Google Earth Pro is free, and it has a secret superpower: It can export high-resolution images with a world file (georeferencing).
We’ve all been there. You need a base map for a site plan, a context for a master plan, or the existing road layout for a redesign. Google Maps has the perfect data, but AutoCAD needs the lines. convert google map to autocad
While you can’t click a button in Google Earth Pro to magically get a perfect .dwg file, the workflow is easier than you think. Here is the professional’s guide to turning pixels into polylines. You could screenshot the map, attach the image to AutoCAD, and scale it manually. But that takes hours. Plus, satellite imagery is often slightly tilted or distorted, leading to inaccurate measurements. Google Earth Pro is free, and it has
If you do this often, learn to download .shp files from your city’s open data portal. They are the legal, perfect, vector-based alternative to Google Maps. Have a favorite workflow for getting maps into CAD? Let us know in the comments below! Google Maps has the perfect data, but AutoCAD