# Geolocation - translation attributes?

**URL:** <https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724>\
**Category:** SketchUp\
**Tags:** geolocation, georeference\
**Created:** [March 9, 2016, 8:41am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724 "2016-03-09T08:41:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![maxB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/maxb/32/8212_2.png) [@maxB](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/maxB)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:41am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724/1 "2016-03-09T08:41:44Z")

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Noticed yesterday some translation attributes when a model has been geo located.

I geo-located a model to a location in the Netherlands. At that moment some keys and values are set (displayed here using an attribute plugin).

Just being curious: Whats the logic for the translation? Could it affect the accuracy of the units?

![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/2X/7/7738a9807888d6a4f1abe0d6192f424c77e55c9f.jpg)

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**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724/2 "2016-03-09T18:27:31Z")

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That dictionary gets inserted with Google Earth terrain component information.

See this thread (and the related thread links in the right margin):

> [@Geolocation has wrong elevation](http://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-has-wrong-elevation/14026/9):
>
> Huck, you need to think of models as components. If you model a McDonald’s restaurant, later you’ll want to insert copies of it at many different elevations, all over the world. The model has a local coordinate system based upon it’s local datum (the model’s internal origin,) which is the insertion point for the model, as a component, into the world coordinate system. The elevation information, in the “GeoReference” attribute dictionary, “ModelTranslationZ” attribute is the z coordinate, where…

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**Author:** ![maxB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/maxb/32/8212_2.png) [@maxB](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/maxB)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 6:25am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724/3 "2016-03-10T06:25:00Z")

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Dan, as always, thanks for the clarification.

So am I correct to assume the translation is just a reference to the North American Datum?  
It has no function in SketchUp (if I don’t make models for Google Earth ea)?

The values could be replaced with some custom values if needed to reference them to the Dutch coordinate system without any problem?

Or are there uses for these translations within SketchUp itself?

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**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724/4 "2016-03-10T11:55:54Z")

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> [@maxB](#):
>
> So am I correct to assume the translation is just a reference to the North American Datum?

We do think so. However this data came **_from_** Google Earth. So the definitive answer would be in the GE API (I would think.)

> [@maxB](#):
>
> It has no function in SketchUp (if I don’t make models for Google Earth)?

Right, this data would be for later viewing you model in the Google Earth application. Google no longer accepts models for the online GE.

> [@maxB](#):
>
> The values could be replaced with some custom values if needed to reference them to the Dutch coordinate system without any problem?

I cannot say. I am not a “Google Eather”.

I would suspect that if you wanted to export to some other GIS system (besides Google Earth,) you would somehow need to convert the coordinates into the other system.  
See API documentation: [**`Geom::UTM`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/utm) and [**`Geom::LatLong`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/latlong)

If I was tasked to do it, I’d leave the GE “GeoReference” dictionary as is, and create another for the “Dutch” system with the converted coordinates, and a different but descriptive name. (At the very least, I’d create a backup copy of the original dictionary, so it could be restored later.)

> [@maxB](#):
>
> Or are there uses for these translations within SketchUp itself?

At the same time this “GeoLocation” dictionary is created, SketchUp sets the model’s internal location properties, for use with the native shadow engine. This data is kept in the model’s **`ShadowInfo`** hash. (I also think this can be changed manually later, which could invalidate the “GeoLocation” dictionary.)  
See API documentation: [**`Sketchup::ShadowInfo`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/shadowinfo)

SketchUp does not actually use the Z translation. It assumes sea level (it seems) for all shadow calculations [_as of v16_.] (Unless I suppose you use the Ocean bottom modeling extension and have the “model on sea floor” dictionary set true.)

From within SketchUp, you are actually within the edit context of the model as if it is a component. (Which it actually is to any external model “world”.)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![maxB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/maxb/32/8212_2.png) [@maxB](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/maxB)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:16pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724/5 "2016-03-10T12:16:54Z")

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Thanks for the answer, very helpful. Its all more clear now. Good suggestion to create a new dictionary.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/geolocation-translation-attributes/21724/6 "2016-03-15T12:31:57Z")

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> [@DanRathbun](#):
>
> > [@maxB](#):
> >
> > The values could be replaced with some custom values if needed to reference them to the Dutch coordinate system without any problem?
> 
> I would suspect that if you wanted to export to some other GIS system (besides Google Earth,) you would somehow need to convert the coordinates into the other system. See API documentation: [**`Geom::UTM`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/utm) and [**`Geom::LatLong`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/latlong)

@maxB, found these also in the Ruby API:

[**`Sketchup::Model.get_datum`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#get_datum)  
[**`Sketchup::Model.set_datum`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#set_datum)

[**`Sketchup::Model.list_datums`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#list_datums)

[**`Sketchup::Model.latlong_to_point`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#latlong_to_point)  
[**`Sketchup::Model.point_to_latlong`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#point_to_latlong)

[**`Sketchup::Model.point_to_utm`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#point_to_utm)  
[**`Sketchup::Model.utm_to_point`**](http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/developer/docs/ourdoc/model#utm_to_point)