Geolocation Image quality

[anieves228]

Hi all!

I'm using Autocad 2020. When I use geolocation, image quality is not so good. It is set at "very fine".  Can I get the image to look like it does on the right?

[ChicagoLooper · Accepted solution]

If you are using Bing imagery then you are limited by Bing's resolution. To get better quality imagery you'll need to get your own imagery, such as.your own drone imagery you capture yourself (or hire someone to capture it for you) or purchase thrid party software, for example NearMap or Plex Earth. You can do a search using your favorite search engine in your browser or from the ribbon, go to Featured Apps Tab=>Connect to App Store button. 

There are other sources of free downloadable aerial imagery but even though they are captured by different satellites on different dates, they are likely to be the same low quality resolution or worse. You'll be hard pressed to find imagery that's high quality and at no cost.

[CodeDing · Accepted solution]

@anieves228,

To give a more in-depth explanation as to why your image appears as it does, here's some more info.

TL;DR: Image resolution is based on zoom level when image was captured.

When we use the maps within AutoCAD, we have to remember that these are Layers of images stitched together, not a singular image that is infinite in zoom / pixels. With that in mind, when you are zoomed further out of an area, a separate image is displayed that shows a larger portion of the Earth than a separate image would show if we were zoomed in closer.

Since images are X pixels wide and Y pixels tall, let's use this simple example to explain why your captured image looks different than the live-imagery when zoomed in..

Let's say our screen is showing an area on the map that is 4 units wide, and with the resolution of our very crappy (imaginary) camera, we can capture 4 pixels total, 2 wide by 2 tall.. This will represent your originally captured image.

Now, when we zoom to an area immediately next to our captured image, a new Layer of imagery is loaded into AutoCAD for you to view, so if we were to capture this new are with our crappy camera, we will still only be capturing 4 pixels, but they are 4 pixels of a separate image (and give the appearance of a more-detailed view).

Now, we can zoom back out and see that our second capture is MUCH more detailed, however it fills a smaller area and is the SAME resolution as our first image..

To conclude, when you are using the Capture function to show an area with Bing maps inside of AutoCAD, be sure that you are capturing only the area that you need for your current zoom level. (Therefore when using scales of significant difference, 1:1 vs 1:100, then ideally you would do 2 different captures and utilize good layering practices).

Hope that makes sense and helps to explain why you're seeing 2 different "resolutions".

Best,

~DD