Featured Geo-modeler: Guillaume Godin

Guillaume Godin is an accomplished geo-modeler based in Montréal, Canada. He has 157 models uploaded to the 3D Warehouse so far. Of those, 86 are geo-located and 72 have been accepted into Google Earth. Thank you for your contributions and keep up the great modeling, Guillaume!

I am a 3D designer and Google SketchUp freelancer. I studied administration in college and now work in publicity for a small firm. I found out about 3D buildings in Google Earth by downloading the application and using it. I started modeling because Google SketchUp is free to download and I thought I might be talented doing it.

L'édifice Grand Tronc on Rue McGill in Montréal

When i started modeling six years ago, I really liked the fact that you have the possibility to publish on Google Earth and then millions of persons can see YOUR building.That really pushed me to do better and better. It really frustrated me for a while not to be able to place photo textures on faces.

Église Saint-Pierre on Rue de la Visitation in Montréal

The first thing I do when I’m geo-modeling is to choose a location with a Google Earth snapshot, then I trace the contour of the building in SketchUp. The third thing I do is to place the axes of the model. Next, I make a group, push/pull up my footprint, then I use Street View to check the approximate height of the building I’m working on.

Le Marché Maisonneuve (Maisonneuve Market) at Place Gennevilliers Laliberté in Montréal

Farine Five Roses is my favorite model because of the sign on top which is a unique feature in Google Earth and in Montreal's Old Port also.

Farine Five Roses (Five Roses Flour) at the Old Port in Montréal

I'd like to make Montreal and its surrounding areas more visible to the rest of the world and let people who are using Google Earth be able to use Street View to see my buildings.

1253 Rue McGill College, where Google’s offices in Montréal are located

I think the Google team have developed such nice and free tools for 3D that anyone with absolutely no experience can become a good modeler.

Posted by Greg Wirt, SketchUp Team

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Featured Geo-modeler: Mano Papanikolaou

Mano “Pan” Papanikolaou has 32 models uploaded to the 3D Warehouse; 30 of those have been accepted into Google Earth's 3D Buildings layer. Thank you for your passion and commitment Mano—you’re an inspiration for many!

It was four years ago when I discovered Google Earth and the few (back then) 3D models. I started modeling about two years ago because I realized that nobody in my country is modeling well enough and I wanted to try my skills. I never expected that I could have good critiques from the best modelers and that made me continue.

Άγιος Δημήτριος, Saint Demetrius - Thessaloniki

Δοιηκητήριο-The Commander's House, Thessaloniki

I uploaded my first model on August 11, 2009 and it included some 3D plants from the 3D Warehouse, like roses, palms and a tree. That was the reason why it was not accepted into Google Earth. I didn't mind because I thought that it was an unimportant and small model and I preferred it with the 3D plants, rather than with with the "flat-crossed-png" ones! So, I went on to make more important buildings and there begins my 3D Warehouse story! Agia Sofia in my birth city, Thessaloniki, was my first accepted model!

Agia Sofia (Holy Wisdom) - Thessaloniki

As the first good comments came, I started to realize that I may make nice models! Every new model I did brought me more good comments (and commenters) and I started to become known to the community.

Αφαία-Temple of Aphaia, Aegina

Αγία Φωτεινή Μαντινείας – Agia Fotini, Mantinea

From me you will see mostly historical structures, always properly located and painted with the original photo textures i make myself. Simplified for Google Earth, but not losing the important details! I keep trying hard in every model to keep this "golden section". I have a lot of patience to work hard and long if necessary for things I like. I "fall in love" with Google Earth at the first sight! When I realized what you guys are giving to us, I was very enthusiastic! I spend hours exploring the whole planet.

Λευκός Πύργος, White Tower of Thessaloniki

Santa Fotini, Mantinea, the Heroon

It's difficult to name one favourite model; it's like if I asked you which child of yours is your favourite! But in this model (below), I like the atmosphere and its compact architecture. Also, I like the simplicity and the variety of the details.

Ροτόντα, Rotunda of Thessaloniki

Little chapel on the road to Halkidiki

I just want to see good models of the most important buildings of my city and country and I want to make more people here to model in the right way. I also want to show the people that we have beautiful buildings here and that there is somebody from Greece who really likes to model for Google Earth. I'm not the only one who makes models, but I think that the opportunity to build in Google Earth is one of the best things an Internet user can do.

Posted by Greg Wirt, SketchUp Team

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Geo-modeler and Sydneysider Peter Olsen

Cross-posted from the Official Google Australia Blog

Retired software engineer Peter Olsen discovered SketchUp shortly after it was acquired by Google in 2006. He published his first model to Google Earth’s “3D Buildings” layer in July 2008. Two and a half years later, he has 68 buildings in Google Earth—some as far away as Italy and Peru.

Peter is a Sydneysider, so it’s not surprising that he focused his initial geo-modeling activity in his home town. He’s modeled several of the city’s most visible buildings and structures, including Luna Park, the Anzac Bridge, Pyrmont Bridge and the Sydney monorail.

In addition to the 3D model, he also created a fully animated version of the Luna Park Ferris Wheel (seen above) complete with moving shadow, using a technique pioneered by Barnabu in his London Eye animation.

Peter noticed that many of Australia’s special places had not been modeled, so he expanded his reach by modeling Australia's unique underground Parliament House building in Canberra, Australia's capital city.

Like any artist, Peter continued to perfect his skills by tackling more complex geometric structures. Peter says:

“I never lost my interest in architecture and throughout my years in computing I dreamed of the day when a program would be invented that would allow the construction and manipulation of a 3D model of a building. The capability was naturally developed eventually, in the form of very expensive CAD programs. Imagine my absolute delight when I stumbled across a brilliant free program called Sketchup. My years of dreaming had suddenly become a reality.”

In 2010, he modeled one of the most challenging places on earth: Machu Picchu.

Many geo-modelers estimate building heights and other details from photographs. Not Peter. He takes great pride in the accuracy of his work as his description in the Machu Picchu model indicates: “The model contains every building, terrace and staircase and is accurate to less than 10cm (4") over most of the site.” Peter insists that he likes his “models to be absolutely accurate reproductions, not just approximate representations.”

During email discussions about some of Peter's Sydney models, I jokingly mentioned that the Google Sydney building had yet to be modelled. Four hours later he forwarded a reasonably accurate model of the building based on a few scant photos of the recently-completed building that he found on the web.

I appreciated his efforts and and invited Peter to lunch at the Google office. After lunch Peter spent 6 hours painstakingly measuring and photographing every nook and cranny of the building (I guess he liked the food!). A week or so later he forwarded his latest work of art, which has since been incorporated into the 3D buildings layer. Peter says that his “sense of amazement at the results that can be achieved with SketchUp has not diminished since the day I started work on my first model.”

Google Sydney would like to thank Peter for putting our beautiful office on the map!

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Product Manager

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And the newest Supermodeler is... Tang

Last month, we introduced a new process for awarding Supermodeler status to the world's best geo-modelers — fewer than 70 men and women can claim this designation. As the winner of the November vote, Huang Chung-Tang (a.k.a. Tang) is the most recent member to join their ranks. With 140 top-notch models currently in Google Earth’s 3D Buildings layer, he’s certainly deserving of the honor. We interviewed Tang after we informed him that he’d come out on top.

Tiananmen Square

Why do you geo-model, and when did you start?

I specialize in Interior and Space design. When I was young it was my dream to become an architect, so I wasn't able to fulfill my dreams. With SketchUp I was able to see that dream come true, and because of that, I started building geo-models for Google Earth. It’s a passion that I will continue in the foreseeable future.

Office of the President, Taiwan

My first model passed through Google’s review process and appeared in Google Earth’s 3D Buildings layer in 2008. The feeling of excitement when I see my models in Google Earth remains today. Maybe this is the Google Earth and SketchUp charm. I think all modelers share this kind of feeling.

EXPO 2010 Shanghai China | China Pavillion 201007

Do you have specific modeling goals?

Yes. It’s my hope that more people in Taiwan will participate in geo-modeling. We could create a community where we work collaboratively to build geo-models of Taiwan to appear on Google Earth.

Taichung Central Science Park West District Water Tower

What model are you most proud of?

I have many models that I am proud of, such as: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City in China... etc. but I have to say, i'm most proud of the Taipei 101, because it represents a major landmark in Taiwan, and Taipei 101 exterior contains a deep and strong oriental meaning. That was the whole reason I wanted to take on that project.

Taipei 101

What is your favorite model created by someone else?

That’s a tough question to answer because I admire many modelers including Enrico Dalbosco, José Manuel, Zeljko Zdravkovic, Filip Michalowski, Tomasz Szular, TANTUNNY, and others. If I had to choose, I’d have to say that my favorite modeler is Peter Gipuzkoa. He's working hard to turn Spain into 3D, and it is because of him, 3 years ago, that I set out to do the same for Taiwan.

Arrow Building Zhengyangmen

My goal is have more buildings of Taiwan to be seen by everyone around the world. In the last few years Peter has taught me a lot about modeling, and helped me produce better models using SketchUp. I think this is what they mean by a "global village."

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Product Manager

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Supermodeler Story: Zeljko Zdravkovic

Here’s a testimonial from Zeljko Zdravkovic (a.k.a Zex), who told us about his experience geo-modeling his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia.

I started modeling Belgrade because I wanted to create a 3D identity for my city. I first learned that it was possible to add a 3D building to Google Earth several years ago. I was very surprised and curious about this. I had also noticed a number of untextured models in Belgrade, and decided that I wanted to change that.

As is often the case when learning something new, I experienced many false starts. I didn't know how to use SketchUp, or, publish a model to Google Earth. I tried and tried, in failure. It wasn’t until I noticed a little checkbox labeled “Google Earth Ready” that I realized why my models where not appearing! I laugh about it now, but it was very frustrating then!

I started to make 3D models in the summer of 2009. Today you can see over 500 models that I’ve made. When combined with the work of other geo-modelers, there are over 800 models in Belgrade, and almost 1200 models in all of Serbia (including Belgrade).

With the exception of some buildings and monuments, I’ve finishing nearly 90% of the city area. I’m hoping to complete the entire city by the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.

Unfortunately, Belgrade area is not available in Building Maker today. If it were, it would certainly have been far faster and easier. But when I finish the entire city, Belgrade is going to be one of the most quality-built 3D cities in Google Earth, and that’s something that I take a lot of pride in—for me, model quality is number one!

Црква Светог Марка (St. Mark's Church)

Google Earth is an excellent opportunity to promote your city to other people all over the globe. 3D models can benefit a city a lot. People all over the planet can see, learn from and enjoy the architecture of every building we make.

City TV Studio B now uses 3D “New Belgrade” area in Google Earth for traffic service information on their web site. They use a 3D map in their television broadcast. It’s such a fantastic feeling when you see your 3D models on TV, or used by others for very useful purposes.

It is so amazing how Google Earth has enabled the world to become so personal to us. Now anyone can visit every corner of the globe. It’s really amazing to me!

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Product Manager

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Summer Sketch Workshop in Toruń, Poland

This past summer, Supermodeler Arkadiusz Pawlowski (a.k.a. Arek, a.k.a. aroo) decided to hold a SketchUp workshop for students at the Nicolas Copernicus University of Toruń. He partnered with fellow Toruń alumni Radoslaw Golba to teach the course. I asked him a few questions about the experience:

Arek alongside the workshop participants

Why did you decide to hold a workshop?

It was like an impulse I had on my way back from the 2010 Google Mapper and Modeler Summit held in Zurich. I came to the conclusion that it would be a good thing to organize classes for students to teach them what I knew about geo-modeling with SketchUp.

So the purpose of the workshop was to teach students how to geo-model?

Yes, but I also wanted to increase the students’ knowledge of modeling tools and have them practice visualizing objects in a digital 3D form. I encouraged them to work independently and to further develop the skills that they could use beyond geo-modeling.

Workshop in session

What was the schedule like for the workshop?

Since most of the students had never used SketchUp before, the first day of the workshop was used to let them familiarize themselves with the program. On the second day, students went out to collect photographs of selected buildings, and then later edited the images to make textures for the model. The third day of the workshop was for actually modeling the buildings in SketchUp and then texturing them with the previous day’s photos. All of the complete models are in a collection on the 3D Warehouse.

Zespół Szkół nr 16 im. Wandy Szuman

The workshop was also supported by the Department of Cartography, Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems of University of Toruń, who handed out certificates to participants at the end of the workshop... and Google provided t-shirts. :)

Workshop participants sporting awesome Google shirts

See more photos of Arek’s workshop, and download the placemarks of all the buildings created in the workshop, then view the models in Google Earth.

Posted by Nicole Drobeck, Geo Community Program Manager

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Who's the newest Super Modeler? Vote!

Today we’re announcing a new approach to bestowing “Super Modeler” status on our geo-modeling rock stars. More on that below—but first a little history.

A new form of 3D modeling began when @Last Software, the maker of SketchUp, was acquired by Google in 2006. Modeling 3D buildings for the purpose of viewing them in Google Earth went from being a quirky activity to a new art form. We refer to it as "geo-modeling.”

Being 3D enthusiasts ourselves, we were always on the lookout for good building models in the 3D Warehouse. When we discovered particularly impressive ones, we would add them to the featured modeler collection.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood by Arrigo Silva

Internally, we used the phrase “super modelers” to describe the people creating these amazing models, but it wasn’t until we started planning the first geo-modeling conference in August of last year that we began to publicly refer to modelers in this way. Following the event, a newsgroup was established, a collection created, and the user community representing some of the most skilled geo-modelers was officially born.

As the geo-modeling community expanded, so did the number of people creating remarkable models. We continued to add new modelers as we discovered them, and earlier this year we introduced badges in the 3D Warehouse—with one designated specifically for Super Modelers.

The coveted Super Modeler badge

With badges comes competition—more and more modelers began to ask how they could earn this honor. As time passed it became evident that we needed a clear set of criteria by which a modeler would be considered. The time had also come to establish greater transparency for how these decisions were being made, and who was making them.

So today we’re announcing a new process to become a Super Modeler—you decide!

It works like this: Each month the Super Modeler community will nominate ten geo-modelers who they believe are, well, super. Votes will be accepted for a three-week period. At the end of that period, the modeler who has received the most votes will become the newest Super Modeler.

In addition to being awarded a Super Modeler badge, the winner’s collection will be prominently featured on the Google 3D Warehouse until the next Super Modeler is selected. They'll also receive a one-of-a-kind “I’m a Google Supermodel(er)” t-shirt from the Google team.

It all starts now: Take a look at November's nominees, then cast your vote for the next Google Super Modeler!

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Product Manager

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Featured Geo-modeler: Dick Stada

Dick Stada’s story started when he was exploring the Rotterdam marathon in Google Earth. He writes: “I saw skyscrapers appear. It only was a series of white blocks but still spectacular.” Shortly thereafter, he learned that he could create these buildings himself with SketchUp.

Jabadoo by Stada

Mr. Stada started using SketchUp to model his house in order to plan a renovation: taking detailed measurements of the walls, windows, roof and other components. While he found SketchUp’s user interface to be quite simple, the tools were also extremely powerful. After a few weeks, Mr. Stada had completed a very detailed model -- including textures applied to the sides made from his own photographs.

One of Mr. Stada’s earliest models is also his favorite: John Hejduk's Wall House 2. It took months to complete – he even took pictures of the roof with a kite! It is a unique building with challenging shapes and it is only one block away from his home.

Wallhouse #2 by Stada

Over the years, he’s refined his process:

1. Take photographs on a sunny day with long shadows
2. Record some basic measurements (with some help from his kids)
3. Find the best roof pictures on the Internet
4. Import the best Google Earth view
5. Start modeling and prepare the textures
6. Look for interesting details about the building
7. Send the owners of the building an email with a link to the finished model in the 3D Warehouse

On the horizon, Mr. Stada plans to work on modeling the southwest part of Groningen NL, focusing on architecturally interesting buildings. Though he and his daughter have started using Google Building Maker in select areas, he prefers to hand-craft his models with SketchUp.

Office Piccardthofplas by Stada

As a systems engineer, Mr. Stada’s interests include spending time with his family, running, cycling, skating, photography and illustration. He considers Google Earth to be “one of the best inventions of the last decade.” Perhaps this is just something in his genes; he is, after all, the son of a geodetic engineer.

Posted by Greg Wirt, Google SketchUp Team

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Community Celebration in Peru

Recently, a team of Googlers traveled to Peru and celebrated the winner (and community) of the Google International Model Your Town Competition. Jorge De Albertis of Lima won through a process where people all over the world voted for one of five finalists. His ability to win so many votes was a testament to the power of a community coming together to support Jorge’s efforts. His contribution creating 3D models of many of the historical buildings in the Barranco District of Lima has garnered a lot of attention in his country, and worldwide.

There were four majors parts to the celebration:

1. As part of the winning prize, Google gave a donation to a public school of Jorge’s choice. Jorge talked to the students and staff at a ceremony in the school’s courtyard, and we presented a large check to IE 7053 Reino De Espana Public School. Googlers helped students with a hands-on paper 3D modeling project, where they constructed models of the buildings Jorge submitted for the competition. The school graciously hosted a celebration for Jorge and Google, which included a welcome by student marching bands, traditional Peruvian dances, ballerinas, theater acts, singing, and a poetry jam.


Click here to see more photos from the events.

2. Jorge and Google hosted a series of tech talks to over 80 design and architecture students and faculty at the University of Lima, explaining how others can get involved with modeling their communities. Demos were presented on Jorge’s project, SketchUp, Map Maker, and Building Maker. Watch a video of an interview of Jorge at the University of Lima.

3. The Latin America International Film Festival had a looping video of Jorge’s work running throughout the week.

4. Google held a celebration in Jorge’s honor at Picas, which was attended by designers, architects, educators, tourism officials, and the general Lima community. The fun-filled event had demo stations where people could learn more about Google Earth, Map Maker, Building Maker, and Google SketchUp. The band, Colectivo Circo played to a packed house. Jorge received a plaque and spoke to the community about his efforts. We are thrilled to have visited Jorge and to have met many people in the Lima community. Congratulations, Jorge!


Posted by Allyson McDuffie, SketchUp for Education Program Manager

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Featured Geo-modeler: Don Shepperson

As an architecture student at the University of Kentucky, Don Shepperson started modeling existing buildings as a way to learn more about about the formal language of cities and towns -- to study what works and what doesn't.

Don learned about Google Earth’s 3D Buildings layer the first time he opened that product to research the Lexington, Kentucky area. While doing that research, Don noticed how few 3D buildings Lexington had in Google Earth. As an experienced SketchUp modeler, he started creating local buildings by using image textures from Street View in Google Maps. With the launch of Building Maker, the process has become easier and more refined.

Since that time Don has been modeling, creating and contributing to collections in the 3D Warehouse; he currently has 150 geo-models which have been accepted to -- and are viewable in -- Google Earth. Don feels that the more buildings he models, the better designer he’ll become as he uses these skills in the creation of his own designs.

Don would like to model as much of Kentucky as possible, then he’d like to move on and model buildings in other states and even other countries. To that end, he’s started a collection of LEED-certified buildings with the intention of creating more in the future. Of the many models that Don has created, his favorite is the style and bold attitude of the TVCC (Television Cultural Center) in Beijing, China.

Don's model of the TVCC buildings in Beijing

Posted by Greg Wirt, Google SketchUp Team

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Announcing the Google Model Your Town Competition winner

On April 1st, we announced the five finalist towns for the Google Model Your Town Competition and asked the public to help pick the winning town. For the past month, participants reviewed the 3D models, explored the buildings in Google Earth and watched videos of the 3D towns.

Well, we’ve tallied the votes and we’d like to congratulate our 2010 winning town: Barranco - Lima, Peru!

Jorge De Albertis Bettocchi, a 38 year-old corporate business attorney, modeled the Barranco District of Lima. He entered the competition to generate pride among his fellow citizens and created his 3D models to serve as a tool for tourism, promotion, investment and preservation of Barranco’s historic architecture. Jorge also created a blog, Barranco 3D Project, that includes descriptions of his models, his modeling process, community involvement and press videos.



Jorge is also a musician who plays the keyboard, has a small recording studio, and has participated in the production of concerts in Peru. “I started creating SketchUp models in 2007 when I was asked to design a stage for a rock concert, and a concert-production partner recommended using SketchUp. Since then I have not stopped using it and it is the only 3D design program I have ever used.”

Jorge, you have impressed people all over the world with your SketchUp models. Congratulations to the Barranco community!

We’ll be awarding the local school district with US$10,000 and the SketchUp team is planning a visit to Barranco later this summer to recognize their efforts. Visit the Google Earth Gallery to download a 3D tour of Barranco, Peru and visit our winners page for more details.

Thanks to all those who voted to help us find the winning town. And thanks to all the modelers out there who submitted entries — we hope you'll continue to add 3D buildings to Google Earth!

Posted by Allyson McDuffie, SketchUp Team

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Mappers and Modelers converge on Google Zurich

What do you get when you put 90 Map Maker, Building Maker, and SketchUp users into one big room? A truly incredible experience and a lot of great ideas.

Summit attendees and staff at Google Zurich.

Last month some of our most talented Mappers and Geo-Modelers came together in Zurich to celebrate their work and talk about how to make mapping and modeling better. Attendees came from all over the world (Peru, Mongolia, Germany, Ukraine, Taiwan and Tanzania to name a few places) and had lots of opinions on how to improve our programs.

This summit was unique in that it was an unconference -- lots of smaller sessions proposed and run by the participants. We talked about everything from mapping historical data to user moderation in Google Earth (and you can read all about our discussions in the session notes). This format was amazing from a staff standpoint because we got to talk individually with a lot of different users. It was great from the attendees' perspective too, as they got to talk about the subjects that mattered most to them.

In addition to all the brainstorming, we had a lot of fun, too. Office tours, evening social events, and a fondue dinner overlooking all of Zurich made for a very entertaining (and filling!) few days. Check out this highlight video to get a feel for how things went:



Want to experience the conference for yourself? Check out our abundant photos and prolific session notes. Thanks to everyone who made this event such a success!

Posted by Vicky Tait, SketchUp Support Operative

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Featured Modeler: Sami Araboghli

Anyone can build 3D models for Google Earth -- no matter how old they are. Eighth grader Sami Araboghli of Sarasota, Florida is a case in point. Sami wants to put the entire world on Google Earth one building at a time. Currently, he has 179 models in the Google 3D Warehouse.



When Sami first started using Google Earth, he noticed lots of 3D buildings popping up and wanted to see his own models appear. After finding Google SketchUp, he started investigating how to take the models from his computer and share them with everyone else in Google Earth. After his first effort was not accepted for inclusion, Sami started researching ways to improve his models. He now has 29 3D buildings (and counting) accepted into Google Earth’s default 3D Buildings layer.

Sami starts his modeling experience by using Google Maps to find a building that interests him. In most cases, he hasn’t physically visited these locations; Sami uses Street View in Google Maps to acquire the imagery he needs (this video shows how). The first model he created with this method was a Citroën car dealership in Prague, Czech Republic.



Sami says: “I want to be heard, and to tell people that anyone -- no matter how old you are -- can put buildings on Google Earth and they too can be heard.”

Sami describes Google SketchUp and Google Earth as his favorite software applications; sometimes he spends the entire day making buildings. He loves the idea of being able to put buildings in Google Earth and share them with friends. Says Sami, “I think it was one of Google's coolest ideas.”

Sami also told us that he will be in the National Geographic Florida State Geography Bee competition on April 9th. Good luck Sami!

Posted by Greg Wirt, Google SketchUp Team

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Geo-modelers: Join us in Zurich!

There's a growing community of people who have taken it upon themselves to model the whole world in 3D. Some are using Google SketchUp, some are using Google Building Maker, and some are using both together. There's a also a growing community of people who are using Google Map Maker to author and edit rich, 2D maps.

We decided to host a mini-conference that will bring 2D and 3D geo-content creators together for the first time: The 2010 Google Mapper/Modeler Summit is scheduled to take place on March 22 and 23 in Zurich, Switzerland. We're keeping the attendance small (fewer than a hundred people) to encourage conversations and dialog. In the same vein, the format for the event will be "unconference" -- specific session topics will be decided at the Summit, by the attendees themselves.

We have places left for geo-modelers: If you're an experienced geo-modeler who would like to attend, please fill out this form to request an invitation. Since spots are limited and there's no charge for participating, we ask that you provide the following two pieces of information on the form:

• Collection of models: A link to a 3D Warehouse collection that contains geo-models you've built and contributed
• Brief statement: A short paragraph (3 or 4 sentences) that outlines what you hope to gain by attending the conference. Please also mention any special knowledge or skills you might be able to contribute.

Questions? Please use the Comments feature of this blog post, and we'll provide whatever answers we can.

Posted by Aidan Chopra, Product Evangelist

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Featured Modelers: NilsW and Do-nuko

Google Building Maker has been a hit since its release and several individuals have been geo-modeling their cities using the new tool. With over 315 buildings in Switzerland, NilsW is rapidly filling in unbuilt areas in Zurich, Switzerland. While on the other side of the world in Sapporo, Japan, do-nuko has added over 160 buildings.

Building Maker is a recent addition to the modeling tools available from Google. It offers access to geo-accurate, oblique photographs taken by an airplane and a simple set of building blocks. It all happens via web browser: users align the blocks to the imagery and Building Maker maps the photos to the building shape, then uploads the resulting photo-textured model to the Google 3D Warehouse. Each building is then reviewed for inclusion in Google Earth. Building Maker supplements our geo-modeling tool set that already included Google SketchUp, the ideal software for creating complex, customized 3D buildings using photographs from any source.



NilsW uses all of Google's geo-modeling tools. "I've been a Google Earth user for years and I really love the 3D buildings. It's a thrill to make buildings and know that they can be seen by the whole world. The first building I made was in Zürich, where I live and work. I found the modeling process to be pretty easy because I had already been working with 3D programs, although I have to say that SketchUp is a lot more fun than those. I used the Google Earth snapshot in SketchUp to model and texture the buildings from photos I had taken around the buildings."

He saw the potential for Building Maker to help him model more buildings, more quickly. "I love Building Maker for simple buildings. I started using right away because it let's me model buildings without having to go out and take pictures. It's also easier for me to figure out the building dimensions. It's really fast, though I'd like to see more tools for making complex forms. Maybe there could be an Expert Mode in Building Maker. I am using SketchUp for complex buildings. SketchUp is great for detailed modeling work. Creating buildings is really fun and I want to be famous!" NilsW works in IT and is a photography (loves Panoramio) and architecture enthusiast.



Do-nuko also works in technology as a programmer and loves MANGA. He also started with an interest in Google Earth's 3D building layer. "I wanted to put my town in Google Earth, of course; but it seemed like an impossibly big task. That's why when I first started with Building Maker, it was a shock! I couldn't believe how fast and accurately I could model. It made me realize that modeling my town could be a reality. I have completed most of the buildings along one of our main streets (see embedded video). Working with simple buildings is really easy. If you have a little patience you can do even complicated buildings too. I want to ask the developers of Building Maker to please also add tools to make rounded roofs!"

Check out what these two master Building Makers have put together in this video, and be sure to check out their Profiles on the Google 3D Warehouse.



Posted by James Therrien, Google Geo Team

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Geo-Modelers: We want to feature you!

You may have noticed that we frequently add stories about 3D modelers to our Google Earth Featured Modeler section on the Google SketchUp Blog and the Google 3D Warehouse (here's our last Featured Modeler story). These modelers have done extraordinary work and created fantastic 3D buildings for Google Earth.

If you've been geo-modeling for a while, maybe you wondered how we choose who gets featured. The honest truth is that we have a very unscientific method: we browse the 3D Warehouse, just like you. That's why we want to reach out to our blog readers to ask if you would like be considered as a Featured Google Earth Modeler. We want to hear from you, share your 3D models, and tell your story to the world! Also, if you have a friend who's a terrific modeler but may be too humble to share, poke them with a stick and get them to submit their story.

There is a simple form to get the process started. If we select your story, we will contact you, draft the story for your approval, then put it on the SketchUp Blog. Submit your story here!

Posted by James Therrien, Google Geo Team

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Featured Modeler: Arrigo Silva

In the West, some of the longest-standing architecture is found in churches and cathedrals. As cities grow and evolve over time, structures come and go with the requirements of society. Through changes over centuries, though, major cities in Europe can still be recognized by their large churches. Enrico Dalbosco (Arrigo Silva, as he is known in the Google 3D Warehouse), a resident of Padua, Italy, understands why churches last and has taken up the cause of showing them off in 3D on Google Earth.



"I have devoted myself to modeling churches because I really like ancient and modern art. Through many, varied periods of time, churches have brought together the highest expressions of artistic skill and their construction has brought together the most renowned architects, sculptors and painters. I think for this reason I am not the only person who is interested in modeling churches for Google Earth and there are still a profusion of beautiful sites of all religions awaiting a modeler!"

Enrico is a retired electronic engineer and has many hobbies including music and photography. He's played classical piano since childhood and is also a fine artist working in watercolor and with ceramics (check out his ceramic buildings and landscapes). In 2007 when, surfing the Internet, he came across Google Earth and was excited to see everything there: sky, fields, roads, houses of Padova, Italy...the whole world, as he describes it.

"What was even more exciting was discovering that here and there on the Earth's surface there sprouted cities, towns, several buildings, monuments, and churches. I wondered, who made them? Was it something I could do too? So I came to discover Google SketchUp. Before that I had never used a 3D package."

Initially, Enrico thought it was necessary to fix all the edges, one by one, entering exact length but quickly discovered that SketchUp took care of scale on its own.

"SketchUp had additional surprises in store for me: in addition to being free (which is a good starting point!), the product has a completely intuitive interface that seems to anticipate what I am trying to do (split surfaces at midpoints, rotation, array-copy, group, create named groups etc.). I must say that I have a thorough knowledge of software usability because of my professional background and SketchUp has one of the best user interfaces I've seen."

In an ironic twist of fate, it was actually Enrico's work with a non-geo-located model, a bust of Beethoven, that most impacted his workflow for creating Google Earth buildings.

"A key learning for me was discovering the power of projecting textures: you can take a flat image and project it onto a complex form. I found a beautiful 3D bust of Ludwig van Beethoven in Google 3D Warehouse, and I sensed that I could 'paint' him, so I found a portrait of Beethoven. I was able to import the portrait as a texture and mold it to the contours in one fell swoop! It was a little miracle, to paint with a single command, and within seconds the countless shapes that made up the face of great musician!"


His first creations were the churches of in neighborhood and the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, which proved a challenge because of the complexity of its structure. To address the challenge, "I adopted the old method of the Roman emperors ( "divide and conquer": if you want to solve a problem, split it in several parts...) subdividing the structure into simple elements: the façade, the transept, the church towers, the domes ..." For the photo textures, Enrico searched the web and found lots of photos taken on the ground from all possible view-points. The divided (and conquered!) structural elements can be seen in the graphic below.



Modeling Western religious architecture requires an understanding of the structure of vaults and domes - the "onion dome" characteristic of Orthodox Churches can be particularly daunting.

"Indeed," says Enrico, "the primary challenge that the Cathedral of St. Basil in Moscow posed was its domes: due to their incredible variety of shapes and colors, I couldn't find a single formula to cover all of them, and so I had to adopt different strategies - smooth and relieved domes, colored and textured domes ... it took some experimenting, trial and error, but in the end I was able to create all the varied dome shapes, including the most twisted, of course, always using the well-tested Beethoven method to project textures!"

Enrico expanded his dome-modeling techniques in working on the domes of the Church of the Nativity in Suzdal.



"In this case, I adopted a more complicated strategy: I initially prepared, with SketchUp, a geometric model of each dome (onion with and stars) and then I created a screen-shot which I then projected (once more using the Beethoven method) these texture on the sectors of the “real” domes. I worked really well."

Clearly, Enrico is pushing the boundaries of what is possible and how ornate and beautiful models for Google Earth can be. It's a revelation!

Posted by James Therrien, Google Geo Team

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Featured Modelers: 3D Artists in Antwerp

Antwerp is the historic heart of Flanders in Northern Belgium and famous as the birthplace of two Old Masters, Rubens and Van Dyck. Today, two young masters are dedicating themselves to what they consider a "new form of art" - capturing the beauty of the city's architecture with detailed 3D models via Google Earth. Instead of layering oil paint on stretched canvases, they are using digital photographs and Google SketchUp. Nick, or SittingDuck (his Google 3D Warehouse handle) started modeling for Google Earth after seeing the amazing models created by KR= (Chris) of some of Antwerp's landmark buildings.

"I got really excited when I saw the models that Chris had done in Antwerp," Nick said. "The truth is, I was supposed to be studying for my college exams, but found modeling to be a lot more fun. Ha, it's funny that the first model I made was purely to procrastinate on cramming for my exams. Since then, it's turned into a kind of obsession. My approach to modeling has changed over time too. At first, I was putting up models as fast as I could make them, but in part because Chris' models were so carefully done, I put in more time and attention."

Nick and Chris have completed a good deal of the historic center of the Antwerp. Chris' spectacular model of the main Cathedral of Our Lady is a focal point for this area.


The Cathedral of our Lady was under construction for more than 170 years so the fact that it took Chris more than six months to photograph and model the cathedral for Google Earth may not seem like too much time. But, Chris' beautiful work speaks for itself. The cathedral is now recognized as part of the World Heritage Site and the model certainly does it justice.

Even with less majestic subject matter, the quality of the work done by Chris and Nick is remarkable. "So much depends on the photographs you take of the building facades," Nick continued. "Antwerp is tricky, the town has grown organically from the center for over a 1,000 years and it's filled with irregular narrow streets and alleys where you can often only stand about 5 meters away from the facade you want to photograph. So I'll shoot multiple pictures of the building and stitch them together with PTgui. You always want to be sure to catch the buildings in strong natural light. I will also do some color adjustments in Photoshop, but strong light is key. It's what makes the models come to life."

Detail of buildings by Sitting Duck

While Nick feels like the process of modeling is a reward unto itself, both he and Chris were recognized by the Gazet van Antwerpen for the work they are doing. Going forward, they've set a goal of modeling all of Antwerp from the city center outward. They are being guided by the historical perimeter of the city which can still be seen with Google Earth satellite imagery.

"We now have about 30% of the buildings completed that existed inside the 16th century city walls. Some other guys are modeling too. I usually will plan out which area I am doing next, take the bus into the city and set to work taking my photos. I have to say I am also indebted to Magda, my fiance, who rides her bike around town to take pictures for me as well. Depending on the building, I usually will take between 5 and 7 hours per model, it all just depends on what the actual structure is. It is going to take us about a year to finish up and then we will move on to the city limits in the 19th Century."

In the mean time, Nick has completed 100% of a smaller town in Belgium, Fort Lillo.

"It's hard to say exactly why we are doing this. But in part, I have always been into maps, geography and architecture. The process of map making has been very special and challenging, but people really have mapped almost all the world now. Google Earth and 3D are an new extension of that process. A friend once asked my why I spent all this time modeling. I thought, 'why do painters paint, why did the map makers make maps?' This is a combination of both. It's an art form. Chris's modeling work really rises to this level. It's like photorealistic painting in 3D."

Posted by James Therrien, Google SketchUp Team

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Featured Modeler: John from Dursley, England

John is a retired British architect whose passion for photography and knowledge of his town's architectural history helped shape his beautiful 3D models of Dursley, Gloucestershire in England.

"The alignment of the buildings on Castle Street is a bit on the skew," he said, "but that makes sense if you know there used to be an actual castle in that location. The castle had a moat that the streets were laid out around."


John started using Google Earth and Google SketchUp around the same time. His brother was introduced to SketchUp at a lecture on SketchUp by his SeniorNet group. John's local library had an Internet cafe and, on his brother's recommendation, he took a look at Google Earth. "I was absolutely staggered. And decided I had to put Dursley on the map. There's another chap who does great stuff in Gloucester City called Andrew. He helped me out when I was first getting used to the process, in dealing with stuff like zed-flashing (z-fighting), where two overlapped textures have a flashing problem."

As John explains, an architectural background and access to information on the history of a specific site are both critical to his process for creating a realistic representation of Dursley.

"What's remarkable to me about 3D buildings in Google Earth is that they can combine in a live model all of the detail that is otherwise only available from different books and records. There is a resource in the UK called Buildings of England that describes with great precision the development of different local architectures. That helps me, but so does my knowledge of standard architectural practices that haven't changed all that much through the recent centuries."


John also draws a good deal of understanding about a structure based on the form of its roof as seen in the Google Earth satellite imagery. He is also keen on architectural photography (check out John's photo site).

"Knowing how roofs are built helps you: most roof surfaces have a similar slope and extend beyond the building footprint, but more important, the roof surfaces tell the story of how the walls are arranged. Add to that the fact that string courses have been used right through the centuries, work with some solid photos, and, Bob's your Uncle, you can be successful."

As for inferring building heights, John relies on his photos and makes "jolly well sure" the doors are 2.1 meters high on the textured model.


"You really need to understand how components and move/array can help you in SketchUp. Architecture has always had repeating elements. Once you have created one Victorian chimney, for example, it's likely you can use it for multiple sites. Really the key for repeatable success is to get the hang of working with SketchUp's grid system, setting your point of origin, aligning Red and Green axes to your site, and then drawing on axis. Getting on axis is like turning on the ignition before trying to drive your car."

"I really see a great educational benefit in having architecture available in Google Earth. The models are an encapsulation of so much history, architectural geometry and knowledge. They are especially important for the area of my focus, 'Listed Buildings', what you call Historical Register in the States. There really is no other way to truly capture all the detail of a building so clearly and concisely. " Check out John's site on Dursley.

As a result of his impressive work, John's models have been highlighted in the press. "The BBC was out to see what I was up to for a profile and so were the local papers." So why does he do it? According to John, he and his fellow modelers model their cities in 3D so that the world can experience the places they hold so dear. "What motivates both Andrew and myself is the same kind of interest in our home town or city. Combine that with architecture, history, and a means of sharing it with the world you can see why I get so excited. My brother thinks I should publish a coffee table book called, 'Dursley from All Angles' using screenshots of my models; I just might."


Posted by James Therrien, Google SketchUp Team

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Featured Modeler: Newfangled

Newfangled is a 3D Building pioneer. From the earliest days of modeling with SketchUp for Google Earth, Christian (aka "Newfangled") started creating the buildings in his home town of Edmonton, Alberta in the Great North of Canada. In fact, part of his motivation for modeling was to put North America's most northern city on the map. To date, he has placed over 150 models in the 3D building layer of Google Earth and Edmonton's metropolitan status is easy to see.


"I got started after a trip I took to Calgary," Christian said, "I was actually looking for a place for dinner, and when I searched in Google Earth all these buildings started popping up. I thought it would be cool to have the same thing in Edmonton. I actually got in contact with IntoTheWest, who put up the buildings in Calgary." You may remember that Andrew (aka "IntotheWest") was our first Featured Modeler.

"The first model I created was my apartment building," Christian continued, "and once that was done I realized how easy it was and started doing the surrounding buildings. I walk to work, so I took pictures along the way, modeled those buildings, and from there I figured I might as well do the whole downtown."


Having Edmonton on the map remains a prime motivator for Christian, but he also enjoys the process of modeling in its own right. "It's relaxing. I'm a Gen-Y guy, so a lot of my friends play XBox or World of Warcraft, but what I do for fun is make buildings."

Christian is a mechanical engineer so he was familiar with CAD before he got started. After watching some of our online video tutorials and getting some hands-on practice, he was up and running.

"I picked up SketchUp pretty quickly. And once I got the hang of taking pictures that would make good textures, the process was pretty smooth, although some of my earliest buildings make me cringe a little now. Getting around trees and power lines with the camera isn't easy, so I use GIMP (a free image manipulation tool) to edit the photos before I apply them to my models in SketchUp. And I also use repeating textures to cover tall buildings."


In addition to modeling Edmonton as it exists today, Christian has begun reconstructing historic locations.

"I like the idea that I can reconstruct something that is no longer there. Using historic information I am able to bring buildings back to life." His collection on Historic Edmonton can be found on the Google 3D Warehouse. Along with a collection of proposed structures in his Future Edmonton set. "You guys should allow Google Earth to show past, future in addition to current buildings." He's right, we should.


"Recently I completed a local River Boat attraction and our Convention Center. It's great that someone planning a trip here could do a search and get informed about what's around." Christian is planning to keep on building, in fact, the mission statement on his blog is "Edmonton - one building at a time... Or maybe sometimes two."

Posted by James Therrien, Google SketchUp Team

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