3D Building for Google Maps (Not Earth)

[Sergei Ushakov]

Any chance to publish 3d model of a building (made in sketchup) via GMM ? I want this building to show in GMap's 'Satellite' layer and Android app.

The only way to 'create' 3d building that i've found so far is to set 'Building height'. It's okey for simple rectangle-like buildings but is not acceptable for others. For example buildings which has parts with different height or some kind of cathedrals.. etc. (There are a lot of non-rectangle 3d building in some countries capitals.)

[Flash]

First, 3d buildings are not used in Maps' Satellite layer, you have to switch to the Earth layer.  I have not idea about the Android, but I can't imagine they would ask a smaller processor to do more work then they ask a PC to do.

But even in the Earth layer of Maps and in Earth itself, Google selects which Sketch-up buildings to use; there is no public control over it.

[Sergei Ushakov]

You are wrong. 3D buildgs are showing in Satellite layer, but u can see only their roofs. Just check this location +40° 42' 46.01", -74° 0' 21.59"

This building has no texture (except grey). anyway they are 3D.

понедельник, 12 ноября 2012 г., 2:04:03 UTC+3 пользователь Flash написал:

[Flash]

That is not a 3D building, that is a aerial photo of a building with a grey roof.  The 3D building is visible in the Earth layer, and if present in the Satellite layer it should then be identical.  When I switch very quickly back and forth between the Earth layer and the Satellite layer, I can clearly see the difference.  The 3D version is actually oversized; it sticks out on all sides by 5-10 feet.

Check the NYC GIS, you will see the aerial photo of the building is the same.  http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/?z=10&p=982523,198905&c=GIS2010

[Sergei Ushakov]

OK. to be clear im talking about this 3d Building http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O1IW51jC_M

I found out that it is possible to 'create' this 3d building by adding height attribute to them. But i want to add entire model of a building. Just like models in video.

понедельник, 12 ноября 2012 г., 20:08:35 UTC+3 пользователь Flash написал:

[Flash]

Adding a height in Map Maker produces a 2.5D buildings.  They also are not visible in the Satellite view.  The models in the video are all 2.5D buildings, which are made exactly how you found in Map Maker; you add a height to your building polygon.  If you'll notice, in the video the buildings all have flat roofs and the walls are straight up and down.

[Jaxcoffee]

Actually there is a migration from Google Earth 3D models to Maps. It shows in that video by the extra detail you can see in the buildings.

Washington DC has the best example when you look in the default maps view. I believe it is a default view in Maps Mobile, but is a WebGL feature in Google Maps.

But to answer the OP. It is determined which models get included by algorithm and not user input. So the best you can do is keep creating awesome 3D models with SketchUP, upload them to the warehouse, and hope for the best. 

[Flash]

Hmmm... I rewatched it, and a few buildings had extra detail; but were not up to the usual level of detail I see in Sketchup buildings in my area.  The ones with the round stacks on top are the specific ones that you couldn't make in Map Maker without breaking the rules.  Almost all of them, though, could be produced in Map Maker.  You can get as complicated as you want with the foundation and then add height to get buildings with relief on the sides.  For buildings that connect to others with dramatically different roof heights, the guidelines permit those to be drawn as two separate buildings with two heights.

Since it is London, I wouldn't doubt that they were all done in Sketchup; two years early my area was all done in Sketchup when we hosted the Olympics.  Some smaller items, such as washroom buildings and statues, were created as simple cubes.  This is actually very annoying; when some were torn down during later construction I could not delete them, even through they were something that could have been made just be adding height to a polygon.  Report a Problem took months to get them removed.

[Nathan D]

I'm pretty sure the whole point of separating Earth and regular maps was for load times. Most people don't have beefy computers and want to get their information quickly.
If you make a complex, non vectorized building, it will take quite a bit of time to load on the map. I think that the separation is good. I tend to just map flat-roofed buildings and add height values to them.

Another thing: I agree with your idea, I think that 3D maps should be included with the Android app. I think a better way to do this would be to place the Earth app inside the Maps app. Notice how the Maps app has that tab thing on the top that lets to switch to Navigation, Local, and others? Earth could be added to that list. I think that would be the best way to do it.

[Nicholas Vetrovec]

Some of the building are pulled from scetchup as in my model of Trump Tower Chicago and a few others in the area. 

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=trump+tower+chicago&ll=41.888361,-87.627614&spn=0.002955,0.006394&fb=1&gl=us&hq=trump+tower&hnear=0x880e2c3cd0f4cbed:0xafe0a6ad09c0c000,Chicago,+IL&cid=0,0,12153695310803568664&t=v&z=18

Before MapsGL went live I had reported on maps that the poly needed to be updated because it was one of those building that couldn't be edited and was the wrong shape. Don't know if google pulled the sketchup model because of that report or for the release of mapsGL?    Anyways my suggestion is either if it is a multi-section building with different heights, go ahead on mampaker and add the simple buildings with height attributes. If it is a really complex/abstract, draw a simple building on MM, then create the model with sketchup and get it approved on GE, then report the issue on maps.