# Exporting Cityscape maps to use in a CAD application Architects often need base maps to create figure ground drawings and site plans that show adjacent building footprints. Rather than trace each of these, architects can use the geography data from one of our maps. We recommend downloading the GeoJSON file from the [[Property Report overview#Building footprints|building footprints]] around a given property. ## Where this is useful The most common application of converting one of our maps to CAD format is the TOD status map that shows a property outline, the nearest transit facility (that makes the property eligible for "TSL"), and a line showing the direct distance between the property and the facility.  *A map showing the property outline, nearby transit facilities, and lines that indicate the distance between the property and the transit facilities. A tutorial is below under the heading "Distance to transit".* ## Get the map you need ### Building footprints 1. On either a Property Report or a Place Report use the Table of Contents to navigate to *Building permits & data*. 2. Once in the Buildings data section, select the "Building footprints" tab. 3. Select the "Load building footprints" button, which will load a map and data table after a moment. The date of the latest update of the building footprints is shown. Contact us if you would like to ensure that your map has a more recent update, as we update the footprints once or twice annually. 4. 10 or so building footprints are shown by default. Change the dropdown menu to show more than this. 5. Once you're satisfied with the coverage shown on the map, download the data by selecting the "GIS" button to the left of the "Download the data" text. ("Download the data" buttons are always below data filter boxes.) ### Parcel outlines 1. On either a Property Report or a Place Report use the Table of Contents to navigate to *Property Finder*. 2. Once in the Property Finder section select the "Load Property Finder" button, which will load a map and data table after a moment. 3. 25 or so property/parcel outlines are shown by default. Change the dropdown menu to show more than this. 4. Once you're satisfied with the coverage shown on the map, download the data by selecting the "GIS" button to the left of the "Download the data" text. ("Download the data" buttons are always below data filter boxes.) ### Distance to transit 1. In a Property Report use the Table of Contents to navigate to *TOD status*. 2. Once in the TOD status section look below the map that's on the right for the text or button that says "Download the TOD map". 3. Select that text, which reveals two buttons. 4. Select the button that says "Download map as GeoJSON", which will cause a GeoJSON file to be downloaded via your browser. ## Convert map files to CAD files It's possible to convert GeoJSON files to a file format that can be opened in AutoCAD, Revit, and other CAD software. Obtain a GeoJSON file from Chicago Cityscape by following the instructions above or in [[Exporting for GIS]]. Then, follow these instructions and use a third-party service: 1. Upload the download GeoJSON file to an online conversion service such as [MyGeodata Converter](https://mygeodata.cloud/converter/). 2. Select "DXF" as the output format. (DXF are similar to DWG files and can be opened by CAD software.) 3. Download the converted file and open it in AutoCAD or other CAD software. # Related articles - [[Exporting for GIS]] - [[Exporting to spreadsheet]] - [[Transit-served location]]