AutoCAD’s default tools could cause many problems if you’ve ever worked with terrain. First, they are almost non-existent.
AutoCAD is a drawing and document tool. AutoCAD supports only the data of terrain. Therefore, it is not surprising that the basic capabilities are limited. AutoCAD products like Auto CAD MAP 3D and Civil 3D have more functionality for terrain data such as built-in PointCloud support. However, AutoCAD requires the following apps.
Selection Criteria for Top Mapping Application for AutoCAD
Our team picked the apps we reviewed in this article based on a set of criteria. The apps had to be registered on the app store so you know you are getting your application from a reliable source. Digital signatures are employed to verify that there aren’t any malware or spyware issues and that the creator can be accessible. This is in contrast to hackers who claim to run an the entire company through a single computer.
CAD-Earth
CAD-Earth is more of an intermediary rather than an application and provides all revit mapping functionality. You can import and export data about terrain and contour lines, and you can save your work as profiles for later use. Each app command is accompanied by a list of options for help and can be accessed via the toolbar.
Spatial Manager
The app imports data into AutoCAD but that’s only one aspect. We were blown away by the fact it can export and import to many other geospatial services. The application is compatible with AutoCAD modules such as XDATA references and also allows the transformation of coordinates. The app has a lot of benefits over other packages that use Shapefiles (SHP) and background maps and PostGIS connectivity to SQLite databases.
Scatter
Scatter is the ideal application to use when you have 100 tiny components that need to be distributed equally or not across an entire area. Users love the app and have rated it. The app allows you to select the scattering model you want to use. You can also choose the individual pieces that you want to scatter across the area or in a volume.
GeoRefImg
The core of AutoCAD is LISP. The app provides a LISP tool that can be utilized for AutoCAD 2012 or further. It can preposition elements based on a variety of criteria. This includes repositioning raster file in relation to the file of which they’re part of. Each element can be exported in TIF, CIT and ECW formats. When exporting information from this plug-in, geo-locations will be retained.
Luxe 