Google Earth Connections Tool for ArchiCAD 12 (Windows-only)

[#1]

Dear Users,

The INT/US and GER versions of the Google Earth Connections tool for ArchiCAD 12 are available for download from the Graphisoft web site, with further localized versions coming in the next two weeks:

http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/solutions/google_earth_connection.html

Release notes:

· As the available public Google Warehouse API does not support the Macintosh platform we will not be able to release a Macintosh version of the Google Earth Connections tool for ArchiCAD 12.

· The ArchiCAD 12 version of the Google Earth Connections tool supports SketchUP file format up to v6. Please set this file format when downloading models from the Google Warehouse.

[Anonymous]

Just curious (I'm a student) what will we be able to do with this?

[Erika Epstein]

sharon wrote:
Just curious (I'm a student) what will we be able to do with this?

Follow the link provided.

[Karl Ottenstein]

sharon wrote:
Just curious (I'm a student) what will we be able to do with this?

Um... did you read the entire page, and watch the videos, that you reached by following the link in the announcement? THAT is what you can do! 🙂

Cheers,
karl

[graan]

why is the import in AC12 changed, now we have an object from Google Earth in AC11 it was a mesh, please bring back the mesh.....

[Karl Ottenstein]

graan wrote:
why is the import in AC12 changed, now we have an object from Google Earth in AC11 it was a mesh, please bring back the mesh.....

I have never seen a mesh come in from the Google Earth Connectivity add-on - only objects, either terrain as object, or Warehouse elements as objects.

The SketchUp Importer add-on (plug-in), a separate download, attempts to convert surfaces to ArchiCAD elements. Might you be confusing the two? (Or else I missed the mesh thing in 11)

Karl

[graan]

I have been using the GE add-on ever since it was introduced. Always importing a mesh with terrainheights and a material on the top surface with a google earth snapshot on it. Works great, specially with mountains. Anyway it worked till AC12.
I checked it today on AC11, still works.

[Karl Ottenstein]

graan wrote:
I have been using the GE add-on ever since it was introduced. Always importing a mesh with terrainheights and a material on the top surface with a google earth snapshot on it. Works great, specially with mountains. Anyway it worked till AC12.
I checked it today on AC11, still works.

I stand corrected. Just verified that the behavior has changed (since I'm on a Mac, I usually use SketchUp to get my terrain, so end up with an object anyway via that route).

I agree. The mesh in 11 is much more useful than the object in 12 - mesh points for snapping, can trim the mesh, add more contour data if it is available to get a smoother mesh where it might matter, etc. Odd that they changed it.

Karl

[#9]

Between AC11 and 12 we have changed the terrain generation method because the mesh object doesn’t support any advanced texture mapping. In the case of a hilly terrain this drawback causes image distortion in 3D view. The object based terrain usage provides a more sophisticated mapping possibility >> in 3D the user can use exactly the same terrain texture as in Google Earth.
Our aim with the snapshot function was providing a temporary visual aid for the users with which they can position their 3D models in the virtual space of Google Earth. For this purpose the correct mapping is essential.
Using the Google Earth's terrain surface in ArchiCAD as a reference for the real building site is problematic. Because of the low terrain quality (accuracy) of the snapshot the object/mesh can’t substitute the on site geodesic measurement.

Karl wrote:

graan wrote:
I have been using the GE add-on ever since it was introduced. Always importing a mesh with terrainheights and a material on the top surface with a google earth snapshot on it. Works great, specially with mountains. Anyway it worked till AC12.
I checked it today on AC11, still works.

I stand corrected. Just verified that the behavior has changed (since I'm on a Mac, I usually use SketchUp to get my terrain, so end up with an object anyway via that route).

I agree. The mesh in 11 is much more useful than the object in 12 - mesh points for snapping, can trim the mesh, add more contour data if it is available to get a smoother mesh where it might matter, etc. Odd that they changed it.

Karl

[Erika Epstein]

Peter,
To get around this I had tried importing the mesh created in 11 from GE into 12. I was surprised that this Mesh disappeared and it became became just the [GE-warped] drawing.