is there a HOW-TO on working with aerials?

[cadman33619]

Hi all...

i'm not new to autocad...but i'm new to raster design. I'm trying to trace some parts of an aerial image (roadways/sidewalks) and from what i understand, raster design can be used to enhance or modify an image...then convert it so that some lines/edges show more clearly, and them maybe convert that somehow into a dwf or dwg. I'm sure i'm not explaining this the right way. i was hoping someone could lend a hand because i have quite a lot to trace... 

and i'd love it if i could show that there is an easier/faster way to do this and be the hereo around here.

any tips would be much appreciated

[ACADuser]

The first thing is to insert the image into your drawing.  If the image is georefrenced and all the settings prior to import are right the aerial will be placed in the drawing at the correct orientation and scale. If the image contains no georeferencing data, simply insert the image then move, scale & rotate to get the desired scale and orientation. When tracing/drawing linework on aerial imagery I like to set the transparencey of the image to 50%.  You can make the change from the properties menu or right click menu after selecting the image.  This gives a much better contrast between the linework and image while tracing, which helps reduce eyestrain. Finally use whatever combinatinon of drawing tools that best suits you to trace the features in the aerial.

Thats pretty much it in a nutshell.  Hope this helps.

Edit:  I forgot to mention the Raster Design tracing tools work best with scanned images from line drawings.  My experience with aerial imagery is RD does not work too well and did not give the level of detail that I was looking for.