"As I said in a posting a month or so ago, several other companies have already demonstrated automated 3D modelling of complete cities. Google will be left behind in the dust if it continues with manual modelling.
I suspect this is the beginning of the end for our hobby. I expect they will release automated models for numerous complete cities in the near future. Then they won’t need Sketchup (or us) any more.
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted."
Craig, are you able to tell us whether Google intends to publish the rollout schedule of cities to Earth and Maps desktop please? I was working on a major modelling project (Cockatoo Island in SYdney Harbour). Clearly no point in continuing if Sydney will be replaced in the near future.
Another question. Will it be possible to turn off the 3D buildings mesh and turn on either all or individual Sketchup models, or are they now effectively dead and buried?
I must be using maps wrong. First of all, I never use Google earth on my Nexus one. In fact. I un-installed it to make some room. When I am out and about I use Google maps a lot. Mostly for turn by turn navigation but also to orient what I am on foot. The reason a flat map works on a mobile phone is because the interaction is easy and I am only interested in where am I and how do I get there. Sometimes I search for a business but that is rare.Having 3D landscape and city data available is great if I want to see a location in context. This is more when I want to know something about a location for holiday, accommodation, real-estate etc. I don't tend to do that on my mobile phone but on my large screen desktop. But this is of course only my perspective on it all.I suspect the real reason this new data is rolled out to mobile first is because there is little legacy. Mixing the old 3D building data with the new data is probably undesirable and therefore desktop won't be rolled out until enough of the new data is available. I am guessing the Google Earth code base is about to be scrapped as Google transitions to a 3D enabled maps on the browser using Web-GL
I would like to know how much of the Google Earth API will be retained. I suspect the First person view possible in Google Earth will no longer be available due to technical and resolution limitations. As a Google Earth developer it would be great to hear more about this.
Hey Pauyl
I feel sorry for you in particular Paul. You obviously have a lot more time and energy invested in the current Earth and Maps than many.
This is a treason to the 3d community after all the hard work we have put in Google earth this is really unfair. I really do not feel like keep modelling after reading your post
4.3 As part of this continuing innovation, you acknowledge and agree that Google may stop (permanently or temporarily) providing the Services (or any features within the Services) to you or to users generally at Google’s sole discretion, without prior notice to you.
Maps API TOS https://developers.google.com/maps/terms
4.4 Changes to the Service; Deprecation Policy.
Google will announce if we intend to discontinue or make backwards incompatible changes to this API or Service. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to continue to operate the Service or the applicable APIs without these changes until the later of: (i) one year after the announcement or (ii) April 20, 2015, unless (as Google determines in its reasonable good faith judgment):
-Can you explain what 'informed' for 3D maps mean?
-Will there be a way to develop or submit 'better models' or obliques than the LIDAR generated models in the presentation? What's the process? Is UGC dead except for photos?
11.1 (b) By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, sublicensable, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content or derivative works thereof which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.
11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.
Today, we provided a preview of some changes that are coming to the 3D landscape in Google Earth, starting on mobile devices. Later this summer, we’ll unveil a new way of displaying 3D buildings on Google Earth for mobile, achieved by building complete cityscapes from the 45-degree aerial imagery used in Google Maps and Building Maker.
Living in a small college town, I am pretty sure I can assume that our models won't be replaced anytime soon. Maybe this is some good news for the geo-modeler community: if you concentrate on less-populated areas, then the chances that Google will replace your models with auto generated data is very slim. It is likely too cost prohibitive for them to fly over those areas. Having said that, it might be useful for Google to announce a population cutoff below which you guys will not cover cities - that would give modeled some certainty.
Another idea is to have a "geo-modeler" layer next to the new 3d buildings layer in GE. This could then feature user-generated content and could be turned on by the user, if desired. You could even implement it in a way where - when turned on - the new building mesh is not displayed where user-generated models exist. That should be easy to implement using bounding-box cropping.
Cheers,
Alex
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But I don't understand why it has to be one of those two 'versions', why can't both versions not be compined?
The post of Auquicu seems to be a solution everybody can live with...
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/3dwh/RtxD5JGbc1o
It was possible with grey buildings so why isn't that possible with those two different typs of layers? I understand that this is not a solution for the mobile service but to be honest (even if it sounds harsh) those people (or let me say the most of them) who use this service don't know what is behind this project so I guess they don't care if there's only one version accessible on their smart phone, etc.
I really hope that the Google Guides (who I think, are the last ones who want this like that) can bring this possible solution to those who make the decisions.
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Today, we provided a preview of some changes that are coming to the 3D landscape in Google Earth, starting on mobile devices. Later this summer, we’ll unveil a new way of displaying 3D buildings on Google Earth for mobile, achieved by building complete cityscapes from the 45-degree aerial imagery used in Google Maps and Building Maker.
One of the biggest challenges in showing 3D buildings in Google Earth has been gathering complete 3D coverage to represent the real world seamlessly and consistently. For example, many areas in Google Earth have specific buildings and landmarks in 3D where they are available, but the surrounding area is flattened out and only available in two dimensions.
New imagery rendering and computer vision techniques now allow us to create an accurate and comprehensive 3D representation of entire metropolitan areas. But we recognize this impacts our amazing geo modeling community. In the select areas where it will launch, the 3D Buildings layer on mobile and tablet devices will display only the new automatically generated 3D imagery. Manually modeled 3D buildings from both our users and own team will continue to appear everywhere else, as well as on desktop versions of Google Earth for now. As we expand our ability to provide comprehensive 3D buildings and terrain for entire cities and regions, we know this raises questions for anyone who has modeled for Google Earth.
What is going to happen to the buildings in Google Earth that I’ve modeled?
When we release the new 3D imagery in select regions later this summer, any models you’ve previously created in the areas covered by the new 3D imagery will no longer appear in Google Earth for mobile. Your models will remain available in the 3D Warehouse and continue to inform the 3D models in Google Maps.
What about Building Maker models?
Building Maker is a useful tool irregardless of the eligibility for those models to appear in the 3D Building layer in Google Earth. It's a great way to start a dimensionally accurate, aerially textured model for SketchUp, and useful for creating context models for SketchUp scenes. Building Maker will continue to be available for these purposes.
What about SketchUp models?
In the regions where the new 3D imagery is available, we will no longer publish the 3D Buildings layer in Google Earth for mobile. However, we anticipate that there will be many parts of the globe that will take some time to expand to with this new type of 3D imagery, or never be able to reach at all. In those regions, user contributed models will still be important for providing a complete picture of the 3D landscape. User contributed 3D buildings may also continue to help inform the 3D buildings on Maps.
Why is my model being replaced by something with less geometric detail?
In some cases, the close-up work done by individual modelers may be more detailed than the current model created by the new 3D imagery techniques. Those detailed and beautifully textured models will of course continue to be available in the 3D Warehouse, and we appreciate you letting us share your model in Google Earth to date to provide a representation of the world in three dimensions.
However, using aerial imagery to create 3D models enables us to keep these 3D versions of the world more accurate and up-to-date than is possible with manually created models. In addition, the new 3D buildings and terrain are all generated from the same high resolution aerial imagery, enabling precise alignment of the new models and a seamless 3D experience across an entire area. In an effort to create an accurate, consistent, and more complete 3D representation of the Earth, we are replacing all existing models with the new 3D imagery and will continue working to improve them over time.
WiIl I still be able to submit buildings to Google Earth?
We are thrilled by the commitment shown by users contributing 3D buildings to Google Earth, and hope to continue working with these modelers from all over the world to accurately and realistically represent areas where the new 3D models are not able to be created. We encourage you to submit your models for areas where we have not released new 3D imagery.
How will I know if my models are going to be affected?
We are currently exploring ways to inform you about changes to the places where your model appears.
So what does this mean for the future of 3D in Google Earth?
As mentioned above, there are many areas that will remain unaffected by the initial release of new 3D imagery on Google Earth for mobile, and will continue to display user contributed 3D models. For modelers who would still like to publish SketchUp models for clients, you can create your own instance of Google Earth via the plugin using the Google Earth API, which enables you to publish 3D content on the web to share with clients or the general public.
Our goal remains to create an accurate, consistent and comprehensive 3D representation of the Earth. With 3D imagery in its infancy, we can’t truly see what the future holds; but the one constant in this fast-paced, high-tech world is change, and further improvements are ahead.
Today, we provided a preview of some changes that are coming to the 3D landscape in Google Earth, starting on mobile devices. Later this summer, we’ll unveil a new way of displaying 3D buildings on Google Earth for mobile, achieved by building complete cityscapes from the 45-degree aerial imagery used in Google Maps and Building Maker.
One of the biggest challenges in showing 3D buildings in Google Earth has been gathering complete 3D coverage to represent the real world seamlessly and consistently. For example, many areas in Google Earth have specific buildings and landmarks in 3D where they are available, but the surrounding area is flattened out and only available in two dimensions.
New imagery rendering and computer vision techniques now allow us to create an accurate and comprehensive 3D representation of entire metropolitan areas. But we recognize this impacts our amazing geo modeling community. In the select areas where it will launch, the 3D Buildings layer on mobile and tablet devices will display only the new automatically generated 3D imagery. Manually modeled 3D buildings from both our users and own team will continue to appear everywhere else, as well as on desktop versions of Google Earth for now. As we expand our ability to provide comprehensive 3D buildings and terrain for entire cities and regions, we know this raises questions for anyone who has modeled for Google Earth.
What is going to happen to the buildings in Google Earth that I’ve modeled?
When we release the new 3D imagery in select regions later this summer, any models you’ve previously created in the areas covered by the new 3D imagery will no longer appear in Google Earth for mobile. Your models will remain available in the 3D Warehouse and continue to inform the 3D models in Google Maps.
What about Building Maker models?
Building Maker is a useful tool irregardless of the eligibility for those models to appear in the 3D Building layer in Google Earth. It's a great way to start a dimensionally accurate, aerially textured model for SketchUp, and useful for creating context models for SketchUp scenes. Building Maker will continue to be available for these purposes.
What about SketchUp models?
In the regions where the new 3D imagery is available, we will no longer publish the 3D Buildings layer in Google Earth for mobile. However, we anticipate that there will be many parts of the globe that will take some time to expand to with this new type of 3D imagery, or never be able to reach at all. In those regions, user contributed models will still be important for providing a complete picture of the 3D landscape. User contributed 3D buildings may also continue to help inform the 3D buildings on Maps.
Why is my model being replaced by something with less geometric detail?
In some cases, the close-up work done by individual modelers may be more detailed than the current model created by the new 3D imagery techniques. Those detailed and beautifully textured models will of course continue to be available in the 3D Warehouse, and we appreciate you letting us share your model in Google Earth to date to provide a representation of the world in three dimensions.
However, using aerial imagery to create 3D models enables us to keep these 3D versions of the world more accurate and up-to-date than is possible with manually created models. In addition, the new 3D buildings and terrain are all generated from the same high resolution aerial imagery, enabling precise alignment of the new models and a seamless 3D experience across an entire area. In an effort to create an accurate, consistent, and more complete 3D representation of the Earth, we are replacing all existing models with the new 3D imagery and will continue working to improve them over time.
WiIl I still be able to submit buildings to Google Earth?
We are thrilled by the commitment shown by users contributing 3D buildings to Google Earth, and hope to continue working with these modelers from all over the world to accurately and realistically represent areas where the new 3D models are not able to be created. We encourage you to submit your models for areas where we have not released new 3D imagery.
How will I know if my models are going to be affected?
We are currently exploring ways to inform you about changes to the places where your model appears.
So what does this mean for the future of 3D in Google Earth?
As mentioned above, there are many areas that will remain unaffected by the initial release of new 3D imagery on Google Earth for mobile, and will continue to display user contributed 3D models. For modelers who would still like to publish SketchUp models for clients, you can create your own instance of Google Earth via the plugin using the Google Earth API, which enables you to publish 3D content on the web to share with clients or the general public.
Our goal remains to create an accurate, consistent and comprehensive 3D representation of the Earth. With 3D imagery in its infancy, we can’t truly see what the future holds; but the one constant in this fast-paced, high-tech world is change, and further improvements are ahead.
Speaking only as a frequent user of the hand-made models available in Google Earth (I've never had a model in the 3D Warehouse accepted for use), I hope the old models will continue to be available to those of us who want to use them. I lack the technical knowledge to know if it's actually feasible, but it seems to me that the 3D Buildings Layer ought to be able to be retrieved as a non-"built in" option through the Google Earth Gallery, for those of us who wish to continue to use them. If that venue is not workable, perhaps some similar option can be concocted.
It breaks my heart, Ishii san, to see all your hard work so lightly tossed away!
pmolsen try zooming in closer. it switches automatically for me
Craig-- it would be cool/interesting how this might be a solution for organic-shaped man made sites like Mount Rushmore-- I wonder what kind of results could be produced, making a seamless mountain terrain/monument with this technology and if Google is considering this for similar sites around the world?