Google Earth API Integration is a game changer!

Follow

Mark Paschke

• March 09, 2024 15:15

Hi Dale and group,

This new feature just made my life 10x easier. I was fumbling around with Blender imports and the other older import methods with Renderdoc, etc. but always struggled to get good consistent imports.  This is fantastic!

Thanks,

Mark

 

0

• 

  Dale

  • March 11, 2024 15:35

  Thanks so much for your feedback Mark!  Glad you are liking the new feature!

  0

  Comment actions Permalink
• 

  Jonathan Piette

  • April 11, 2024 22:54

  Same for me. The renderdoc workflow don't seems to work anymore. The Google Cloud thing is quite complicated but your explanations are right on. Thanks for that. 

  However, I got a surprise after I had to pay your subscription of 360CAD, download the mesh, and realized how bad the quality of the mesh is. I know the quality of the mesh has nothing to do with PlaceMaker. You only get the tiles from Google but my deception is that I will not use any mesh despite its quality and I paid this subscription for something I will not use. I think this work method is the future but I don't think we are there yet. At least with SketchUp.

  When I compare the mesh downloaded in my SketchUp, the one I have in Blender, and the one directly on Google Earth, there's a massive difference. I'm wondering why. Is it because of SketchUp? Is it because SketchUp is a mesh software and not a Nurbs base?  Is it because somewhere in the process, the resolution downgrade to be able to open it in SU? 

  Anyway. Despite my deception, I really appreciate pioneers like you who make this technology possible and evolving. Thank you.

   

  0

  Comment actions Permalink
• 

  Dale

  • April 12, 2024 14:56

  Hi Joe - with PlaceMaker, you can refine the tiles to the maximum level of detail available using the 'Refine' button.  However, Google doesn't currently provide anyone access to the same max detail used by Google Earth online.  Hopefully they will in the future.  I'm not sure how Blender imports the data.  If they are using the official API from Google, the quality should be exactly the same as via PlaceMaker (after refining).  If they are using some other un-official method, they are probably breaking Google's terms of use.

  0

  Comment actions Permalink
• 

  Jonathan Piette

  • April 12, 2024 15:14

  Hi Dave.  Thanks a lot for your answer. I tried the "Refine" button and it makes a big difference. Now if I compare with Blender, I get a similar LOD. I'm happy because the mesh is now usable. At least for mass study. 

  It's a shame Google doesn't give the mesh in full LOD.  But I'm confident that it will get better because it got much better compared to the past. This said, I think the future is into meshing point clouds. My experiments on this side are very promising.  

  Keep up the good work.

  Cheers!!

  0

  Comment actions Permalink

Please sign in to leave a comment.