The Project Design Plan Overlays tool allows you to import, overlay, and view design plans and utility maps on all maps of your DroneDeploy project. This feature helps you check progress against plan drawings, compare grading to actual elevation, and spot health and safety issues.
Availability: Who has access?
Available to customers on Individual, Advanced, Teams, and Enterprise subscriptions.
Supports PNG and vector PDF files.
How to add design plan overlays
Follow these steps to add a design plan or utility map to your project.
Add your drawing or image. Click the Add button under the Layers tab. Select a single-page PDF document or a PNG image with a transparent background.
Select the overlay type. Choose Drawing from the overlay options and click Select File to import the file from your computer. On the left, you’ll also see any integrations you’ve connected, which you can use to import data.
Prior to alignment, rename and choose the level of your overlay.
Align your design plan overlay. Drag the two markers to align the image using recognizable features on the map or existing overlays
Add additional overlays. You can add multiple plans to the same map. Use the left panel to toggle these layers on or off. Use groups to organize your drawings.
Export your exterior map with your overlay. Ensure the overlay is enabled on your map data page, then create an export to receive the data with the overlay included.
Key features
Project-wide visibility: Once you add a design plan to one map, it automatically appears on all current and future maps within that project.
High-resolution rendering: DroneDeploy initially processes a low-resolution version for positioning. Once you finish alignment, a background process creates a high-resolution version for the final display.
Custom colors: You can change the color of the overlay to make it easier to see against different map backgrounds.
Limitations
PDF rotation: The map viewer does not support rotating PDF files directly; rotation must occur during the initial positioning process.
File types: Only vectorized PDFs are supported at this time. If a high-resolution PDF appears faded, convert the file to a PNG before uploading.
Coordinate systems: If you see scaling issues, the file likely uses a different coordinate system. You must respecify the EPSG code to correct the data.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Can I add more than one drawing to a map?
A: Yes. You can add multiple design plans and use the layers panel to show or hide them as needed.
Q: Why does my PDF look blurry at first?
A: DroneDeploy uses a temporary low-resolution version while you align the file. A high-resolution version replaces it once the background conversion job completes.
Q: What should I do if my drawing is not transparent?
A: For best results, export your plans from CAD software as transparent PDFs or PNGs.
v2.2