What are you talking about?
So, I have some data, but I want to see it on top of a map, a satellite image or a hybrid of both? Well, its quite easy to put your data in context by adding this as a background in Civil3d.
How do I do it?
Well, its an easy process, once you know one critical element: What datum is your data on.
This is key.
Data on assumed coordinates will not work. If you have survey or design data that you know the source of, then you should be able to establish the datum on which the data is based. In Australia the data is generally on GDA (1994 or 2020, there’s a difference!). GDA stands for Geodetic Datum of Australia. These coordinates will generally be projected onto a grid system. This grid system is known as MGA, Map Grid of Australia, not to be confused with Australian Map Grid!) The Map Grid of Australia (MGA) is broken into zones, so you will need to know what zone your data is in:
If you really want to get into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of it feel free to check out the GDA Technical Manual for more maths than settling the bill after a meal with friends on Tight Arse Tuesdays!
Once you know your coordinate system, the actual process in Civil3d is Easy!
- Enter the drawing settings and set your drawing to the desired coordinate system.
- Now there is a new ribbon called Geolocation, click on that.
- Now you can toggle satellite, road and hybrid background maps on and off
- Now is a good time to check that your data looks like it is in the right part of the world. If it ends up sitting in Antarctica then you probably have the coordinate system set wrong. Talk to your friendly surveyor to determine the datum.
The background maps are provided by Bing, unfortunately Autodesk doesn’t give you an option here. You get what you get and you don’t get upset!
Another cool feature is that you can keep a section of the background map as an image overlay for plotting. Just click Capture Area on the Geolocation ribbon and select the area you want to cover. You can also dictate the pixel quality of the background.
Cool, is there an awesome video showing me how to do it?
Yep