AUTOCAD Raster Design 2008 Preview Guide AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 software is the leading raster application for design professionals in any industry who need to use or reuse scanned paper drawings or maps, satellite images, digital elevation models (DEMs), aerial photos, and similar raster data in their design projects. Use it for managing, converting, analyzing, and editing all types of raster data in AutoCAD software and AutoCAD software based products. AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 is compatible with AutoCAD 2008 software and the specialized, industry-specific products based on AutoCAD, including AutoCAD Map 3D 2008, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008, AutoCAD Land Desktop 2008, AutoCAD MEP 2008, AutoCAD Architecture 2008, AutoCAD Mechanical 2008, Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2008, and AutoCAD Electrical 2008 software applications. Contents Key Features... 2 Improved Interoperability with AutoCAD Map 3D/AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008... 2 Dynamic Dimensioning and Grip Editing... 4 Direct Editing of Multiresolution Images... 5 Ability to Embed Bitonal Images into the Drawing File... 5 Improved Image Insert Functionality... 7 Extended Image Format Support... 7 Conclusion... 9 www.autodesk.com/rasterdesign
Key Features Key features in AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 software include the following: Improved interoperability with AutoCAD Map 3D and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 software includes enhanced image-capture capability for better interoperability with AutoCAD Map 3D and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 software. Now Display Manager image data layers accessed through the AutoCAD Map 3D Feature Data Objects (FDO) raster provider can be edited, processed, analyzed, and saved in Raster Design. Dynamic dimensioning and grip editing Complete vectorization tasks faster and with greater accuracy using the new dynamic dimensioning and grip editing functionality added to the existing Raster Design VTools. Direct editing of multiresolution images Achieve greater flexibility by directly editing multiresolution image files such as LizardTech s MrSID, ER Mapper s ECW, and industry-standard JPEG 2000. Ability to embed bitonal images into the drawing file With AutoCAD Raster Design 2008, users can save bitonal raster images within the DWG file instead of maintaining the image as an external reference. Improved image insert functionality New support for multiframe image configurations allows the use of new image formats and image frames contained in already supported formats. Extended image format support AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 now supports the following additional image formats, increasing the range of data available for use in projects: DigitalGlobe s Quickbird TIFF format multispectral imagery Landsat FAST L7A multispectral imagery National Imaging Transmission Format (NITF) version 2.0/2.1 This Preview Guide presents details of each of these features. Improved Interoperability with AutoCAD Map 3D/AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 Raster Design 2008 can retrieve and edit AutoCAD Map 3D 2008 and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 Display Manager raster layer data accessed by the FDO raster providers. Users can perform data preparation tasks such as performing true coordinate transforms, cropping unwanted regions, merging multiple images, and performing image-processing operations on this data using Raster Design. Users can then save these image edits and modifications for use in AutoCAD Map 3D 2008 or Civil 3D 2008. 2
With the enhanced Image Capture tool, users can Select Map Display Manager raster layer data for capture Capture stylization results produced by the Display Manager Capture all or part of the original image data referenced by the Display Manager layer at a specified resolution using the coordinate transform parameters of their choice Figure 1. Improved Interoperability with AutoCAD Map 3D/AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 3
Dynamic Dimensioning and Grip Editing The addition of dynamic dimensioning and grip editing functionality to the existing Raster Design VTools now makes the raster-to-vector conversion process more efficient. While users are creating lines, plines, circles, arcs, and rectangles, the VTool primitives are Dynamic Input enabled so users can enter and verify geometry directly on the screen. Now users can take advantage of heads-up input, dynamic dimensioning, and real-time feedback to increase productivity in the vectorization process. Figure 2. Dynamic Dimensioning and Grip Editing 4
Direct Editing of Multiresolution Images AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 enables the direct editing and modification of multiresolution format images such as Lizardtech s MrSID, Earth Resource and Mapper s ECW, and the industry-standard JPEG 2000. Now it s easier to make edits, such as cropping and merging multiresolution imagery. As in previous releases, changes can be saved to JPEG 2000 format, thereby keeping the multiresolution advantages of small file size and fast performance while retaining high visual image quality. With previous releases of Raster Design, multiresolution image files were noneditable. Users had to first create a REM (raster entity manipulation) region of interest or save the image to a non-multiresolution format before performing any edits or modifications. Figure 3. Direct editing of multiresolution images Ability to Embed Bitonal Images into the Drawing File With AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 users can now save bitonal raster images within the DWG file instead of maintaining the image as an external reference. No longer is it necessary to maintain the drawing and image files separately. Once embedded, the raster image maintains its property as an independent object for editing purposes, but the user archives only a single DWG file. Further, unlike the Pack and Go and etransmit options, 5
the user simply opens the drawing rather than first exploding the transport file before opening the drawing. The user also has the option to unembed the image at any point. This new functionality enables users to easily and reliably send drawings containing bitonal images to clients, partners, and agencies, and avoid problems with image paths at the receiving end. Figure 4. Embedding bitonal images into the drawing file 6
Improved Image Insert Functionality For increased user productivity, AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 includes several improvements to the image insert functionality, such as Support for multiframe images The AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 user interface has been enhanced to allow users to select individual frames of multiframe images for insertion. These frames can be used as independent image insertions or as bands of a multispectral data set. Image preview enhancements The Image Preview functionality in Raster Design 2008 is now more user friendly. The Preview Enable control is in a more prominent location, and an independently threaded image preview now enables users to proceed regardless of the state of the preview. Clarity into source of image attributes and properties When insertion image parameters (insertion point, rotation, scale, density, and units) are not found in the image or correlation file, the software now indicates when defaults are being applied. Additional coordinate transform options When running Raster Design on top of AutoCAD Map 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D, or AutoCAD Land Desktop, users can choose to perform a pixel-by-pixel true coordinate transform, as in previous releases, or use a three-point affine algorithm or a four-point rubbersheet algorithm. This flexibility helps users more efficiently achieve the results they need. Figure 5. Improved image insert functionality 7
Extended Image Format Support Raster Design now supports several new image formats, including the following: DigitalGlobe s Quickbird multispectral imagery This is the highest resolution of commercially available satellite imagery. Support for this image type increases the range of data available for use in map creation, image analysis, and other projects. Landsat FAST-L7A multispectral imagery This format is widely used for Landsat multispectral imagery. Support for this image type increases the range of data available for use in projects. National Imaging Transmission Format (NITF) 2.0/2.1 Users can now insert NITF 2.0 and 2.1 format imagery as supplied by the major satellite vendors. This capability is particularly important for the U.S. Department of Defense and the federal intelligence community. Figure 5. DigitalGlobe Quickbird image Figure 6. DigitalGlobe Quickbird image 8
Conclusion AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 provides several new tools and improved functionality to increase user productivity and efficiency while performing common raster-based tasks such as editing and conversion. With improved AutoCAD Map 3D/AutoCAD Civil 3D interoperability, civil and geospatial users can take advantage of Raster Design software s rich data preparation tools. Support for new image formats such as DigitalGlobe s Quickbird, Landsat FAST, and NITF increases the range of image data available for use in civil and geospatial projects. Use AutoCAD Raster Design to make better design decisions, improve analyses and presentations, and produce impressive project deliverables. For any organization whose success depends on the efficient exchange of design information, Autodesk integrates advanced raster conversion, revision, and analysis technology with important geospatial platforms. The result is a single-vendor design solution that improves productivity, accuracy, and ease of use. Occasionally, Autodesk makes statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services, or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change. Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist or change after the date on which they were made. Autodesk, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, DWG, and Mechanical Desktop are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. 2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. 9