Importing 3D Buildings from Google Earth?

[fsxkitty 62]

Hi guys,

 

Fly to any major city on X-Plane, and you'll see a bunch of generic buildings.

 

Fly to any major city on Google Earth, and you'll find custom-made 3D buildings which replicate the ones which you would see in real life (go ahead and try it). But in some cases, (such as San Francisco), Google Earth doesn't have 3D objects for buildings, but rather has the city actually photographed in 3D.

 

I'm not an expert on this stuff, but importing these buildings from Google Earth to X-Plane shouldn't be a mammoth task. In the case of cities like San Francisco, maybe it could be possible to import the whole 3D city?

 

What do you guys think? I reckon this should be a pretty simple task for LR.

[scotchegg 4,158]

I reckon it would directly contravene Google's terms of use.

[fsxkitty 62]

I reckon it would directly contravene Google's terms of use.

 

I doubt it, considering the fact that Google Earth imagery is used in tons of places.

 

But if it does violate the terms of use, I guess LR could make a deal with Google where they can use Earth's 3D buildings as long as XPX acknowledges the source somewhere (the loading screen would be a good place.)

[LawnDart 19]

Highly doubt that Google would allow usage without hefty licensing fees. I happen to work in an industry where Google-GEO API's are used and we pay for them... dearly...

 

The licensing is incredibly restrictive unless you have the money to use the data.

[Humpty 751]

Ha there is the tool GMAPS, I would suggest check it out. it will downloading the skectup models but it is still experimental for the buildings. It's very simple to use.  I use it  and you can create photo + mesh. 

 

http://members.ferrara.linux.it/cavicchi/GMaps/

 

 I would not know about the License issues from Google for this app and this app is free. First check google warehouse for your local area if it contains any sketchup models and than you will need to get the .kml using Google earth by making a polygon of the desired area and than downloading it with Gmaps. This app does not work on windows by default so if you are on windows then please download Cygwin and follow the instructions on the website. 

 

Wow , did not read your post completely , but importing the whole 3d city is a mammoth task with all the correct objects and a heavy download. Try it with a small area using the tool above , hope it works but remember this app for the buildings is still experimental.

[scotchegg 4,158]

I doubt it, considering the fact that Google Earth imagery is used in tons of places.

Restrictions on Use. Unless you have received prior written authorization from Google (or, as applicable, from the provider of particular Content), you must not: (a) copy, translate, modify, or make derivative works of the Content or any part thereof; (b) redistribute, sublicense, rent, publish, sell, assign, lease, market, transfer, or otherwise make the Products or Content available to third parties; © reverse engineer, decompile or otherwise attempt to extract the source code of the Service or any part thereof, unless this is expressly permitted or required by applicable law; (d) use the Products in a manner that gives you or any other person access to mass downloads or bulk feeds of any Content, including but not limited to numerical latitude or longitude coordinates, imagery, and visible map data; (e) delete, obscure, or in any manner alter any warning or link that appears in the Products or the Content; or (f) use the Service or Content with any products, systems, or applications for or in connection with (i) real time navigation or route guidance, including but not limited to turn-by-turn route guidance that is synchronized to the position of a user's sensor-enabled device; or (ii) any systems or functions for automatic or autonomous control of vehicle behavior; (g) use the Products to create a database of places or other local listings information.

 

http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/terms_maps.html

[tonywob 4,768]

What baffles me, is that people who "help out" Google by editing their maps and creating 3D warehouse models, basically don't have any rights to their own work. Some of the models are really fantastic, and it's a pity they can't be used. Why would anyone with such talent simply give control over the models and work to some corporation to control.

 

There is talk at OSM about letting people upload real 3D models for use in OSM 3D renderers. The major difference here is that the models will be open for anyone to use, and will probably use a better format suited for X-Plane. It's already possible to map quite detailed 3D buildings in OSM (but without texturing). and this stuff is open for anyone to use. The texture library they have is already open for anyone to use.

[gizmosellsbunnys 106]

Google earth buildings not pratical to use anyways some have thousands of polygons. Should learn blender but afraid my brain will overload as zmod, gmax, sketchup are my bread and butter these are far easier to use.

[tonywob 4,768]

 

 

Should learn blender but afraid my brain will overload as zmod, gmax, sketchup are my bread and butter these are far easier to use.

 

This is exactly what I've started doing now. Although I've used Sketchup to create some 3D houses, I've found it isn't producing the most efficient objects, and I can't seem to control LODs, etc. So I've downloaded Blender, I opened it, I got very scared , and then bookmarked the tutorials to watch later. It looks like it is going to take some effort to get used to it, but people swear by it 

[gheeD 62]

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/preview_tos.html

 

 

 

Your Content in the Services

The Services allow you to submit content, including 3D models in the SketchUp and Keyhole Markup Language (KML) formats. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.

By uploading, submitting or otherwise storing content in the Services, you agree to license certain rights to Google, Trimble and others, as described below:

Models associated with a geolocation (e.g. 3D buildings viewable on Google Earth) submitted before [June 1, 2012] (“Existing Geolocated Models”). You give Google a perpetual, sublicensable, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Existing Geolocated Models and related content and derivative works thereof which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google and its sub-licensees (including Trimble) to make available, display, distribute and promote the Services and related Google and Trimble products and services, including to provide the Existing Geolocated Models and related content to the users of such products and services.

Models that are not associated with a geolocation (e.g. 3D models of everyday objects) submitted before [June 1, 2012] (“Existing Non-Geolocated Models”). You give Trimble a perpetual, sublicensable, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Existing Non-Geolocated Models and related content and derivative works thereof which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Trimble and its sub-licensees (including Google) to make available, display, distribute and promote the Services and related Google and Trimble products and services, including to provide the Existing Non-Geolocated Models and related content to the users of such products and services.

All models submitted after [June 1, 2012] (“New Models”). You give Trimble a perpetual, sublicensable, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any New Models and related content and derivative works thereof which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Trimble and its sub-licensees (including Google) to make available, display, distribute and promote the Services and related Google and Trimble products and services, including to provide the New Models and related content to the users of such products and services.

Rights granted to other end users of the Services. You give other end users of the Services a perpetual, sublicensable, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute Existing Geolocated Models, Existing Non-Geolocated Models, New Models and related content and derivative works thereof which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.

 

These license rights continue even if you stop using the Services (for example, if a 3D model which you submitted has been incorporated into Google Earth). You can stop distributing content through 3D Warehouse at any time by using the content removal tools provided, however please note that this will not affect the license rights granted above.

Make sure you have the necessary rights to grant these licenses for any content that you submit to the Services.

 

 

 

To my understanding 3d warehouse objects (aka the ones displayed in google earth) are free for anyone to use.

[scotchegg 4,158]

 

 

To my understanding 3d warehouse objects (aka the ones displayed in google earth) are free for anyone to use.

 

Sorry ghee but your understanding may need some support. What you've pasted simply says anything you submit for use in Google Maps remains your IP to use freely. You can't freely use stuff other people have submitted:

 

"You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours."

[gheeD 62]

"You give other end users of the Services a perpetual, sublicensable, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute Existing Geolocated Models, Existing Non-Geolocated Models, New Models and related content and derivative works thereof which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services." 

 

To me that line very much gives anyone the right to use the 3d models that people upload to the 3D warehouse, which in turn is used by google maps and earth. There are quite a few topics regarding this on fsdeveloper, and the general idea looks like its not 100% clear, but looks like it is approved. To be safe people have asked the authors of the models they download and convert to FSX/X-plane. 

[jcomm 5,882]

At least for terrain, Flight Gear uses osgEarth:

 

http://osgearth.org/

 

Examples:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-hAo8he5w

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe0kHoEtvYA

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ5JuQ9ZDEQ