3d Models to Google Earth WEB

SketchUp
1

Is there an way to use SketchUp to get 3d models into a compatible for to use in Google Earth WEB? Having trouble with bring in a collada file in Google Earth Web and thought maybe SketchUp could help me.

2

I don’t believe Google Earth web has the option to open files. On Google Earth Pro you can open KMZ files.

Are you using the free web version of SketchUp as your forum profile implies?

3

Yes, I am. Google Earth Web opens KML and KMZ, but won’t show any .dae file that are included. I’ve seen some people working with 3d models in Earth, and was saw some posts that seemed to indicate it might have to do with the complexity of the 3d model file…ie stripped down in some way.

4

KML and KMZ can contain other information and Earth Web can open files created in Earth.

I expect what you’ve seen is coming from the desktop version of Google Earth.

What is it you’re working on? Maybe there’s a different option.

5

To clarify a few points:

  • KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is a programming language that Google adopted to describe geographic features “placemarks” in Google Earth. It works entirely in latitude, longitude, altitude coordinates. That makes it quite awkward for describing more rectangular things like buildings.

  • KMZ is a zip archive that may contain other things in addition to KML data. Google created KMZ when it wanted to add 3D buildings to Google Earth and realized that KML is not a good choice for that purpose. To support Cartesian x,y,z modeling they added the ability to include a geolocated collada (.dae) file along with KML. Today Google Earth Pro is able to handle KMZ with embedded dae, but I think Google Earth web version will only process pure kml even in a kmz archive.

  • When Google bought SketchUp in the hope that users would use it to populate Google Earth with free 3D buildings, they added exporters for collada and kmz to SketchUp. Google Earth Pro (desktop) is still able to load kmz created by SketchUp, but only locallly. That is, you can load kmz you created using SketchUp , but the model is not uploaded to Google’s servers and is not visible to anyone else unless you send them your kmz and they load it into their own desktop.

  • Google long ago changed to creating 3D building using other technologies. Soon afterward they put SketchUp for sale. If Trimble hadn’t purchased it, SketchUp would likely be long dead.

6

Yes, you are right, we are saving a bunch of solar panel 3d (collada) models in Google Earth PRO. then selecting KMZ (tried KML, too).
I can add that file into Google Earth Web. It goes to the location, but no models appear.
Loading that same file in Google Earth Pro successfully loads the models.

The reason we are trying to get them into the web version is that my students are using the “Stories” feature in the web version, which isn’t present in Pro.
All ideas appreciated!
Thanks,
John

7

Thanks…yes it does appear that only the kml within the kmz is getting processed.
I appreciate learning about the context of these files, too.
John

8

As far as I can see there’s no way to ket the SketchUp model to show up in Google Earth Web. Maybe you should contact the Google Earth folks and see if they have a solution, though.

9

Thanks. Will inquire.

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