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.

[#2]

Erika,

Please send me the plan file in a compressed file in a PM.

Thanks,
P.

Erika wrote:
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.

[graan]

I save it as a module in AC11, and open the module in AC12, works great for me.

[Erika Epstein]

I just redid the exercise as I just clean installed AC. This time the mesh came in fine. The drawing was visible in plan but not the 3D window.
Files sent to Peter!
Thanks

[graan]

for a good 3D you need to load the GEsnapshot used for the top surface material of the mesh in your librarie

[Erika Epstein]

You are right, it should work that way. But it doesn't. Perhaps it's my local AC version.

Creating a mod file of it also has the same problem. The work around I've found is to bring the same GE site into AC12 then you see both the mesh and the site drwg.

Of course, this could all be operator(me) error

[Karl Ottenstein]

PeterKis wrote:
...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.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for posting! I wish that there had been the possibility to provide advanced texture mapping to the mesh object instead. This is the first time someone from GS has acknowledged this problem to me - which I reported years ago and experience on a regular basis, with no workaround.

For example, attached is an OpenGL view of a mesh that I created from surveyor data with an image applied to it. You'll notice crazy distortion of the image (should be trees and contour lines like elsewhere). Adjusting the mesh points - which makes the mesh inaccurate - can shrink these distortions but not eliminate them.

The LW render of the same thing gives a different, still wrong, results.

So, I understand the problem. But, it would be nice if either the base problem was solved, or perhaps the GE Connection add-on offered a choice of mesh or object so that we could choose the lesser of two evils depending on our intention. 😉

Cheers,
Karl

[Karl Ottenstein]

Slightly off-topic, but here's the same terrain mesh rendered in LightWorks - different kind of distortion of the texture, but still not usable.

Thanks,
Karl

[vistasp]

Karl wrote:
But, it would be nice if either the base problem was solved, or perhaps the GE Connection add-on offered a choice of mesh or object so that we could choose the lesser of two evils depending on our intention. 😉

I'm pro-choice here. 😉

The work-around means I have to install AC-11 even though I skipped it and have no projects in that version.

[Erika Epstein]

I think 10 was ok. I'd give it a try. Let us know if it works - or doesn't.

[vistasp]

Thanks Erika, I will. Had tried it when I was a complete newbie and had gotten v. frustrated then.