ECW was not found or is not valid

[OmelkoAdam]

Hi Everybody,

I just received a new aerial picture in ECW. I want to use it to update my maps in Autocad Map 3D 2021. If i try to insert the picture (MAPIINSERT, IMAGEATTACH), the message "ecw was not found or is not valid" appears.

This ECW is a beta version (shared by the administration of Brussels). No problem to insert the old ones (2019,2020,...). The .ers file specify the 3 bands and 8 bit encoding demanded by Autocad. 

I can open this file with Qgis and ER viewer but not Geoviewer (he open the old ones).

The link to the ecw and ers file:

https://s.irisnet.be:443/v1/AUTH_ce3f7c74-fbd7-4b46-8d85-53d10d86904f/urbortho2021/BL72/Region/40cm/...

Why can't i open this ecw with Autocad ? Can someone help me please ?

[Pointdump]

Hi Adam,
I found same as you. Was also surprised that GeoViewer couldn't open it. Nor IrfanView. In QGIS I re-saved as a GeoTiff. File size 6.3GB!! When I tried to open the monster GeoTiff I got the same error message as the ECW.
I sure don't know what to do about it.
Dave

[OmelkoAdam]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the differents tests.

I tried to compare the properties of the new ECW with the old ones. (Qgis, Layer, Layers properties)

I see that the version of the ECW is v3 (VERSION=3), the old one's are VERSION=2

The v2 format allow a wide compatibility...

Does someone use a ECW raster in v3 ?  of

Does Autocad Map 2021 support the ECW v3 format ? 

[Pointdump]

Adam,
I'm running 2022 and that V3 is no go.
I discovered something just now. In QGIS, if you use Raster >> Conversion >> Translate (Convert format) >> High Compression, you get a 2GB GeoTiff which MAPCONNECT can open, but zooming is slow. MAPIINSERT is way faster.
Dave

[ChicagoLooper]

Your ecw has an irregular shape. It needs to be ‘clipped’ so Map3D can read it.

Unlike other programs that have the capability to understand funny shaped images (Global Mapper can handle your image) M3D cannot understand your ecw. Using Global Mapper or another capable GIS program, clip your image to a smaller sized square or rectangle. You may include some of the white parts or you may clip it and exclude white parts altogether. It’s entirely up to you.

1. Your ecw in Global Mapper. Yellow outline represents my clipping boundary.

The clipped image is ‘SAVED AS’ a new ecw with a new eww (ecw’s world file) then added to Map3D using a Data Connection. Although MAPIINSERT and IMAGEATTACH are mentioned frequently, way too frequently by many forum users, those procedures, despite their popularity should not be considered a ‘best practice’ when inserting images.

A Data Connection gives you the opportunity to verify whether the image’s native projection is being understood. In the event M3D cannot read the projection or reads it incorrectly, the user can override the inaccurate projection. If MAPIINSERT or IMAGEATTACH mistakenly uses the wrong projection (or not use any at all), users are likely to misdiagnose insertion issues and cause them to chase solutions with little or no value.

<<In this exercise modelspace has been assigned Belge72/b.Lambert72A (EPSG 31370). The Data Connect palette in Map3D displayed Unknown for the ecw’s projection—it was unable to read the image’s native coordinate system in the eww file (ecw’s world file) so Unknown projection was replaced with EPSG 31370 (using a manual override).>>

2. Clipped imaged has been added using a Data Connection.

Bing Hybrid map was turned on in modelspace .

3. The ecw with Bing Hybrid as the base map,

Here’s a tighter, zoomed-in view of the roundabout at Rue Jean-Baptiste Moyens & Av. Henri Liebrecht (WGS84 Lat: 50.889982, Long: 4.318037).

4. Bing Hybrid on the left and the ecw on the right.

Based on the zoom-in view in image 4, do you prefer Bing imagery or the ecw?

[Pointdump]

@ChicagoLooper,
Your image looks a bit >>>Washed Out<<<. You might want to play with Brightness and Contrast.
Dave

[OmelkoAdam]

Hi,

Dave, i keep your answer as back up solution 😉

Thank you for your answer, ChicagoLooper, the procedure with the data connection seems interessant, i must test the zoom response with bigger ecw's...

You are talking about irregular shape, do you mean the height and the widh of the picture ? If you are talking about the edge between the picture and the white area here is a older ECW (2020) with the same shape and working very well in Autocad Map 3D:

https://s.irisnet.be/v1/AUTH_ce3f7c74-fbd7-4b46-8d85-53d10d86904f/urbortho2020/BL72/Region/40cm/Ecw/...

The Bing imagery is very old in our area (2015 ?) and  is useless for my job. We are working with the big brother of the UrbOrth_RBC_40cm, the same ECW  but with a amazing resolution of 5 cm/px. This ECW have the same problem and is very bigger (12 GB) and hard to share, that's why i am talking about the 40 cm/px ECW in this topic.

Can you check the version (v2 of v3) of the ECW generated by the Global Mapper ?

Is someone using a ECW v3 version with the MAP 3D ?

[ChicagoLooper]

@Pointdump wrote:

Your image looks a bit >>>Washed Out<<<. You might want to play with Brightness and Contrast.
Dave

---

The washout was on purpose. I wanted to exaggerate (provide contrast) between the ecw and Bing imagery.

[ChicagoLooper]

@Pointdump 

Do you an ‘Autocrop’ function (or something similar) in QGIS?

In Global Mapper I frequently use the autocrop tool on USGS 7.5 minute Quads. The tool automatically crops the ‘white margins’ and all superfluous jazz such as scale, source, quad name, date, etc. from the map and allows you add adjacent maps to modelspace during the FDO operation. Since Glo Map ‘knows’ where to crop and the Data Connection ‘knows’where to position and combine the tiles, the result is a single large georef’d map.

Here’s the unadulterated ecw in Global Mapper. Currently, there’s no cropping on the image. Image 1.

Image 1.

When automatic cropping is applied, the image is cropped and the edges are ‘sucked in.’ Image 2.

Images 2.

The image is renamed and exported to ecw format then added to M3D. The result is below. Image 3.

Image 3.

Of course you can perform RESAMPLE RASTER by right clicking the ecw layer in the Map Task Pane to limit the ecw to a smaller area. Resample Raster will cut off or ‘hide’ portions of the raster that are ‘off-screen’ when you have zoomed-in on the ecw. After resampling, use mouse to zoom-out and it’ll appear as though the ecw was clipped. Image 4.

Image 4.

<<Note: EPSG 31370 was assigned to modelspace and manually applied to all imagery.>>

[Pointdump]

@ChicagoLooper,
I don't know if QGIS has an AutoCrop function. Anytime I need to crop a raster I use a polygon shapefile.
When you re-save in GM does it allow saving in Version 3? QGIS only allows re-saving as GeoTiff.
That resampling trick in Map 3D is cool.
Dave

[OmelkoAdam]

Hi Dave, ChicagoLooper,

I opened a case. The customers support is interested by my .ecw file... 😉

[Pointdump]

Let us know what they say.

Dave

[ChicagoLooper]

Keep in mind ecw format is proprietary and owned by Intergraph which in turn, is owned by Hexagon AB. It’s not open-source. Autodesk may dance, but Intergraph plays the tune. 

[OmelkoAdam]

Sure that .ecw format is owned by Hexagon. They have a plugin for Autocad that a installed on my computer, but i'm not sure that's working... Can someone test it for me ?

[OmelkoAdam]

The customers support of Autodesk say that they are working on it... but they closed my case 😶

Bentley suite opens this .ecw too and now i founded a belgian clone of Autocad (ok, i admit, owned by Hexagon) who open the raster image without any problem... 

If a see the description of the product Autocad  (.ecw supported) in my contract of licence and the cost of this one, i think that i can legally expect more support from Autodesk...

[Pointdump]

Hi Adam,
Thanks for the update. I didn't know Hexagon had a plugin for AutoCAD. And I've heard of BricsCAD but never tried it.

Edit: I looked for the Hexagon plugin, but it's only available for up to 2019. I'm using 2022.
Dave