CIS/2 Models in Google Earth

Bob Lipman alerted me that NIST shows how to export CIS/2 [structural steel product data model] files for display in Google Earth. He writes:

At cic.nist.gov/vrml/cis2.html there is an example of a CIS/2 file displayed in Google Earth. The structure is a partial model of the structural steel at Soldier Field in Chicago.

On the Web page, under VRML Models, click on 'CIS/2 model in Google Earth' to take you down the Web page to where the Google Earth model is (.kmz file). You need to have Google Earth installed to view the file.

There is a brief explanation of how the CIS/2 model was converted to a Google Earth file. There are also some instructions about how to use the model in Google Earth, and a link to a screenshot of what it should look like.

Comments

[Steve Howatt]

FYI, Avatech Solutions - www.avat.com - has the Avatech Earth Connector as a free plugin for AutoCAD. It is in Beta right now (v.0.8 as of 4 Jan 2006) but mostly functional. It creates a KML file from AutoCAD geometry. It doesn't work directly with custom objects in verticals like ADT, but there are instructions on what to do (essentially explode, explode, explode). I had problems with getting a model into Earth at the right coordinates with a earlier version of the Beta. You're supposed to be able to read a KML file to get the coords, but that didn't work. You can optionally enter them manually, but the plugin wants decimal coordinates and Earth only gives you degrees/minutes/seconds. Grrrr.

Anyway, this is the third CAD-related interop with Google Earth that I know of. SketchUp has one too. I'm real close to putting Earth on every desktop as a standard Design application. Besides, it's way cool!