A site analysis usually needs a context plan, sun and shadow, movement, climate and a 3D base model. No single tool does all of it, so most students combine two or three kinds of tool. This guide sorts them by the job they do. It is written by the team behind MapToNap, which is one of them.
| Kind of tool | What you get | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Open map data | Streets, buildings, land use and paths for almost every city | The base under most of the other tools; free and open |
| Desktop GIS | Any map or spatial analysis you can build yourself | Most flexible; needs GIS skills and time |
| CAD context downloads | Buildings, roads and terrain as CAD files | Geometry to draw over, not analysis drawings |
| Sun position apps | Sun path, sunrise and sunset for a date and place | Quick checks; usually screenshots, not drawings |
| 3D shadow viewers | Shadows of buildings moving through a day on a 3D map | Best for exploring; output is a live view |
| Map styling tools | Clean basemaps for a location plan | Styles the map, does not analyse it |
| Street section editors | Cross-sections of streets for movement studies | For designing streets once the site is understood |
| AI map assistants | Answers and charts from questions in plain language | Subscription; output is data and reports |
| MapToNap | Site-analysis sheets from an address: figure-ground, streets, land use, green and water, sun, wind, noise, walking, urban growth, plus a 3D site model | Four drawings free, no sign-up; 30-day passes for the rest |
Open map data underneath; a CAD context download if you only need geometry, or MapToNap for drawn sheets and a Rhino site model.
A sun app or a 3D shadow viewer to explore; MapToNap for sun path, sun and wind axonometric, wind and climate sheets in board style.
MapToNap for street networks, walking, transit and noise; a street section editor to design the streets themselves; desktop GIS for anything custom.
The image at the top shows the four drawings you get without signing up (exports carry a watermark). Pro adds sheets like these, rendered here for the Paris sample.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence. The drawings are MapToNap output for the Paris sample (Pont au Change), shown as flattened previews.
It depends on the drawing you need. For raw geometry, a CAD context download; for sun checks, a sun position app; for full control, desktop GIS. For ready-made site-analysis sheets from an address, MapToNap draws four for free. Most projects combine two or three kinds of tool.
Tools built on open map data, MapToNap included, work worldwide, but the result depends on how well the area is mapped, which varies by city.
Only for desktop GIS. Browser tools such as MapToNap need no GIS knowledge.
Yes. MapToNap exports every sheet as editable SVG and vector PDF, and the 3D site model as Rhino 3DM, OBJ or GLB with Max. CAD downloads and GIS exports are also editable.
No. The drawings are computed from map data and geometry, so you can edit every line, colour and label.