YES, I have a subscription to PlaceMaker, and YES there is an option to download the Nearmap Aerial and have it ‘Merge with surface’. However, my current project is being built for a client who wants the aerial image applied to at least 3 different items. 1) a flat surface, 2) a highly details GIS Terrain surface (built from ESRI arc-pro contours), 3) a surface from Cesium (downloaded through Placemaker). Therefore, I paid for the Nearmap aerial and applied it to the flat surface, with the intention of also applying the same aerial to the other surfaces. However, the project limits are so large, it might be faster to just buy the same Nearmap aerial 3 different times and have it apply the aerial to the surfaces as needed, because the time it will take to manually apply the aerial we purchased to the surfaces will take too long. Meaning the time it takes me to manually apply the purchased aerial to the surfaces exceeds the amount it costs to just purchase the aerial again.
I was thinking all those things as well. I’ve also wondered if ThruPaint can possibly help with this.