Google Maps to Autocad - Best Practices - High Resolution Input.

[RockyBrown4134]

I have been asked to explore a new adventure. We are looking to put our campus facility on a AutoCAD drawing. We would like to locate the buildings, roads, fences, etc. as accurately as possible. We would then like to add utilities, such as water, sewer, drainage, gas, and other miscellaneous items. We are using Autodesk Plant Design Suite Ultimate.

I have searched the AutoCAD Discussion Group and have read several topics. I have imported in Google Map images and the resolution of the image files are not like I would have hoped for. I was wondering if there was another way to have a higher resolution image? I have Downloaded Google Earth Pro, but I don't know if I have gotten what I really want. We do not do this type of drafting on a daily bases. But we would like to know how we can get the job done efficiently.

As always, I have turned to this group, who in the past I have always valued and appreciated your input. I need your help once again.

• Is there a better way to achieve the process of getting a Google Map into AutoCAD? 
• Or any other mapping source?
• Higher resolution for more accuracy?  

Any and all opinions or comments are welcome. Thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Moderator: Please feel free to move this post to the appropriate discussion group, if needed.

Thanks again everyone! 

[Pointdump]

Rocky,

Local government sources have the most recent and high-rez aerial photos.

ESRI's ArcGIS for AutoCAD images are usually better than either Bing or Google:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBNwryH_Aa8

Dave

[RockyBrown4134]

Moderator:

FYI.... Mapping will be done in AutoCAD Configuration, 2D drafting.  We did not plan on using it in Plant 3D or P&ID.

[RockyBrown4134]

Moderator;

With all due respect, can this post be moved back to the General AutoCAD discussion Group, since we are trying to do this in AutoCAD 2D configuration?

Also, I don't feel I'm getting any responses here.

Thanks.

[john.vellek]

Hi @RockyBrown4134,

I hope that by moving your thread to the AutoCAD forum you will see some more responses.

I like @Pointdump would start by looking at government resources as the quality of the imagery is usually much better than web based ones.

[Murph_Map]

---

@Pointdump wrote:

Rocky,

Local government sources have the most recent and high-rez aerial photos.

ESRI's ArcGIS for AutoCAD images are usually better than either Bing or Google:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBNwryH_Aa8

Dave

---

True it may be but the OP may not be able to use the format that the GIS community uses in vanilla AutoCAD. To the OP (Rocky) I suggect you look at getting a seat of AutoCAD Map3D for this not only for the images but also for the utilities, streets and etc. you want to add to the maps. 

[TerryDotson]

We would like to locate the buildings, roads, fences, etc. as accurately as possible.

Hire a surveyor, because [as accurately as possible] and [tracing from images] are contradictory!