- Do I have to be a higher education student?
- What kinds of schools qualify as higher education institutions?
- Will I have to provide proof of my student status?
- Is the competition open to primary and secondary (K-12) students?
- Will Google ever have a competition for primary and secondary (K-12)?
- I was one of the winners of the previous Model Your Campus Competitions, may I enter the Bridge Competition?
- Are there countries that are not eligible to participate?
- I want to model smaller, local bridges. Does this affect my chance of being chosen as a winner?
- How many bridges should I model?
- What bridges should I model?
- Can more than one person be on a team?
- I have other questions, who do I ask?
- Do I need the Pro versions of SketchUp or Earth to model for this competition?
- Where can we get a high-resolution image of our area?
- What types of files are required for submission?
- How do I submit my models?
- How do I create a .kmz file?
- How do I fix a model that's flickering?
- The terrain does not integrate well with my model, how do I fix this?
- My models are all appearing in Boulder, Colorado, how do I fix this?
- What resolution should be used for the photographs used to texture a model?
- How does the judging work?
- How do I preview my models before submitting?
Yes. Only higher education students are eligible for this competition.
What kinds of schools qualify as higher education institutions?
A higher education institution is a college, university or other educational institution that provides instruction for students who have completed a secondary, or high school, education.
Will I have to provide proof of my student status?
Yes. If you are chosen as a finalist, you will be required to send proof of your student status. A current student ID, a current class schedule, or a letter from your department's dean or school's registrar will be required.
Is the competition open to primary and secondary (K-12) students?
No. K-12 student entries won't be accepted for the competition this year.
Will Google ever have a competition for primary and secondary (K-12)?
We sure hope so!
I was one of the winners of the previous Model Your Campus Competitions, may I enter the Bridge Competition?
Yes.
Are there countries that are not eligible to participate?
Residents of Iran, Sudan, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar (Burma) are not eligible to participate. As well, Quebec, Brazil, and Italy are not eligible due to regulatory compliance requirements.
I want to model smaller, local bridges. Does this affect my chance of being chosen as a winner?
Not at all. We highly encourage modeling smaller local bridges.
How many bridges should I model?
We encourage you to take on as many bridges as you can, but quality is more important than quantity.
What bridges should I model?
Choose to model bridges located anywhere in the world. But, only bridges that have not yet been modeled in 3D for Google Earth will be eligible. The list of excluded bridge models can be found here.
Can more than one person be on a team?
No, this competition is open to individuals only.
I have other questions, who do I ask?
Feel free to visit our Google Competition Group to discuss questions with other participants and to get fast answers to your questions.
Do I need the Pro versions of SketchUp or Earth to model for this competition?
No. The free versions of Google SketchUp and Google Earth are perfectly adequate.
Where can we get a high-resolution image of our area?
If the image of your area in Google Earth is low-res, you may consider checking with your city planning department or city government for imagery data and resources to create an image overlay. Digital Globe may also have resources available.
What types of files are required for submission?
Google SketchUp (SKP) and Google Earth (KMZ) files are required for submission.
How do I submit my models?
Please visit our submission guidelines page.
How do I create a .kmz file?
- Click File > Export > 3D Model...
- Choose the 'Google Earth' file format. If you're using SketchUp 6, choose 'Google Earth 4.'
- Provide a file name and click Export.
The terrain does not integrate well with my model, how do I fix this?
Build your own terrain. For help on building additional terrain, please see the Best Practices Guide on the Getting Started page. During this process, we suggest replacing your black and white aerial image with a color image.
My models are all appearing in Boulder, Colorado, how do I fix this?
To resolve this issue, please view this Help Center article.
What resolution should be used for the photographs used to texture a model?
At this time, SketchUp won't display images larger than 1024x1024 at 72dpi. We suggest using textures at this resolution or smaller. To reduce the resolution of your original photos, we suggest reading the 'Optimizing your Textures' section in our best practices
How does the judging work?
Models will be judged in accordance with the best practices document guidelines.
Specifically, your models should include the following items:
- Maintain accuracy in scale and location.
- Focus on important and identifying details.
- Show small, intricate details through photo textures.
- Boast a low face count.
- Contain beautifully made textures void of visual noise such as cars, trees, and people.
- Include accuracy of the bridge placement in Google Earth terrain (eg. no floating buildings, adjustments of terrain, if required)
- Click Tools > Google Earth > Place Model
How do I preview my models before submitting?
Click Tools > Google Earth > Place Model
