Building the earth, one 3D piece at a time

January 12, 2007

Are you like the rest of us obsessed with Google Earth? You can’t help yourself from indulging to check out the satellite view of your neighborhood, your favorite landmark, even where you’re going to stay on your next vacation.

Well, Google wants to enlist your help. On its blog this week, Google launched a call to arms to ready-and-willing designers to participate in building its 3D view of the universe. Google is touting its new 3D software tool, Google SketchUp 6, as a way for enthusiasts to easily build their own 3D models (of their house or the Empire State Building, for that matter) and then share the models with the rest of the world. Here’s how Google says it works: Download SketchUp 6 to create your model, upload it to the 3D Warehouse and put your name on it (just in case it’s selected, you’ll get the credit). Then, download the most recent version of Google Earth, go to the 3D Building folder under the Layers tab in the lefthand sidebar, and activate the “Best of 3D Warehouse.” All you have to do next is visit the location of the model you submitted to see if it’s there.

If your model doesn’t show up right away, don’t despair. Google says it sometimes takes weeks for models to appear in Google Earth. Follow these guidelines for building models and you might just might have a chance.

Posted by Beth Stackpole on January 12, 2007 | Comments (0)

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