Guide • Site to CAD
Map to DWG and DXF: get your site into AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUp and Revit
Google Maps cannot be downloaded as a CAD file, and its terms do not let you copy its map content. The usual route is open map data from OpenStreetMap, exported as DXF and saved as DWG in AutoCAD. This guide shows how to do that with Atlasly and how to open the file in each program.
Use this overview to plan your research. Verify current requirements and site-specific conditions against the relevant primary sources. Read our data sources, coverage and limits guide.
Why not convert Google Maps directly?
Google Maps does not offer a CAD export, and the Google Maps Platform terms restrict copying or extracting its map content. Tracing a screenshot gives you lines at an unknown scale. OpenStreetMap data is free to reuse under the Open Database Licence, as long as you credit "© OpenStreetMap contributors", and it comes as real geometry that can be drawn to scale.
Step 1: export the site from Atlasly
- Open Export Map in Atlas AI and search for the site.
- Draw the export area around the site and its context. Up to 1 km² is free.
- Keep the layers you need: buildings, roads, water, green space and contours are on by default; trees are optional.
- Choose DXF, or the CAD bundle if you also want an SVG, an A3 PDF and a coordinate manifest.
- Download the file. It is drawn in metres: in British National Grid by default for sites in Great Britain, and in local metres from the export centre elsewhere.
Step 2: AutoCAD (and how to get a DWG)
- Use File > Open and select the DXF (not Insert, which brings it in as a block).
- Type UNITS and confirm the drawing is in metres. Run ZOOM then EXTENTS to see everything.
- Open the Layer Properties Manager. Buildings are on A-BLDG, roads on A-ROAD-*, water on A-WATER, contours on C-TOPO-MAJOR and C-TOPO-MINOR.
- Use Save As and choose an AutoCAD DWG format. You now have a DWG.
- No AutoCAD? The free ODA File Converter turns DXF into DWG.
Step 3: Rhino
- Use File > Open or File > Import and pick the DXF. Choose metres as the units when asked.
- Layers come in with their names, so you can lock or hide context layers while you design.
- For a 3D context, export OBJ or GLB with Professional or one-off site credits and import it the same way (GLB needs Rhino 8).
Step 4: SketchUp
- SketchUp Pro on desktop imports DXF: File > Import, set the file type to AutoCAD files, then open Options and set units to metres.
- Check that your SketchUp plan includes CAD import; the web versions may not.
- Group the imported lines and put them on their own tag before you start drawing over them.
Step 5: Revit
- In a site plan view, use Insert > Link CAD (or Import CAD) and choose the DXF.
- Set Import units to Meter and choose a positioning option, for example Auto - Center to Center.
- Link rather than import if you want to update the context later without cluttering the project.
- For terrain, see the topography guide: Revit builds a surface from the contour layer.
Check before you draw over it
- Map data is mainly from OpenStreetMap and its contributors, with other open building sources added at the higher data levels. It is community data: check it against a survey or official mapping before you rely on dimensions.
- Road lines in the DXF are centrelines, not kerb lines.
- Building heights in 3D files come from the source data where present and from stated defaults where not.
- Keep the OpenStreetMap credit on drawings you publish.
Questions
Can I convert Google Maps to DWG for free?
Not directly: Google Maps has no CAD export and its terms restrict copying its map content. Export the same area from open map data as a DXF with Atlasly, free up to 1 km², then save it as DWG in AutoCAD or with the free ODA File Converter.
Does Atlasly export DWG?
No, Atlasly exports DXF. AutoCAD opens DXF directly and can save it as DWG in one step.
What scale and units is the DXF in?
The DXF is in metres at 1:1. In Great Britain it uses British National Grid coordinates; elsewhere it uses local metres from the centre of the export area, with the origin noted in the file.
Will it work for a site outside the UK?
Yes. The map export works worldwide wherever OpenStreetMap has data. Detail varies by area; rural and less-mapped places may have fewer buildings.
Download your site as DXF
Search for your site, draw the area and download a layered DXF in metres. Free up to 1 km².
Open Export MapReview current plans and usage and source coverage for your project.