Imported KMZ not showing

[ahuimanu]

I am trying to use Google Earth Pro to outline a building footprint as a starter shape. There is a great setting when you create a polygon such that you set an altitude above ground and then extend sides to the ground.

When I import the KMZ, model converter X does not show it.

Am I trying something that is not possible?

 

[arno]

Hi,

At the moment MCX only supports KML files that reference a COLLADA 3D model. But I'll see if the extruded polygon is easy to implement.

 

[ahuimanu]

Thank you Arno. That would be nice as this footprint technique lets me reliably estimate building height.

 

[arno]

When I looked at your sample, I did not see a height in there. It only said extrude 1 (unless you made it 1 meter height in this sample).

 

[JRobinson]

Height is the 3rd number in the coordinate string, Lon,Lat,Alt where alt was 33m so it's a ploygon that sits at 33m AGL, extrude 1 comes from ticking a box in the GE properties - "extend sides to ground".

 

[arno]

I must have looked wrong then, I thought I only saw 2 coordinates per vertex.

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Arno:

This is interesting, as I had not tinkered previously with the GE "Extrude" option when working with GE's internally-created KML / KMZ vector Polygons.

To illustrate what is being discussed here, I have attached (2) screenshots:


KPIT Hyatt GE Placemark 3D Bldg Visible

KPIT Hyatt GE Placemark 3D Bldg NOT Visible (GE Menu > Tool > Options > [3D View tab] > Un-check "Use 3D Imagery")

I had, however, tinkered previously with the GE's internally-created KML / KMZ vector Polygons as a possible way to create footprints to import into Sketchup as KML files via a plugin Ruby script.

But GE always exports in EPSG:4326 (Geographic Lat-Lon projection / WGS84 Datum) which is "warped", rather than EPSG:3857 which is NOT "warped".

So, one must re-project GE internally-created KML vector Polygon footprints from EPSG:4326 to EPSG:3857 via a GIS application prior to import into Sketchup as KML files for 3D modeling.


While I understand that the feature set of MCX is more focused on 3D models, would it be possible to add a re-projection feature just for GE KML / KMZ 'footprint' files ?

And could that feature set also convert GE's internally-created KML / KMZ vector Polygons into a Sketchup-compatible GE-type KML / KMZ 'internal Collada *.DAE' 3D model 'extruded footprint' ?


Alternatively, would it be possible to add a less complex feature set available via the menu system in ScenProc, which does NOT require scripting to convert such KML / KMZ files from EPSG:4326 to EPSG:3857, and then also offer an output file format option as a ESRI *.SHP, or Sketchup-compatible GE-type KML / KMZ 'internal Collada *.DAE' 3D model 'extruded footprint' file ?


Thanks in advance for considering addition of this potentially helpful option to either / both of your MCX and ScenProc FS utilities to assist 3D scenery developers.

GaryGB

 

[arno]

Hi Gary,

MCX does not deal with various projections, that's more for scenproc. It might be that scenproc can already read the kml file, I would have to test that. Scenproc works with 4326 internally as well, so when it exports it's in that coordinate system.

For MCX my plan is to turn the polygon into a 3D building by extruding it.

 

[arno]

Hi,

I just checked, scenProc can read the KML file without issues and reads the polygon from it. But the step in scenProc to make a 3D building is still very much experimental and would not use the height of the vertices at the moment.

 

[GaryGB]

Hi,

I just checked, scenProc can read the KML file without issues and reads the polygon from it. But the step in scenProc to make a 3D building is still very much experimental and would not use the height of the vertices at the moment.

I believe just being initially able to use ScenProc to re-project the KML / KMZ files from EPSG:4326 to EPSG:3857 and then re-export another KML / KMZ would be very helpful to folks that are challenged by the learning curve for GIS applications and/or plugins for Sketchup.

We can easily manually extrude the re-projected / un-warped footprints in Sketchup with the Push-Pull Tool.


FYI: There is now a very good plugin Ruby script that imports several CAD / GIS formats to Sketchup:

Ruby Tuesday [2020-06-16]

Ruby Tuesday [2017-08-01]

Technically, on Monday July 31st at 3:00 P.M. USA Central Daylight Savings time, it is already "Tuesday" somewhere in the world !


This is being posted as a followup to a discussion regarding alternative ways to import Google Earth (aka "GE") and/or Google Maps raster aerial imagery and/or vector objects into Sketchup with Geo-rectification information ...in this thread:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/updated-sketchup-wont-work.440430/


[Plugin] KML Tools (2.0.0-beta) — updated 31.05.2013 - by Aerilius

https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=38009

https://sketchucation.com/forums/download/file.php?id=106733

This script reportedly works only with Sketchup versions 7 through 2013


This (free) 3rd party plugin enables import of GE KML GIS source data to Sketchup version-8.

DO NOT ATTEMPT INSTALLING / USING THIS PLUGIN ON LATER VERSIONS OF SKETCHUP.


< NOTE: newer versions of Sketchup can import Sketchup version-8 *.SKP or *.KMZ output files. >


FYI: After import of GE vector objects to Sketchup, one may draw a super-imposed 3-point 'rotated' rectangle traced over the vector poly-line or polygon, then delete the original object ...to ensure all derived Faces are true rectangles.



[Plugin] Loader for Rotated Rectangle, Circle and Box v1.1.1 - by Michaelv


This (free) plugin draws a 3-point 'rotated' rectangle off any 2 edges in Sketchup-8:

https://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=3Points_Tools


DO NOT ATTEMPT INSTALLING / USING THIS PLUGIN ON LATER VERSIONS OF SKETCHUP.


BTW: A pertinent thread regarding installation of Sketchup version-8 and/or plugin Ruby scripts:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/ruby-tuesday-2017-03-14.439657/


Hope this helps !

GaryGB

UPDATE:

Since the above threads were last edited, more options are now available to the FS Developer using Google Earth and Sketchup.


Arno's FS utilities MCX and ScenProc may prove useful in facilitating a work-flow to create 3D models from Google Earth KMLs:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/imported-kmz-not-showing.447923/


FYI: There is now a very good plugin Ruby script that imports several CAD / GIS formats to Sketchup:

Tools 4 SketchUp

https://t4su.wordpress.com/

https://t4su.wordpress.com/2016/07/11/how-to-test-it/


Tools 4 SketchUp Documentation

Release 0.1.1Kevin Hartwell, Thomas LeducFeb 17, 2017

t4su doc .pdf

https://www.pdf-archive.com/2017/05/03/t4su-doc/t4su-doc.pdf

Hope this helps !

GaryGB

GaryGB

 

[arno]

Gary,

We are drifting a bit of topic here, but I'll see if it is easy to export to EPSG 3857 from scenProc as well.

 

[GaryGB]

Many Thanks for looking into this, Arno.

My apologies to ahuimanu (aka "Jeff") if this digression went a bit far afield, but considering your prior posts regarding "ArcGIS Anguish", Sketchup for 3D modeling, as well as GE and FSX-KML for terrain, this new topic seemed to involve an interest in using KML output from GE to create (non-warped) footprints for 3D models, so I thought it might be an opportune time to mention the need to change GIS projection for content output by GE that is intended and required to be used in Sketchup (or any other 3D modeling application) versus the default GE output GIS projection format otherwise ready-to-use for terrain scenery.

BTW: Considering your interest in extending use of vector data sets between FS, GE, SBuilderX, MCX, ScenProc and other FS development utilities, perhaps you might also be aware of Patrick Germain's CvxExtractor ?

CVXExtractor - Exporting vector data.

Hi folks CVXExtractor is a command-line application that allows you to export the vector data of a CVX BGL file into one of the following formats: - XML (Plain XML) - KML or KMZ - ESRI Shapes - BLN - OSM (Open StreetMap XML) Also note that original lines or polygons may be split if they cross...

www.fsdeveloper.com

GaryGB