3D Buildings

[Prasanth Rajan]

Hi,

  How do we draw 3D buildings in GMM?

Thanks and regards.

Prasanth

[Jaxcoffee]

Simply add a building height and floor count to the attributes when making a building edit.

[Prasanth Rajan]

Thanks :-) I was wondering what software to use for this.

Regards.

Prasanth

On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 9:28 PM, General Map Maker on behalf of Jaxcoffee <google-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Simply add a building height and floor count to the attributes when making a building edit.

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[John]

Wow, really?  I had no idea about this.  I knew of Building Maker, and was under the impression that 3D buildings came from that:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwh/buildingmaker.html

Any examples of floor count/building height displaying as a 3D building in Map Maker?  I'm curious to see this now!

[Prasanth Rajan]

Hi,

  http://www.google.com/mapmaker?ll=12.915194,77.684079&spn=0.001608,0.002044&z=19&iwloc=7_0&gw=55&editids=PVPHmdGYd4QMUhc4p- is one where I added the attributes mentioned in the earlier post and the elevation did turn up.

Regards.

Prasanth

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[Jaxcoffee]

Hope I didn't give you the wrong impression. But the 3D buildings in Map Maker are just grayed out blocks. They aren't photo textured modlels like one's produced with BM or SketchUp.

Here is a sample.

http://www.google.com/mapmaker?ll=38.910531,-77.051934&spn=0.001154,0.002165&z=19&iwloc=0_0&gw=39&fid=0x12345:0x1b243ce3e09e3736&dtab=overview

[Prasanth Rajan]

I understand; but this is a good point to start with :-)

Thanks and regards.

Prasanth

--

[John]

Nice, I see now.  I still think BM and MM should somehow be better integrated, it could really help consolidate things in terms of shapes on the map.  Imagine MM asking you if an existing building is the shape you're trying to add, and you can then just select it, line it up with the imagery, and be done with it.

Side note, anyone else find it weird that it looks like the color for much of DC in that link is the same as the color for water?  I know they keep saying Washington's putting this country in over its head with the national debt, but this is a bit much, don't ya think?

[Jaxcoffee]

I'm also hoping to ask at the Google Summit about 3D buildings and maps. My hope is for the 3D buildings that are viewable in Google Earth to be clickable, and have the same information viewable in GE also viewable in Maps.

[Saikrishna Arcot]

As far as I know, at the present moment, only the height of the building is used for making a 3D building in Map Maker; the floors are not used. However, I've read in a post somewhere that they hope to be able to use the floors for 3D buildings.

[Mxx]

Here are my 129 3D models http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?viewer=1718057420482059188925956&scoring=m
And by comparison here's my one and only ugly creation :) http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=10&ll=40.580994,-73.968209&spn=0.001652,0.00346&z=19&vpid=1310785495350&hl=en
It would've been much better if I had alternative views to align points.

[CNR Nair]

Not only height, but also no of  floors also taken into consideration.

[Mxx]

Why would they take number of floors into consideration when drawing 3d models?
The more floors you have, the bigger margin for error. Whereas building height is a single (accurate) number.

[IndianaRed]

If you don't provide an actual height, it will estimate a height for the 3d model from the number of floors (if you've given that)

[Mxx]

No it won't.
Here's proof http://www.google.com/mapmaker?ll=40.578902,-73.970596&spn=0.001652,0.00346&z=19&iwloc=0_0&gw=39&fid=9926571596164714785:6598748948734322154&dtab=overview
I created this building a while ago with number of floors but w/o height. It's still a flat 2d shape in GMM and GM

[CNR Nair]

You are right. Height is the important factor in creating 3D buildings.

[Reddy BK]

Hi all,

At this point of time i would like to say something. My understanding is that, what we actually model on Mapmaker is infact NOT 3D mapping, but it is 2.5D mapping. Mapmaker would not be feasible to mark 3D buildings. The attributes of floors and the height if given inputs of numerical values, would inflate the structure and make it rise over the flat ground surface making it look different from other non 2.5D images on Mapmaker when switched to the Map View, which is what Prashant and Mxx are displaying here. Awesome! 

However to create a 3D, it is by the usage of Building Maker or SketchUp only. A 2.5D image is a graphical projection and technique which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be 3 dimensioned(3D) when in fact they are not! 

To know further one can compare and contrast the 2.5D image and 3D image on the maps. Would get a clear cut pictorial difference. 

Thanks,

~Reddy.

[Jaxcoffee]

Floor count can be very useful for other service entities, like fire departments, and utility companies. So that information is more useful, then creative.

3D buildings, wither actual or not are made up of the XYZ axis. So by you determining the X and the Y by drawing those onto the map, which creates a 2D image, adding the height does add the third dimension. 

So in a very simplified way, you are creating 3D. Even though the finished result is somewhat transparent.

[Reddy BK]

Jaxcoffee,

But still, is it 3D modelling that is done on Mapmaker???

Thanks,

~Reddy.

[statikuz]

Technically, no, it's not 3d modeling. You're giving the system the coordinates of the vertices of a polygon, and indicating the height of the polygon. Maps is drawing it in pseudo-3d to indicate the relative height of the building. I would agree with Jax in that it is a very limited implementation of a 3d model.

[Reddy BK]

Statikuz,Jax.

With people like you around every day is a learning and unlearning. Some nice information shared by you people.

So can i conclude for myself this way,

-On GMM you create a near 3D models of the buildings, but not exactly a 3D image standard one and not that pictorially appealing.

-However true 3D modelling of buildings/features can be done only using BM/Sketch up.

Thanks,

~Reddy.

[Jaxcoffee]

Not really. Just a 3D representation of a block outline of the building foot print.

Real 3D models can be seen here.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=ef5085075284df8cc0fab5344c1ddd7

Shameless plug!!

[Mxx]

I disagree with you.
Stuff that you create in GMM with height info is a 3D model. GM on desktop just doesn't allow you to rotate view to see it from all angles and it is not textured, but it is a 3d model. If you have android phone with google maps 5+ you can see a much better 3d effect. see http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/3d/

[Jaxcoffee]

Being one who does 3D modeling as a business, and has been certified by Google to do so, has to humbly disagree with you Mxx.

Though it may appear dimensional, it really is an illusion. I know, because all the models I do are an illusion, detailed only by photo detail, not structural detail.

It keeps them small for loading in Google Earth, and is part of the 30 point criteria for acceptance.  

[Mxx]

So other than textures and geometric accuracy, what exactly is different between models created in GMM and sketchup/buildingmaker?
are you saying that buildings on these screenshots are not 3d? http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/3d/gallery/us_newYork_hudsonRiver.jpg

[Reddy BK]

Well i think now we are drawing a thin line of difference between the both!

Thanks,

~Reddy.

[Jaxcoffee]

The difference is in the amount of detail that is shown, but only by 2D photos, and very little structural detail.

Even though, SketchUp does have the ability to create complete structural 3D models, the ones in Google Earth have details made up mostly of 2D static photos.

Any entity that is made up of information that fulfills the areas of the XYZ axis is 3D. So those flat foot prints of buildings in MM fulfill the XY factor, and when the building height is added, it fulfills the Z requirement for being 3D. They just are not models. At least in the same since as those created in BM and SketchUp.

[Mxx]

I still don't follow your logic.
Ignoring the lack of textures, why is this not a model, but this is? 1st one has more polygons - arguably more detail(again, ignoring lack of textures)..

[Jaxcoffee]

Most that model in SketchUp, and not Building Maker, understand the difference, and I could go into a long lengthy explanation, but this is a Map Maker forum, not a SketchUp/Building Maker forum.

So I think we can just leave it at that.

[statikuz]

Haha wow we are definitely splitting hairs in this discussion. :) I think the bottom line is that with MM, you can provide details which allow Maps to display a "3D" extruded version of a polygon. You're not defining vertices, faces, edges, etc. You're merely providing an array of coordinates (the points you pick when you draw the building base) and a height. This is enough information to create a 3D REPRESENTATION of the building, not a "model" per se.

With MM you don't end up with 3D models that can be treated as objects themselves. Providing height info is just a way to let Maps show a representation of what the building looks like in a very elementary way.

[Siddiq Siddiq]

hello,

floors can be added but its better to give them link or any evidence so that it will be approved.

[Siddiq Siddiq]

hi,

please do not get confused with sketch-up and mapmaker 2.5D,both are totally different.later on,the end product will be a mixture of all the data I agree...but as being a user,sketch up has nothing to do with mapmaker.anyone can correct me..

[I MAP]

not necessary in areas where we have street view

[Reddy BK]

@Siddiq : True, Sketch-up and Mapmaker two different things. The way the things are done are different in both.

@Statukuz : Nice smoothened reply, now i see this discussion finally coming to an end. 

Well the irony is that the person who started this thread Prashanth is happy with the initial answer he got and already started marking buildings and enjoying the please of the same, and the after affects of the answers being provided is yet to be settled with a proper conclusions :)

Thanks,

~Reddy.

[I MAP]

At least , others will follow it

[kanu desai]

his prashant

i want delete some aacepted places and clear in my edits menus..

plz help me..

[Saikrishna Arcot]

You can't clear your edit history.

Also, if you have a question that is not related to the threads already existing, please start a new thread and post there.