Import GIS drawing and PDF/image
Import cadastral maps and land registry data as a GIS drawing, and PDF plans and images as a scaled background graphic in VICUS Buildings
Overview
In addition to DXF and OSM, VICUS Buildings supports two further types of reference documents (underlays):
- GIS drawings from Shapefile (
.shp), GeoPackage (.gpkg) or GeoJSON (.geojson) - e.g. cadastral maps, land registry (ALKIS exports) or development plans. - PDF plans and images (PDF, PNG, JPEG, etc.) - e.g. scanned floor plans or site plans.
Both serve as a visual planning basis; they are not simulated.
Import GIS drawing
Access
- Menu Import > GIS-based drawing …
- alternatively the button
GIS Draw in the Import area of the Add geometry panel (tooltip Import GIS data as a drawing)
“Import GIS drawing” dialog
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Import mode > Single file | Imports exactly one GIS file (GIS files (*.shp *.gpkg *.geojson)). |
| Import mode > Directory | Imports all GIS files in a folder including subdirectories - practical for cadastral deliveries consisting of many individual files. |
| Text attributes | List of all attributes found; checked attributes are displayed as labels (e.g. parcel numbers, street names). |
| Layers with filled polygons | Checked layers are displayed as filled surfaces, all others as outlines. |
The import log reports the detected coordinate reference system (CRS) and the UTM zone - geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude) are automatically transformed into UTM coordinates - as well as an import summary (drawing, layers, points, texts, polylines).
World coordinate origin
If the project does not yet have a world coordinate origin (origin 0/0/0), it is set from the data during the GIS import (undo entry “World coordinate origin set from GIS import”, with UTM zone and hemisphere). This keeps large state coordinates outside the 3D scene, and the drawing appears near the scene origin. Further GIS imports are merged into the existing GIS drawing: new layers and geometries are appended, and all layers receive a uniform color.
Result
The GIS drawing appears in the navigation tree with one layer per source file or source layer; visibility can be controlled per layer, and the appearance (text size, line width) adjusted by double-clicking. Unlike DXF drawings, GIS drawings provide no snap points when drawing - they are a pure background reference.
Import PDF or image
Access
- Menu Import > PDF / image …
- alternatively the button
PDF in the Import area of the Add geometry panel
The project must have been saved beforehand: “The project must be saved before a PDF plan can be imported (the imported images are stored next to the project file).” The image files end up in the folder <ProjectName>_images next to the project file and are referenced relatively in the project.
Dialog
In the preview, you zoom with the mouse wheel and move the image while holding down the left mouse button.
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name: | Display name of the plan in the navigation tree. |
| Re-import with changed resolution / DPI: | Visible for PDF files and image formats that cannot be read directly: the file is rasterized into an image via ImageMagick (DPI range 50-2000). If the display is blurry, increase the DPI and convert again. Under Linux, the package ImageMagick must be installed. |
| Define distance | Scale via a reference distance: “Select two points and enter the length!” - click two points in the image and enter the real length in m under Distance:. |
| Define document size | Alternatively, enter the real Width: or Height: of the entire plan in m; the other value is calculated from the aspect ratio. |
With OK, the plan is inserted as a flat rectangle in the floor plan plane (z = 0) at the scene origin.
Important in practice:
The reference distance determines the scale of the entire plan - an error here carries through the complete traced building. Choose the longest possible, clearly known distance (e.g. a whole building edge from the existing plan instead of a door width): the longer the reference distance, the less the click imprecision affects the scale.
Positioning the plan
The imported plan is selected like other objects and moved and rotated via the transformation tools. It then serves - viewed from above in 2D mode - as a template for tracing the rooms; a raster image does not provide snap points here.