SketchUp and Google Earth

The smart folks over at @Last Software have figured out how to integrate Google Earth with 3D models created by their SketchUp software. (Any other CAD vendor figure it out?)

It's currently in beta, but here is how to do it: Export the SketchUp model to a KMZ file [zipped Google Earth information file] using the exporter downloaded from here. Once the SketchUp model is displayed in Google Earch, you can examine the model's parts: Under Places, open Model, and then chose a part to fly to.

That same Web page contains a few examples -- for which you need Google Earth installed on your computer -- including one that proports to reveal the truth about Area 51.

Comments

[Umit Isikdag]

1.)The GE markup-language KML is new and only allows us to define buildings within a single level of detail.It does not allow us to define multi LODs and see one of them when we zoom in or out.
2.)The KML (as GML) represents the data as BREP and simple sweping all we can do is create N number of polygons with inner and outer rings,and either combine several polygons to form a building or extrude polygons.At the moment there is no CSG for GE.
3.)AFAIK with KML we can not group polygons into our defined objects(i.e like Building A or Building B) and we can't create application specific schemas.Our top object is a placemark and everything should be modelled as a placemark.
4.)I hope next version of KML will be more flexible and structured.