Atlasly + AutoCAD
Create site context and custom maps in Atlasly, then prepare an editable handoff for your AutoCAD project.
Atlasly is an AI workspace for architects and urban designers worldwide. Site research and custom maps are one way into the workspace, alongside architectural visualisation and assistance inside Rhino and QGIS.
Explore Atlasly for QGIS for experimental early access. Atlasly for Rhino is coming soon, with a macOS private alpha. Confirm compatibility and available workflows when invited.
Site context for international architecture projects
For a US project, begin with the site location and the context your team needs. Atlasly combines global spatial sources, regional evidence and information you supply. Available layers, resolution, freshness and licensing depend on the location and source. Check local planning and environmental coverage for the actual project.
Choose the handoff for your project
The current web map and site workflow includes DXF and GeoJSON outputs. Confirm the export path and plan entitlements for your selected workflow on the pricing page. Before bringing the file into CAD or GIS, check the coordinate reference system, units, layer contents and alignment with your project's reference data. Review the receiving application's handling of the file before relying on it.
The British National Grid instructions below describe the UK workflow. Confirm the coordinate system for a US project separately. Global spatial sources do not establish complete local zoning or environmental coverage.
Recorded US export: Liberty Island
On 16 October 2026, Atlasly’s public portable context tool returned 19 building and 100 road/path features around an official Recreation.gov reference point on Liberty Island, New York. The original files include a source manifest, retrieval dates, GeoJSON and a local UTM zone 18N metre DXF. No parcel boundary was supplied. This route is separate from the web project-map export below: its DXF layers are BUILDINGS and ROADS.
Independent file inspection found no DXF audit errors or repairs and checked all 665 vertices against the reprojected GeoJSON. That establishes coordinate-conversion consistency, not survey accuracy. Freshness and completeness remain unverified. The file is indicative context, with no terrain, zoning or constraint coverage claimed.
A separate receiving-application check on 16 October 2026 imported the original DXF into Rhino 8.35 for macOS: 119 curves were retained, with none skipped. After saving and reopening, the 19 building curves measured 1,677.091 metres in total and the 100 road/path curves measured 2,767.636 metres, matching the independent calculations to the displayed precision. This check covers Rhino only; AutoCAD acceptance and surveyed alignment remain unverified.
Download the original context ZIP · Read the source and handoff record · Inspect the file-check results · Read the dated Rhino checks · View the reopened drawing measurements. © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL-1.0. Preserve the attribution and source terms supplied with the files.
UK workflow: how to export to AutoCAD
- Open the site project in Atlas AI projects and choose Export map & data
- Review the project boundary and export extent separately; confirm any boundary before using it
- Review the available source layers and missing evidence in the export workspace
- In the Export site context panel, set Format to DXF and review coordinate settings and plan availability
- In AutoCAD, use File → Open (not Import) and select the DXF file
- Check the delivered layers in the Layer Properties Manager, then verify units and alignment against trusted project data
UK DXF layer reference
This reference covers the DXF download from the Atlas AI project map's Site Context export controls. It lists default delivered CAD names; practice layer-name overrides can change them. Availability depends on the selected site, sources and export settings. A listed category does not mean its data is included in every file. Follow the DXF handoff guide to inspect the file and retain its settings.
| Layer name | Contents |
|---|---|
| A-BLDG | Building outlines and available or default building heights |
| A-ROAD-HIGHWAY / A-ROAD-PRIMARY / A-ROAD-SECONDARY / A-ROAD-MINOR | Road geometry by source classification |
| A-ROAD-PATH / A-ROAD-RAIL | Paths and rail geometry |
| A-WATER / A-WATERWAY | Water body outlines and watercourse lines |
| A-GREENSPACE / A-TREE | Green space outlines and individual tree points |
| C-TOPO-MAJOR / C-TOPO-MINOR | Contour lines with source elevation; major/minor follows the source index flag, not a promised interval |
| A-CONST-FLOOD | Available mapped flood evidence; inspect the returned classification and coverage |
| A-CONST-CONSERV / A-CONST-HERITAGE | Conservation-area and listed-building record geometry; heritage records do not establish legal curtilage |
| A-CONST-TPO / A-CONST-ARTICLE4 | Available tree-protection and Article 4 evidence |
| A-CONST-ENVIRON / A-CONST-LANDFILL / A-CONST-GROUND | Available environmental, landfill and ground evidence |
| A-SITE-BNDY | Project boundary when supplied, labelled with its recorded confirmation status |
| A-ANNO-EXTENT | Selected export extent, separate from the project boundary |
| A-DATA-SOURCE-INFO | Source and coordinate notes supplied with the export |
This DXF route writes contour elevations on the line geometry and does not emit a separate C-TOPO-TEXT label layer. Read elevation in the receiving application's Properties view and check the source spacing and vertical accuracy. Internal map categories such as building and contourMajor are not the default delivered CAD layer names. Other export routes need their own checked reference.
UK coordinates in Civil 3D
For an export delivered in British National Grid (BNG / OSGB 1936), set that drawing coordinate system in Civil 3D after opening the DXF. Read the export's coordinate note first: assigning a coordinate system does not transform geometry or establish surveyed alignment. If contour layers are present, review their source and resolution before using them to create a preliminary Civil 3D surface.
Check source coverage and accuracy
UK workflows may include terrain and constraint evidence from sources such as Ordnance Survey, Environment Agency, Historic England and Natural England. Inspect the actual source, date, resolution, licence and missing evidence for each delivered layer. A context export is not a measured survey; verify the requirements for your intended submission and commission appropriate survey or specialist work where needed.