Geographical Location Information

Geographic location embeds location-specific references – expressed as real-world coordinates (X,Y, and Z) – in your drawing. You can then send your georeferenced drawing for review. For example, you can

• Put the drawing on a map (using AutoCAD Map 3D)
• See your design in the landscape (using AutoCAD)

When you add a geographic location to a drawing, a geographic marker is created. The geographic marker is a visual representation of the location information and is created at the specified point on the drawing. Geographic location information can be included in either of the following ways:

Import a KML or KMZ file with the appropriate location information – You can import the location information (latitude, longitude, and altitude) specified in KML or KMZ files. Once imported, specify the location in the drawing; and the north direction, or angle. The steps are as

• Click Render tabSun & Location panelSet Location.
• Click Import a KML or KMZ File.
• Navigate to the location of the KML or KMZ file. Click Open.
• Click or enter a point or value for the location in the World Coordinate System (WCS) X, Y, Z format.
• Click to specify the north direction.

Import a location from Google Earth – You can navigate to a specific location in Google Earth and import the location information in the drawing file. You can then pick a point in the drawing to define the coordinates for the location defined in Google Earth. The steps are as –

• Click Render tabSun & Location panelSet Location.
• Click Import the current location from Google Earth. The Import from Google Earth task dialog box is displayed.
• Click Continue.
• Click or enter a point / value for the location in the World Coordinate System (WCS) X, Y, Z format.
• Click to specify the north direction.

Use the Geographic Location dialog box – You can manually enter the latitude, longitude, north direction, elevation, and up-direction values. You can also enter a city name or other known geographic entity in the Location Picker dialog box to insert the location. Latitude and longitude is defined either as Decimal Degrees or as Degree Minutes Second. The steps are as –

• Click Render tabSun & Location panelSet Location.
• Click Enter the Location Values.
• Select the latitude and longitude format. It is optional. You can enter the latitude, longitude, and time zone values manually, or click the Use Map button (steps 4 through 8) to select the values visually.
• Click Use Map. It is optional.
• In the Region drop-down list, select the applicable region.
• In the Nearest City drop-down list, select the nearest city that represents the time zone. Click OK. The Time Zone value is updated automatically based on the Nearest City selected.
• Click Accept Updated Time Zone, if correct. To select a different time zone, click Return to the Previous Dialog Box. The latitude, longitude, direction, and time zone values are automatically populated based on the values selected in the location picker dialog box.
• Click Pick Point to specify the X, Y, and Z coordinates. Values can also be entered at the Command prompt.
• Use the Up or Down arrows to specify the elevation.
• Click Pick Point, or drag the compass needle icon, to specify the angle. The north direction angle is calculated when you select a point with reference to the geographic location.
• Specify the Up direction, if necessary.
• Click OK.

When you insert location information, the drawing contains the following data:

• North direction — a vector that defines the direction of the North pole from the XY plane
• Up direction — a vector that is always constrained 90 degrees to the XY plane
• Geographic location data

View the Geographic Location Information

You can view a marker that defines the geographic location as a graphic (in model space view) or as a status bar coordinate display. You can view a geographic marker in either of the following ways:

• A graphic overlaid on the model space view at the World Coordinate System (WCS) location of the geographic marker. Set the GEOMARKERVISIBILITY system variable to 1 to view the graphic for geographic marker in the drawing.
• A status bar coordinate display that shows the latitude or longitude of a WCS coordinate at the cursor location.