This class will show you the raster essentials, starting with format comparison, including TIF vs GeoTIFF, and other common formats, such as .sid, .jpg, .ecw, and .j2k. There will be a format comparison for the various Point Cloud formats, and we'll look at some of the shared project visualization features between the two, such as theming, viewing in 3D, exaggerating, and draping. We'll look at the pros and cons of inserting rasters vs. connecting to them, and how that impacts the management of large image sets. On the topic of elevation models, we'll look at raster surfaces such as .dem files, as well as the .tif surfaces output from the Map Point Cloud tool, and compare those to the TIN and GRID functionality in AutoCAD Civil 3D, along with AutoCAD Civil surfaces from DEM, TIF, etc. The import, vectorization, and creation of contour lines will also be reviewed. Finally, we'll look at ways to apply what we've seen to land use planning, utilities, AutoCAD Civil Design, engineering, and GIS analysis.