VECTOR TOOLS

Vector Drawing Tools on the Terrain

STREAM's vector drawing tools let you draw points, lines and areas that sit directly on the terrain surface. Sketch them over your DEM and imagery, organize them in layers, and export the result to CAD.

Vectors that follow the ground

Vector objects in STREAM are draped on the DEM, so a line follows the terrain and a point sits at its true elevation. That keeps drawings consistent with the surface they describe.

Layers keep the drawing organized, and snapping keeps it precise.

Vector Drawing Tools in STREAM

Point, line & area

Draw vector points, lines and areas that sit on the terrain, organized into named layers.

Snapping & precision

Snap to existing features so drawings connect cleanly and stay precise.

Surfaces from vectors

Triangulate selected points, lines and areas into a TIN surface, or trace a contour as an area.

Export to DXF

Send your vector layers to DXF for CAD, keeping the layer structure.

How to draw vectors on the terrain

  1. 1

    Pick the tool

    Point, line or area. Left click adds a vertex, double click or right click finishes, Esc cancels — and Ctrl+Z undoes across drawing, measurement and terrain edits alike.

  2. 2

    Draw on the surface

    Vertices land on the terrain and take their elevation from it, so the geometry is three-dimensional from the first click.

  3. 3

    Use the contextual ribbon

    As soon as a geometry is active its own tab appears with every command that applies to it — drape to terrain, simplify, offset, triangulate, follow an elevation.

  4. 4

    Organise into layers

    Give each vector a layer, colour and visibility so the drawing stays readable as it grows.

  5. 5

    Export

    Send the vectors to DXF for CAD keeping the layer structure, or to CSV when you need the coordinates as a table.

Supported formats

DXF
Vector import and export for CAD
CSV
Point and coordinate tables

Frequently asked questions

Do vectors follow the terrain?

Yes. Points, lines and areas are draped on the DEM, so they sit at true elevation and follow the surface.

Can I export vectors to CAD?

Yes. STREAM exports vector layers to DXF, keeping the layer structure for CAD.

Can I build a surface from vectors?

Yes. STREAM triangulates selected points, lines and areas into a TIN surface, and can trace a contour as an area.

Try Vector Drawing Tools in STREAM

Free beta for Windows x64. Works fully offline with GeoTIFF, LAS/LAZ and DXF.

Download STREAM free