NearMaps and Civil 3D

Step 1: Look up site coordinate system.

Step 2: Download image from nearmap.
Step 3: Insert image to Civil 3D.
Step 4: Adjust image and creating a world file in Civil
3D.
Step 1: Look up site coordinate system.
1. Using Google Earth
Pro open the
Coordinate System
Map.kmz file located
at
M:\KH\CAD\ESRI\To
ols\ Coordinate
Systems.

2. In the search bar

type in address or
cross roads of subject
site.

3. Left click on the site

and a pop up window
will display the zone
number. Note the
Zone number listed.
You will need this info
when exporting out
of NearMaps.
4. Close Google Earth
Pro.
Step 2: Download image from NearMap.
1. Using internet
explorer go to
nearmap.com.
2. On the top right
of your screen
hit the Log In
menu.

3. Log In with the

credentials you
set with
nearmap.

4. Type in the
Address or
Cross Roads
in the top left
search bar.
Notice to the
right of the
search bar after
you type your
location it will
give you the
date of the
aerial.
5. After the search
is complete
Zoom To the
site by using
your wheel on
your mouse or
the zoom tools
at the bottom
right of your
screen

6. Once you have

zoomed to the
desired view of
your site, use
the Tools on the
top left of your
screen and
select Export
then Export
Imagery.

7. Select the
Define Area
radio button on
the export
imagery menu.
8. Adjust the
Grips in the
corners of the
desired area.

9. Select the
Projection of
your site. See
Step 1: Look up
site coordinate
system.
Note: Best
practice might
be to use
NAD83 vs WGS.
10.Adjust
Resolution as
needed. Tip:
Zooming in will
give options for
a better
resolution.
11.Check the
Include
Georeference
d File box. This
will create a
world file that
we will use
later on.
12.Click the Save
button on the
Export Imagery
dialog box.
13.At the bottom
of your internet
explorer you
can select the
SaveAs option
to save your file
to the desired
location.

14.In windows
explorer right
click over the
downloaded file
and select
Extract All.

15.Verify the
correct location
and select the
Extract button.

16.Extract file
into directory.
Note: The 2
files created
will need to be Pro Tip: Every time a world file is created it uses the first
in same path and last letter of the image type eg. JPG is for JPEG so the
and will need to world file is JGW whereas if a TIF had a world file it would
have identical be named TFW.
file names.

17.Rename file to
a common
naming
convention
without
periods.
Step 3: Insert image to Civil 3D.
1. Go to Tool space and
click the Settings
Tab
2. Right Click over the
name of the drawing
and go to Edit
Drawing Settings

3. On the Units and Zone

Tab Set Coordinate
System of your site.
Notice that in this
case the Drawing is
set to NAD83 Texas
State Plane and NOT
NAD83/UTM. This is
OK because when we
go to use Raster
Design it will make
the appropriate
coordinate zone
adjustments for us.
4. Select the OK button.
5. At the command line
type in iinsert and
browse to the location
of the downloaded
aerials.
6. Select the Open
button

7. Select Next twice to

get to the Transform
dialog box.
8. Select the Transform
to drawings
coordinate system
check box. The
recommended
method is the 3 point
affine method. This
method is great for
increased speed of
the image. The True
(pixel by pixel)
method is the more
accurate method but
will cost you
performance within
Civil 3D.
9. Select Next then
Select Finish.
Step 4: Adjust and creating a world file in Civil 3D.
1. Some images can
be off by as much
as 2.5. Sometimes
we can manipulate
the image to
increase accuracy
to match our
surveyed line work.
To make these
adjustments use
the AutoCAD
move, rotate,
scale or align
command to see if
that helps.

In order to use this new modified image file in other drawings and even this one
for that matter, we need to correct the world file to reflect the changes we just
made in the above step. This can get tricky to explain. Once we create a new
world file we will need to detach our current image and reattach it using the new
world file. When we do this our coordinate system for the images will now be the
same as our drawing because when we export it uses the drawings coordinate
system.

2. Use the iworldout Command: IWORLDOUT

command to export Specify path
a world file and <K:\DAL_Civil\No_Proj\_PERSONAL\Armendariz\NearMaps\Data
specify a path to >:
K:/DAL_Civil/No_Proj/_PERSONAL/Armendariz/NearMaps/Data/M
the location where
yImage.jgw already exists. Do you want to replace it? [Yes/No]
your image file <Yes>: Y
resides. Civil 3D will
ask if you want to
override the current
world file. Say yes,
we do this since the
image file and
world file needs to
be the same file
name.
3. Detach the image
using the xref
manager.

4. At the command
line type in iinsert
and browse to the
location of the
downloaded
aerials.
5. Select the Open
button
6. Select Next twice
to get to the
Transform dialog
box.
7. Select the
Transform to
drawings
coordinate
system check box.
The recommended
method is the 3
point affine
method. This
method is great for
increased speed of
the image. The
True (pixel by pixel)
method is the more
accurate method
but will cost you
performance within
Civil 3D.
Note: When
inserting the
adjusted image file
with new world file
the coordinates of
the image should
now match the
coordinates of the
drawing the world
file was exported
from.
8. Select Next then
Select Finish.