Last month Google added some new features to Building Maker and this month they’ve added some new cities. The new cities added are:
• Rome, Italy
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• Long Beach, California
• Malibu, California
To try them for yourself, simply head over to the Building Maker site and get started!
If you’re not yet familiar with Building Maker, you can read this post on getting started with it, or watch the short video below.
Delft, The Netherlands was the most recent location for a Your World in 3D workshop. The goal of the event was to gather members of the local community to learn Building Maker so that they could model The Hague. Design8, an established Google SketchUp distributor in The Netherlands, organized, promoted and led a very successful event. Over 60 people attended the workshop, which was held at the ultra-modern technical facilities of TU Delft, a prominent Dutch engineering school.
The Dutch version of YMCA?The day was kicked-off with a presentation from Professor Alexander Verbraeck of TU Delft, where he shared numerous examples of how 3D digital models were being used today. “It’s no longer a fringe area of study” he said, “3D is very much here to stay.”
Participants listen to opening remarks.I followed with a brief summary of why Google was supporting these workshops and why it was important for local residents to develop and maintain 3D models of their cities. To paraphrase: “The built-world is undergoing change every day. Local residents are in a far better position to maintain an accurate view of their town than Google.”
Workshop attendees ranged in both age and experience. We had everyone from teenagers who have grown up with computers in their lives, to retirees who are eager to learn a new skill. Building Maker is a tool that suits all ages and skill levels. The Hague was added to Building Maker in December with a few other cities. Geo-modeling has been popular in The Netherlands since the concept was first introduced in 2006, so the strong interest the workshop received wasn’t unexpected.
Orlando from Design8 assisting a workshop participantAfter a short introductory demonstration by Orlando Sardaro of Design8, attendees began modeling. Prizes were offered for the best model and for the most models created. Had we offered a prize for “most distance traveled”, Supermodeler MILO Minderbinder would have walked away with two awards. The young man, (who is not yet old enough to drive) endured a three-hour train ride (each way!) to attend the workshop. Not unexpectedly, MILO put his modeling talents to work and created this terrific model in SketchUp in the short time he was there. The prize for his work is a 3D print of the model, provided by i.materialise.
Nicole and I would like to thank Design8, TU Delft, and all the attendees for a terrific day!
Endlessly repetitive buildings might not do wonders for the urban fabric of a city (Le Corbusier’s Ville Radieuse, anyone?), but they present some distinct advantages for the average geo-modeling addict. Anyone using a computer who hears the phrase “repeated forms” should immediately think “duplicate.” After all, doing the same thing over and over again is what microprocessors live for.
Similar buildings in the The Hague, The Netherlands
Nearly identical apartment blocks in Berlin, GermanyIn situations like the ones in the cities above, Building Maker‘s “New from current” feature really comes in handy. You use it to duplicate existing models for re-use elsewhere. With any saved model open, right-click in the center of the next building you want to work on and choose Start new building from current from the context menu that pops up. Here’s what it looks like in the app:
Model a building in Building Maker and save it.
Right click the center of the next building you want to model and choose Start new building from current.
Position the new building wireframe in multiple views.
Repeat a few times, and you end up with something like this. These models, incidentally, were made by Supermodeler Dan Nielsen (aka Dan2310) almost a year ago—without this nifty new feature. Think of how much time he could have saved!