Preview a Design on a Background Map

When viewing a design, it's crucial to understand its context on the actual construction site. The design preview background map feature provides this real-world information. In the Info pane for a selected design, you can see a map tile showing the design in the geographic context of the job site and the world. You can zoom, pan, and toggle between terrain and satellite imagery view modes in the preview. For more detail, you can open the preview in full-screen mode, where you can also orbit the default ‘bird’s-eye’ view and choose between orthographic and perspective modes.

Prerequisites: an imported calibration file that will accurately geolocate both the project and the design. A calibration file is crucial for accurate georeferencing. This file must be imported by selecting Settings and adding a Calibration file in the Configuration Files for the project. Without a calibration file, the design cannot be correctly geolocated, and the background map will not display.

NOTE - In the design preview, WorksManager can display all data except for coordinate points from a CSV file as those can be ordered in various ways; WorksManager is not able to read the site.xml files in the project to determine the expected structure. Other design preview limitations include text not being rendered and color/style being from layers.
NOTE - In DXF and DWG files, there is an optional setting ($INSUNITS) used to specify units (usually when you export from the original software creating the file). WorksManager converts the design preview to display in the coordinates selected in the 3D View. Since this setting is not required, the field can be empty, making the file 'unitless'. In this case, WorksManager assumes meters and will convert it to display in the unit set in the 3D viewer. (The conversion is only for the displayed coordinate but does not modify the file, and will have no impact in the field.)

  1. Create or select a project.

  2. In the left pane, click Designs.

  3. In the Active Designs list, select the design you want to graphically preview. The Info (Design details) pane opens, showing the design preview.

    NOTE - When you first create a new design, you will not see it on the design preview map tile until you import a design. When you import a design, WorksOS will take a minute to geolocate it on the map tile.

  4. You can zoom and pan in the preview tile, or to see more detail and additional functions, click the Full Screen mode icon.

  5. In either the design preview tile or full-screen mode, click the Map Style icons to switch between Satellite imagery, Terrain topography, or a Hidden background behind the design.

    Terrain Projecting on 2D: When using full-screen 2D view, the Terrain map is projected to the lowest elevation of the current design.

  6. To filter the design preview for a better understanding of the data, click the Layers icon to open the Layer Management pane where you can toggle layers on/off to show/hide them.

    If you have many layers, you can also search for a specific one by typing the name in the Filter layers box.

TIP - Navigating complex designs with numerous layers can be challenging, often obscuring the true depth and relationships within your work. Use the dedicated layer overview to understand the structure and visibility of individual elements for a clearer and more efficient design review process. The integrated Layer Management pane in the design preview provides a clear, accessible list of all design layers, allowing you to instantly toggle their visibility and directly select them to highlight their placement in the preview window.
NOTE - You will be notified when design data falls outside of the project boundary ("Model not in site boundary" popup). This alerts you that you have imported a design in the wrong location or that the design extents are bigger than the site. In such a case, you may need to edit your project boundary to include the design data.