Welcome to a new feature of our blog: Google Earth Featured Modeler profiles! Thousands of beautiful buildings, bridges, monuments, and statues have been added to Google Earth by individuals around the world. We're planning to share their stories with our blog readers on a recurring basis. If you're interested in becoming the next Featured Modeler, upload your collection to the Google 3D Warehouse and we'll take a look.
Our first Featured Modeler is Andrew, better known as "IntoTheWest," who has almost single-handedly put Calgary, AB Canada on the map. Visit his entire collection to see over 40 models in the Google 3D Warehouse.
Andrew has a thing for Calgary's skyscrapers. He's been modeling the tall buildings textured with his own photographs using Google SketchUp then adding the models to Google Earth for more than three years. "It was a thrill recently when a local TV station showed Google Earth. They flew into downtown Calgary and I thought, wow, those are my buildings," Andrew said during a conversation last week with Google. "From the time I started, I've enjoyed making models. It's kind of like putting together a puzzle when you don't have all the pieces."
Andrew began modeling after a colleague introduced him to Google Earth. He noticed that in some areas, in addition to the satellite imagery, models of buildings were visible. "I'm not an architect, but I have always been a skyscraper buff, and I like photography. I realized that the gray buildings really just scratched the surface of what was possible."
Pretty quickly, Andrew, who is an IT professional and very comfortable working with new software, was able to use SketchUp to pull in a Google Earth placemark, draw a rectangle over one of the buildings and Push/Pull up to the 700-ft height. "It was just a box, but it made me realize that a lot more was possible," he said.
According to Andrew, modeling plays on several of his passions: drawing, architecture, geography and photography. Using his own photographs of Calgary's downtown, Andrew was able to make realistic looking models of some of the major structures in the city center. "Even though my first couple of buildings were rough, from a distance, they looked pretty good," he said.
At the time, Andrew and his wife were expecting their first child and he had some free time during the evenings. He learned more about modeling by watching some of the training videos on the SketchUp site. "It really wasn't that hard. Even though I didn't have a background with CAD or 3D software, I was able to get up to speed quickly." Turning his photographs into effective textures was a bit more challenging. "Learning to texture was the most challenging part. I now use Photoshop Elements to stretch my photos on a 'flat canvas' and then take them into SketchUp." You can see some of Andrew's texturing work on an early building called Petro Canada.
Still he says, "...it never felt like work to me. Once I got into it, it was sort of hard to stop," Andrew admits. He has completed most of the major Skyscrapers in Calgary. He said, "I scaled back on my original plans to do the entire city, but I still get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that my models are now available and used by the world. It made me feel like I wasn't just wasting time."
For the future he thinks many people that have an interest in geography, architecture or just new technology will likely make models for Google Earth. "It's just a fantastic product, not just for the buildings, but as a way of sharing information." While Andrew's time in modeling has decreased, he is still passionate about it, "the great thing is that it makes me feel like I am adding to a world-wide community." Even his son, who is now 2 years-old, recognizes Google Earth, "Daddy, that's the Earth ball."
Featured Modeler: Into The West
Thursday, April 30, 2009 5:03 PM
Steelcase Furniture saves time with SketchUp
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 4:30 PM
Our latest case study, Steelcase Office Furniture, demonstrates a unique use of Google SketchUp Pro. Known for its excellence in design and attention to detail during the design process, Steelcase shares how they use SketchUp for everything from initial design problem-solving to developing final product specifications in a workflow that encompasses both industrial design and interior architecture. Below is just a part of the case study - visit the case study online to read the story in its entirety (and see more images).
Steelcase Office Furniture began in 1912 as The Metal Office Furniture Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company received its first patent in 1914 for a steel wastebasket -- a major innovation at a time when straw wastebaskets were a major office fire hazard. Today, Steelcase has some 13,000 employees and more than 600 dealer locations around the world, and offers solutions addressing the three core elements of office environments: interior architecture, furniture and technology.
In 2004, Steelcase began using Google SketchUp. SketchUp made it simple to render basic models using desktop computers. Suddenly, Steelcase designers were able to create models of preliminary design concepts much earlier in the design process, without having to power up a supercomputer. According to Karl Mead, Principal Designer at Nurture, a Steelcase company focused on developing workplace design solutions for healthcare companies, “SketchUp let us see what products would look like, or model complete worlds full of many products, using our existing Macs and Windows machines.”
Today, Steelcase designers use SketchUp to develop and share design ideas at all steps of the product development process – from R&D, to concepting and prototyping product ideas, to developing final product specifications. According to Mead, “We can start solving problems very early in the product development process and get to better solutions faster.” And because SketchUp’s simple enough that non-engineers can use it, it makes it easy for designers to solicit and integrate feedback from customers and sales and marketing folks. According to Robin Bowles, Principal Designer, Workspace Futures, “People download SketchUp, and with little training, validate products before we go into hard engineering.”
SketchUp has also become central to Steelcase’s sales and marketing efforts. Salespeople access an extensive library of images of the company’s products, which Steelcase stores in Google 3D Warehouse, to show customers specific product features, or to create custom models of complex solutions in a matter of seconds. Marketing people also use the company’s image library, to create marketing materials.
With Google SketchUp and the Google 3D Warehouse, Steelcase develops and markets new products more quickly and cost-effectively than ever. As Mead puts it, “SketchUp is a critical factor in our success.”
Strengths of autism continue to shine in 3D
Friday, April 24, 2009 10:27 AM
Back in November 2007, we announced the official launch of Project Spectrum. Because I know that readers of this blog are dedicated, never-miss-a-post-and-even-go-back-and-read-the-archived-stuff-that-was-posted-before-you-discovered-this-blog type folks, I won't bother to rehash my old post. Not too much, at least.
As you undoubtedly recall, Project Spectrum was launched after we happily discovered that people with autism are using Google SketchUp in unique and exciting ways. We learned that SketchUp plays to the visual and spatial strengths that so many people on the autism spectrum possess. During the year and a half since that last post, Googlers have been working with the autism community to introduce kids, teachers, parents and adults to SketchUp. These Googlers aren't limited to members of the SketchUp team - they work on all sorts of different Google products, and are spread across several offices (and even countries!). We've all been amazed, inspired, and touched by the results and decided it needed to be shared with the rest of the SketchUp community...
So, the Project Spectrum team is recognizing Autism Awareness Month by showing off the work of some of our star SketchUppers, spreading the Project Spectrum word, and introducing a new video tutorial. Don't miss the Project Spectrum Collection in the Google 3D Warehouse and while you're in there, be sure to check out the Astropolis models - concept art for a video game designed for autism research.
But the models are only part of the story. The kids' accomplishments on and off the computer are just as impressive. It's amazing what can be done with talent, determination, and a little 3D software...
- Casey just received the Temple Grandin Award in recognition of his accomplishments (including his role in the Astropolis Project and acting as a spokesperson for Project Spectrum).
- Rachel's creativity and artistic abilities have earned her multiple awards, as well as college credit. Rachel is beginning an internship in which she will be using her skills to do design work for the public.
- JP's enviable SketchUp talents have introduced him to design software which he will be using as he pursues a career in video game design.
Please join us in recognizing Autism Awareness Month as we tip our caps to the members of Project Spectrum and recognize their talents and accomplishments!
Tom Wyman, Project Spectrum Team Permalink | Links to this post |
Catch up on your SketchUp 7 reading
Thursday, April 23, 2009 10:24 PM
After several months of hard work (and little sleep), our longtime friend Bonnie Roskes has completed a new tutorial book on Google SketchUp 7. This time around, Bonnie has placed an extra emphasis on presentation, styles, scenes, and animation. You can also read about Dynamic Components and walk through the steps to create one of your own. Of course, the basic stuff is still completely covered: components, materials, digital images, Google Earth and Google 3D Warehouse tools, Sandbox - all with lots of new and rewritten content. You can get her books in both print and PDF on her new website, 3DVinci.
For educators and parents, Bonnie has also written classroom teaching-material for SketchUp. The Student Coursebook is a comprehensive SketchUp training course for college and high school levels. For younger students, the ModelMetricks books contain fun design projects for kids age 8-14, and the GeomeTricks books include geometry projects like mosaics, tiling, fractals, and symmetry. Bonnie's books should improve your SketchUp skills, whether you are a first-time modeler or a 3D veteran.
Posted by Tasha Danko, Product Marketing Team
Google puts 3D on the web, and it's no joke
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 2:10 AM
On April 1st, many of you read about the groundbreaking development of Google Chrome in 3D. The snazzy 3D glasses we got to wear for this project really upped the style quotient around here! Today, however, we're excited to announce a project that is more than just a fashion statement. The new O3D project has launched this week on Google Code. It's an open-source API that allows developers to put high-performance 3D in the browser.
There are a lot of folks who believe it is time to create a standardized, open, and general purpose way to put 3D graphics on the web. O3D is Google's contribution to that ongoing discussion. Our goal is to make the next generation of browsers support 3D "out of the box," and Google SketchUp's long term vision of "3D for Everyone" will be one step closer!
The SketchUp team is very excited about this launch. The possibilities for posting, sharing, and collaborating on the web in 3D are endless. If you're a developer, get the plugin implementation of the API and help us start exploring. You can read more about using SketchUp with O3D and utilize the Scene Viewer demo to post SketchUp models on your website. Even if you're not a developer, we invite you to join the discussion about what you think 3D on the web should be.
In the coming weeks, stay tuned for guided tours of SketchUp + O3D on the SketchUp Ruby API Blog. And, don't forget to wear your glasses!
Mortenson Construction improves the project experience
Wednesday, April 8, 2009 10:33 AM
We just posted a great case study about Mortenson Construction and their use of Google SketchUp to improve overall performance on their projects. Below is just a part of the case study - if you would like to learn more, read this story in its entirety (and see more images).
Mortenson Construction approaches each new project by building a specialized, cross functional team that brings integration to the job site. The common goal is to deliver each project as a whole team, not through siloed job functions. Encouraging collaboration and teamwork on a job not only fosters strong working partnerships between clients, contractors, and employees, but also reduces costs while improving quality and schedule performance. This strategy includes new approaches for planning, managing, and executing projects. Remaining flexible, and adapting to software solutions on a project by project basis helps Mortenson maintain a competitive edge.
Google SketchUp Pro has become a valuable tool at Mortenson, in part due to its ease of use. "The learning curve is small. Project teams pick it up quickly to provide immediate visual communication," says Ricardo Khan, Integrated Construction Manager. Recognizing the benefits of 3D early on, Mortenson began using 3D CAD solutions which required a CAD expert to create models. This solution was costly and time consuming. SketchUp drastically reduced the barriers to entry of working in 3D. The company found that employees were empowered to use the tool to generate information about a project and share it with others. The use of SketchUp to enhance communication among project teams has become a standard at Mortenson. SketchUp models are used in formal RFIs from the job site to communicate issues and discrepancies in the project details.
The fundamental goal is to improve the project experience for everyone involved while reducing project cost. The use of SketchUp has proliferated through the company since their first use in 2005. Today, every operating group uses SketchUp in some capacity.
Khan was quick to point out that it's not about creating pretty pictures or cool 3D models at Mortenson. "We wouldn't be using it if we didn't see measured results showing increased efficiency and productivity." In many cases, having a virtual mock-up of a project can eliminate multiple versions of costly physical models. On one project, the use of SketchUp allowed the integrated construction team member to model 4 separate highly detailed virtual mockups in place of one physical mockup, which provided a cost aversion of $144K and a more effective means of problem solving.
Derek Cunz, Director of Project Development notes, "Mortenson has been focused on advancing the art and science of construction through the use of virtual design and construction for over 10 years. SketchUp is a great tool in our arsenal to further our efforts."
We're tweeting
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 9:20 AM
By now, most of you have probably heard of Twitter and some of you might even be using it to follow celebrities, friends & family, tech websites, famous athletes and anyone that you take an interest in! To help you stay connected to news about Google SketchUp, we've decided to launch SketchUp's very own Twitter account - follow us at @sketchup. The 3D Warehouse is also tweeting on their own account at @3DWH. And, if you're interested in learning about towns that are modeling for Google Earth, start following @Modelyourtown. Take your pick or better yet, follow all of us!
Your world in 3D - wiki style
Friday, April 3, 2009 4:18 PM
The SketchUp Sages and other SketchUp enthusiasts are at it again! We recently discovered a new addition to the SketchUp Sage site: a wiki-based page all about creating buildings for Google Earth. This comprehensive list tells you how to get started, model efficiently, upload your models to the Google 3D Warehouse, and maintain your models going forward.
In the spirit of wikis, check out the page to learn how you can contribute. Kudos to catamountain and Matthias Basler for this amazing contribution.
Your world in 3D
Thursday, April 2, 2009 7:42 PM
Widely publicized local modeling efforts in Madison NJ and McMinnville TN have fueled interest in creating 3D models for Google Earth. We do our best to make this process as easy as possible, but we know that we can always do a better job of educating users about our technology and the steps to get a model in the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth. Whether we're attending a conference or just talking to folks on the street, we tend to hear the same message: "that's awesome, how do we do that?"
This was our motivation for developing the new Your world in 3D website. This site incorporates a video and illustration that explains how to build a model in SketchUp and add it to Google Earth. This page provides the specific steps to get started. We plan to update this site frequently and include case studies, news, and additional resources for anyone who is interested in modeling their town, house, or favorite building in 3D.
Bruce Polderman, Sr Business Product Manager
