AfterCAD Software announced the release of AfterCAD Maps, a SaaS offering available to business clients looking to leverage their Google SketchUp building models into the emerging advertising market in geo-mapping applications. AfterCAD Maps extends and compliments the 2D and 3D web publishing attributes of AfterCAD InSite and AfterCAD Real World.

AfterCAD Maps is targeted at the intersection of CAD and GIS by giving the businesses the capability to publish branded 2D and 3D objects onto Google Maps via a hosted mashup service. "This patent pending service provides the capability to move beyond the pushpin map icon on a satellite map or a LIDAR data view and turn the earth into a billboard" states Chris Boothroyd, CEO of AfterCAD Software. Businesses will be able to control their "virtual terra firma" as an advertising venue.

AfterCAD will host the 2D and 3D CAD models and render them seamlessly with Google Maps while retaining all of the object orientation, layering and intelligence of the CAD model. Web users will in turn have interactive control of the model including search, object selection, zoom, pan and layer controls.

For a demo visit http://maps.aftercad.com