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Satellite Maps for Sketchup

K

kmanning

Messages
1,268
Hi Gary,

I assume you recall that we used to do go to File, Geo Location, Add Location, but as you know, we can't do that anymore, unless the Pro version is used. The only thing I can do now is use Google Earth, take a screen shot, then import it into Sketchup. But the problem is that I have to take the time to scale it and align it to my model. I have to go to Google Earth and use the measuring tool to make measurement of a know length, or distance, and then scale that in Sketchup. Before, one did not have to do that. It was accurately scaled and positioned in Sketchup. I'm working on modeling a few of the shopping centers around the airport. I've imported the image and aligned and scaled it, but I did not grab enough of the image. So, I'm having to add the rest of the image that I need to complete the shopping centers, but it not easy to scale it to the exact scale of the first image I imported earlier, and then getting it to align. I known I can use SbuilderX and import images into ADE and enter the coordinates into the boxes, but I don't think I can do that with Sketchup, as I know of. I also thought about the kml file that's used in Sketchup but it only imports an L shape line with no image. But I was wondering does it work along with importing an image? Is there a way, or a work around, so that I can import the images without having to scale and aligning it? What about the GSIS images? Can those be exported or imported into sketchup in a way that will place the map into the exact location, as did the Geo Location used previously?

Ken.
 
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Hi Ken:

When you use Sketchup version-8 with Aerilius' plugin Ruby script "KML Tools", the first KML "Path" object file exported from Google Earth Desktop Edition, when imported into Sketchup, will assign its very first vertex Geographic coordinates to the Geo-location of Sketchup for that project ...ONLY when saved and exported to MCX as a KMZ file.


If you have the original Google Earth KML file from the prior Sketchup project with the under-sized aerial imagery, import that file into a blank Sketchup project and copy out the Geographic coordinates for the Geo-location into ex: Windows NotePad.

Next, edit the SBuilderX.ini file for SBuilderX version 3.15 to set the central project location Geographic coordinates to those copied out of the Sketchup project Geo-location that were set by the imported KML file.

Then start SBuilderX and capture aerial imagery at the size / resolution you require via Add Map > From Background..

This will be written into the SBuilderX\Tools\Work sub-folder as a BMP that can be imported into Sketchup.


CAVEAT: Aerial imagery and/or object placement precision decreases beyond 1 Kilometer from a project's center.


NOTE: If the project size exceeds 50 MB in Sketchup 32-bit or 300 MB in 64-bit, Sketchup slows down considerably.

Be sure to disable Sketchup 3D Model 'thumbnail updates' for large projects to reduce risk of project lag or freezes.

PS: After a Sketchup project KMZ file is first created in version-8 with the "KML Tools" plugin, any numeric version of Sketchup can then be used for editing, provided that the file is always saved and exported within that same KMZ file format.


Hope this helps expand your options beyond the original Sketchup Geo-location work-around I posted previously. :-)

GaryGB
 
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