How to import Pix4D outputs to Autodesk

The georeferenced GeoTIFF orthomosaic (transparent or non-transparent) that PIX4Dmapper generates can be imported into AutoCAD.

To import orthomosaic:

1. Drag and drop the orthomosaic onto the main view of AutoCAD.
2. Message asking for an insert point, scale factor and rotation angle will appear, press Enter three times.
3. Double-click on the main window to zoom in to the orthomosaic.
4. In command line type GEOREFIMG and press Enter.
5. Select orthomosaic and press Enter.
6. Double-click on the main window to zoom in to the extents of orthomosaic.

In some cases due to the size of orthomosaics (500 MB to 1 GB and more), orthomosaics cannot be loaded into AutoCAD following aforementioned steps.

Pix4D uses BigTIFF format for large orthomosaic and it is not supported by AutoCAD. In such cases, to open orthomosaic in AutoCAD:

Method A: In case the Orthomosaic has several tiles, load each tile one by one in AutoCAD following aforementioned steps.

Method B: Use another third-party software like Quantum GIS (QGIS), an open source application, to save orthomosaic in traditional format.

1. Drag and drop the orthomosaic onto the main view of QGIS.
2. Right-click on the corresponding layer and click Save As...
3. In the dialog Output mode select the Rendered image option.
4. Once exported, drag and drop the new orthomosaic onto the main view of AutoCAD.
5. A message asking for an insert point, scale factor and rotation angle will appear, press Enter three times.
6. Double-click on the main window to zoom in to the orthomosaic.

1. On the menu bar, click the folder icon.
2. In the window Select File, in the field Files of type, select DXF (*.dxf).
3. Browse for the desired file.
4. Click Open.

For more information: Autodesk help.

1. On the menu bar, click Insert and select Point Cloud.
2. In the window Link Point Cloud, in the field Files of type, select Raw Formats (*...).
3. Browse for the desired file.
4. Click Open.
5. On the pop-up File Not Indexed, click Yes.
6. In the window Point Cloud File Indexing, click Start Indexing.



7. Once done, click Close.
8. On the menu bar, click Insert and select Point Cloud.
9. In the window Link Point Cloud, in the field Files of type, select Point Cloud Projects (*.rcp).
3. Browse for the desired file.
4. Click Open.

To visualize the 3D textured mesh:

1. On the menu bar, click Open > Import.
2. In the window Select File to Import, in the field Files of type, select either:

• Autodesk (*.FBX) to import the .fbx 3D textured mesh.
• gw::OBJ-Importer (*.OBJ) to import the .obj 3D textured mesh.

3. Click Open.
4. In the window Import Options, click Import.
5. On each window, there are visualization options in the upper-left corner.
6. Switch from Default shading to Flat color.
7. In visualization options, edit the Lighting and shadows and select Illuminate with Scene Lights.

To render the 3D textured mesh:

1. Drag and drop the .fbx file onto the main view 3ds Max.
2. Click .
3. Click Texture Standard.



4. Double-click window Texture Standard and set Self-Illumination to 100.



5. On the menu bar, select Rendering and click Render the texture.

For more information: Autodesk help.

1. On the menu bar, click File > Import...
2. In the window Import, browse for the desired file.
3. Click Import.
4. On the menu bar, click Lighting > Use Flat Lighting.

There are plugins or scripts that allows the conversion:

• http://www.automapki.com
• http://knowledge.autodesk.com
• http://www.codedog.com.au
• http://www.cadforum.cz
• http://www.okino.com
• http://www.vizworld.com
• http://www.scriptspot.com
• http://3dsmaxfeedback.autodesk.com

Some of the mentioned tools allow to convert into other formats that should work in AutoCAD Revit or Lumion.