Plex-Earth

Plex-Earth makes geography easy for every engineer and architect in the world. Originally created in 2009 by civil engineer and programmer Lambros Kaliakatsos, Plex-Earth was the first cloud-based SaaS software in the CAD market and one of the most popular tools in the Autodesk App Store since its initial launch in 2011. Plex-Earth has been an authorized member of the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) since 2010. 

Integrating aerial & satellite imagery from premium providers into early-stage design workflows for architects

Plex-Earth’s innovative and CAD-user-centric approach to integrating Geographic Information System (GIS) data with AutoCAD and Civil 3D has been a game-changer for civil engineers, allowing them to easily access updated and historical high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery and terrain data from leading providers (such as Airbus, Maxar, Nearmap, and Google). 

However, the company faced a new challenge when trying to replicate its solution for Autodesk Forma‘s environment for early-stage design.

Historically, architects have relied on in-app tools with limited capabilities for site context. Or they spend days or weeks gathering data from various sources through tedious and repetitive manual methods. Moreover, many architects don’t have the GIS expertise needed to manage the data efficiently, which ends up complicating the design process rather than enhancing it, eventually leading to bad design decisions, costs, and redesigns.

Plex-Earth saw an opportunity to help architects better visualize site conditions and enhance early-stage project planning with real-world data. However, this meant Plex-Earth needed to tailor its solution to meet Autodesk Forma's new user-experience, capabilities and constraints instead of porting existing features that work with AutoCAD. 

The APS Solution: GIS integration brings real-time, real-world context to early-stage design

Plex-Earth adapted its tools to fit Forma’s workflows for architects and connected its geospatial data using the Forma API. This solution gives Forma users seamless access to a robust library of images, all within their design environment.

Users can:

• Access high-resolution images from Google and Azure
   
• See their project site progress with vast historical datasets from Airbus and Maxar.
   
• Create timelines to monitor environmental changes in their project areas over time.
   
• Preview and acquire ultra-high-resolution aerial imagery from Nearmap and other premium providers.

With just a few clicks, Forma users gain a more complete view of their project’s environment, giving the early design process even greater context for better decision-making.

Business Outcomes: Faster, better decision-making at the earliest design stages

• Instant access to premium real-world data, rather than spending days sourcing and importing information, without costly separate contracts.
   
• More informed decision-making in early-stage design.
   
• Improved workflow for architects that doesn’t disrupt the design process.

APIs and Services

Forma API