3D models to Google Earth

3D Warehouse
1

Hi!
3D models are no longer being accepted for Google Earth. So, how can I put my models for GE? This is very important for me, this is my job plan, making landmarks for government, or local government

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You can create kmz’s and add them to Google Earth via File->Open. If you’re putting these up on a web site, simply add the .kmz file for people to download. There’s also the option of Google Earth Pro - https://www.google.com/earth/buy but contact Google for more info - I’m not up to date on this.

2 Likes
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Like Barry stated, you can export a .kmz file from sketchup and import that into Google Earth.

I wanted to also state that:

  • Make sure your model has been geo-located in sketchup.
  • In the side bar of Google Earth, you may want to toggle certain 3d elements off.
  • In Google Earth you can right-click on buildings and hide them. This may be useful if Google has created a 3d building of something you’ve also created.
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I’d like my model to be public. So, how to make it to be visible in GE for public?

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I think your best option would be to make a publicly accessible KMZ through a website or maybe do something with the GE viewer (example). Either way, you are most likely going to need to host the files yourself. Google Earth has changed a lot in the last few years. They retired the SketchUp to Google Earth pipeline in October of 2013. Google also sold SketchUp to Trimble in 2012… so you are probably not going to get official Google Earth help on these forums :frowning: But for what it is worth you will probably get a lot of empathy from others who feel your pain.

1 Like
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Thanks! Sad news. I wanted to create Hungarian landmarks for sale. So, it’s over!

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As it has been said, when Google doesn’t accept models anymore, the conclusion is that you can’t make models public by default in Google Earth. In these days, it is not good to make a business depending on one company (like Google), if that’s your only source of income.

Either you expose your users to a bit of effort to manually download and open kmz files on their own. If you create your own Google Earth network link, only one download would be needed and further models could be loaded automatically on demand. Still .kmz is not a Google-Earth-only format and geo information and government agencies use it even in more professional applications to display geolocated 3d models.
It is understandable that we can not reach the same world-wide audience as we could when Google published the models on the 3D buildings layer, so part of this “job” is now not only modeling but also distributing the models.

Or you choose an alternative platform where you have more control and continuity (but have to invest development effort):
Build your own website with either the Google Earth browser API, or other webgl/3d globe libraries like cesium, WebGLEarth, OpenWebGlobe, OpenLayers [*].
With effective advertising, websites can also be an attractive choice because visitors can immediately discover the 3d content without the hurdle of downloading a (maybe obscure) application.

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Thanks, friend! Correct article!