Put Your Neighborhood in Google Earth in 3D
Are you a creative person? Do you have a little time on your hands? Did you like designing/making models when you were a kid? Do you STILL like it? Well, this might be just the project for you…
SketchUp is a 3D modeling software tool that Google offers for free. You can download it right from that SketchUp link and start using it to create 3D models of anything you want. Google also has a 3D Warehouse where you can upload your 3D model, and if it’s really good and meets all the criteria, it will actually be added to Google Earth and become part of the “Best of 3D warehouse” layer.
You can do this just for fun for yourself, or you can use it as a way to showcase your work professionally. You can even join a community of people who are all working on a 3D model of a particular city. Click here to help out on 3D models of a city. All the information, and a great pdf for tips on creating awesome 3D models are all on Google’s 3D Warehouse page.
And if you really start to get serious about 3D modeling, there’s a Pro version of Sketchup available on the same SketchUp page I linked to above.
Here’s a great model of Dodger Stadium that’s part of the 3D Warehouse.
It was created by jtb321, one of the many creative people who’ve submitted models. You can see all of jtb321’s models from that link. And you can look around the warehouse and see other people’s submissions as well, for inspiration and ideas.
Do it. You know you want to.
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