrain mesh. If you open the mesh in the Mesh Viewer, the image will be projected on the mesh instead of visualizing it with a solid color. Once you link an image to a terrain mesh, if you move, rotate or scale the mesh the image will be updated accordingly.

•Create a mesh by selecting existing 3D faces in the drawing. This command is useful to convert meshes from previous CAD-Earth versions to the new format.

•Mesh commands.

•Edit the mesh using commands to insert, delete, move, adjust elevation, flatten vertices, and invert, delete, or cut triangles. Break lines can be inserted to refine the terrain configuration. The mesh can be smoothed and adjusted to a control mesh or control points.

•Create terrain meshes from existing entities, such as points, 3D faces, contour polylines or 3D polylines.

•Import and export terrain mesh. Import a mesh from Lidar LAS and DEM files (TIFF, DEM, HGT, E00, MEM, CAT.DDF), specifying mesh properties and refinement options and other processing parameters, with the option to process the entire file or to select the area to process. Export the terrain mesh to a text XYZ or a GeoTIFF file.

•Mesh visualization styles. Display one or several mesh terrain elements, such as vertices, triangulation, boundary, contour lines, elevation and slope ranges and slope arrows. You can edit, create, delete and save a visualization style and choose which elements you want to display. Color, line type width and scale, text style and size can be adjusted, and parameter values can be modified.

•Tools.

•Terrain Mesh Explorer. A floating palette tool to organize your projects and have access to mesh importing, editing and visualization commands. By right-clicking on a tree node, you can add subproject folders and terrain mesh nodes. Right-clicking on a node, a context menu will be displayed to select commands according to the node selected.

•Profile Viewer. Display profile sections from selected terrain meshes by defining a cutting line specifying two points. You can adjust the vertical scale for the profiles, measure distance and slope selecting two points in the Profile Viewer, and zoom to extents or to a window, increase or decrease the view size, pan view, and show or hide the reference grid.

•Earth Takeoff commands.

•Perform cut/fill volume calculations by the grid method. Depths between the mesh and a comparison mesh are calculated at every grid intersection inside a defined region. Every element of the grid can be customized, specifying line type, color, layer and scale, text size, style, and color.

•An summary volume report can be created, showing the average cut/fill depth, the cell partial area, cut/fill area, and volume at each grid station. The grid cell width and height, shrinkage percent, strip topsoil depth, and net cut/fill areas and volumes will also be shown. This spreadsheet will be automatically opened in Excel® after finalizing volume calculations.

What are the benefits of using CAD-Earth?

•Images and objects correctly placed. You can define precise conversion parameters between your drawing and latitude/longitude coordinates by locating the site in a map, by selecting two points in the drawing or by choosing from more than 3000 coordinate systems worldwide.

•Easy to use commands. You can pick CAD-Earth commands from a toolbar, from the screen menu or at the command prompt. Automatic command loading in each CAD session and extensive help in each step.

•Persistent dialog box settings. Once you set options for a dialog box, they are automatically saved. Therefore, you don't have to set them each time you use a CAD-Earth command.

•Dynamic object updating. When you modify object settings the corresponding contour lines, profiles or sections are dynamically updated.

•More than 3000 coordinate systems available. Convert accurately between any coordinate system in the world and Google Earth.

•Flexible licensing and pricing. CAD-Earth licenses are of the floating type. You can apply the license on all the computers you want, and you can use CAD-Earth on any of them as long as there are available licenses that are not being used by another computer. You can use the command to free a license or close AutoCAD so that the license can be used on another computer.

•Works with all Google Earth versions and multiple CAD platforms. It can be used with Google Earth and Pro versions and AutoCAD Full 2018-2024 and AutoCAD based vertical products such as Civil 3D©, BricsCAD Pro/Platinum V19-21 under Windows 64 bits.

•Automatic Google Earth startup and object location. When you export objects and screenshots, or import a terrain configuration Google Earth will be automatically activated to show the exact location where the objects are placed. This way, you can be sure that your settings are right.

•Free direct technical assistance by the programmers. You can request new features and technical support directly from the programmers on the CAD-Earth menu. Remote technical support via TeamViewer is available on request with no extra charge.

https://www.cad-earth.com