2012 Google Model Your Town Competition

[Cross-posted from the SketchUp blog]

Following the success of last year’s Google Model Your Town competition, today we’re launching the second Google Model Your Town Competition. Model Your Town is about geo-modeling – making photo-textured models of real-life buildings that appear in Google Earth. The Model Your Town Competition is also a chance to celebrate your town by adding it to the 3D map. Of course, the USD$25,000 for a local school/district is a nice incentive too.

Barranco, Lima, Peru


The Model Your Town Competition is open to just about everyone, just about everywhere in the world. Form a team, model buildings (using SketchUp or Building Maker) and upload them by the end of February 2012.

You can model as many structures as you like – which types of buildings you choose to include is entirely up to you. The important thing is that your choices say something about the character and history of your town.

If your town wins, a bunch of us from the SketchUp team will visit, throw you a dinner party and do our best to make you feel like the local hero that you truly are. Check out the competition website for details, and start rounding up teammates!

Learn more at Your World in 3D, then get started modeling your town!

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Two new cities in Brazil

Two years ago we launched a web-based tool that creates 3D models from a 2D workspace: Google Building Maker. At the time of the launch, users could only make models in 50 cities. Today we’re adding two more cities, just in time for the anniversary of its launch. With the addition of Porto Alegre and Brasilia, you can now create models in 124 cities.

Join in the birthday celebrations by modeling some buildings in Building Maker’s newest cities. Feliz aniversário, Building Maker!

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Google Earth: Cover the world in 3D buildings

Google’s goal has long been to “add a 3D model of every building on the planet to Google Earth“, and with the help of you and I they continue to make strides toward that goal. In the five years since Google purchased SketchUp, users have contributed tens of thousands of buildings generated from SketchUp and by using tools such as Building Maker.

To help further expand the 3D coverage, Google has just unveiled the Your World in 3D site to give people a great place to access tools and information to help model their own buildings in 3D. They’ve compiled a ton of great resources including an events calendar, message forum, tips based on your level of use and a gallery of great 3D buildings around the world.

castles.jpg
 


 

If you’re not convinced that it’s worthwhile to spend time modeling buildings in 3D, Google has a video titled “Why create 3D models for Google Earth?” that tries to answer that question for you. They give some great examples of why 3D models can be useful for a city or organization:


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New cities in Building Maker

If you climb up on the roof of your house and cup your hands to your ears, I’ll bet you’ll hear cheering. That’s the sound of everyone in Fresno, Lake Tahoe, Austin, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego and St. Louis celebrating the arrival of better Building Maker coverage in their cities. Touching, no?

White outline shows current coverage area; blue indicates previous boundary.

 

Learn all about Google Building Maker (the coolest dedicated geo-modeling tool around) and give it a whirl when you’re ready. 116 cities so far!

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SketchUp: More Building Maker cities

It’s a great day for the citizens of Argentina — and for Canadians in the nation’s capital. We’ve released new Building Maker imagery in six new cities:

  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Córdoba, Argentina
  • Mar Del Plata, Argentina
  • Mendoza, Argentina
  • Rosario, Argentina
  • Ottawa, Canada

…but that’s not all! To help these cities get modeled, we’re having the first ever modeling competition for Building Maker. Starting today, you can create models in these six cities to win prizes in two different categories: Best Model and Most Models. The first place prize is a GPS-enabled digital camera; second place is a Building Maker shirt; and third is a Google travel mug. Have fun!

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