Building 3D models for Google Earth

Accurate representations of real-world buildings that are modeled efficiently may be candidates for inclusion in the "Best of 3D Warehouse" layer in Google Earth. If you would like your models to be considered, follow these steps:

1. Place your SketchUp model in Google Earth.
2. Publish your model to the 3D Warehouse.

Modeling Guidelines - Tips and tricks for creating great 3D textured buildings

• Model existing, real-world buildings. Historical or proposed buildings are completely appropriate for the 3D Warehouse, but to be considered for inclusion in the Best of 3D Warehouse layer in Google Earth, the models must represent current structures.
• Use images as your textures. Take a picture of the building, do any necessary photo editing and use them as textures. This saves you from having high detail yet the model looks great. Click here for more photography suggestions.
  • If you don't have image textures then use SketchUp materials and colors to approximate your building. White buildings won't make the cut.
  • Do not use copyrighted material. Use your own photo or those available in the public domain.
• Low-poly is critical. Do not include trees, cars, people etc. in your model. Also, check your face count in the Model Info window. It's like golf... smaller numbers are better. Watch these videos (or view PDF) that demonstrate best practices.
• Make sure your building is properly positioned on Google Earth. Use the 'Place Model' button in SketchUp to verify that the building looks right - especially with terrain turned on.
• Make sure your building is not a duplicate of existing 3D warehouse models. To check, download the 3D Warehouse Network Link and load it into Google Earth. Fly to the location of your model. If your model is not a duplicate of existing models, or if your model is of better quality than existing models, your model will have a better chance of being selected to appear in the Best of 3D Warehouse layer.
• Follow these best practices when publishing your models to the 3D Warehouse.
  • At the time of upload, make sure you check the 'Google Earth Ready' option.
  • Do not draw "MY HOUSE" or "myhouse@me.com" as a texture on a face. If you want to add that kind of information you should do it in the description.
  • Provide a useful, interesting description. Remember, your title and description might be seen by the entire Google Earth community; tell an interesting story!