I built a model with a geo location. I built another model with a different geo location and exported it to a kmz file. Then I imported the kmz file in the first model. This worked perfectly.
Then I built a third model with another geo location and exported it to a kmz file. When I imported this kmz file in the first model, all the objects from the third model were imported as if the origin of the third model was equal to the origin of the first model.
After some experimenting my conclusion is that Sketchup looses the geo location from the imported model when the distance between the model is too large.
My solution for this is to create an empty model with a geo location not too far from the first model, then importing the first model into the new model, and then saving the new model. In this way I shift the origin of the model to a new location. And then I can import models that are close enough to the new origin.
I don’t know of a solution for this but I do know that working with very big models might bring you big issues later on.
Model might not display properly or model might be innacurate at long distances.
However, there’s nothing stopping you from keep on doing what you want. Just don’t work on this models with too much detail on them and keep them broke apart so you can edit them separatelly if needed.
I found the solution: When the distance between the origin of the model and the origin of the kmz file is more than 1000 meters, I get a warning:
This model is geo-located more than 1000 meters from the origin.
Preserving this geo-location may result in misalignment if exported to Google Earth.
Do you want to:
Preserve location Choose new location
I didn’t want to export to Google Earth, so ‘Preserve location’ seemed the right choice for me. But it’s not!
When I choose ‘Choose new location’ the imported model is placed at the right position!
I know importing large areas is not accurate. Distances measured in the model are not the same as distances measured in Google Maps. But maybe Google Maps is not accurate too.
I’m building a model for a windfarm, particularly for projection of the shadows on houses within a distance of 1000 meters. The distance from one end of the windfarm to the other end is 1600 meters, so my model has a length of 3600 meters.
I don’t need the exact dates and times when a shadow hits a house, it’s more important to show in which
time of year and which part of day (morning, afternoon, evening) shadows will hit a house.
To make things more confusing: when the distance between the origin of the model and the origin of the kmz file is more than 2000 meters you don’t get a warning and you can’t choose ‘Choose new location’!
And the geo-location of the kmz file will be ignored.
As an aside, I would like the Geolocation window to have something (crosshairs, perhaps) to show more accurately which part of the imported image and terrain is going to land at the SketchUp model origin.
When I open the Geolocation Window en choose Select Region I see an area with 4 ‘pins’ in the corner, and a + in the center of the area. The + will become the origin of the model and the 4 pins mark the outside of the area.
Examples:
model 1 with a geo-location somewhere in the world
model 2 with a geo-location exactly 500 meters west of model 1, exported to model2.kmz
model 3 with a geo-location exactly 1500 meters west of model 1, exported to model3.kmz
model 4 with a geo-location exactly 3000 meters west of model 1, exported to model4.kmz
When you import model2.kmz in model 1 the distance between the 2 models will be 500 meters.
When you import model3.kmz in model 1 you get a warning: “This model is geo-located more than 1000 meters from the origin”. If you choose ‘Choose new location’ the distance between the 2 models will be 1500 meter. If you choose ‘Preserve location’ the geo-location of model3.kmz will be ignored, and the imported model will have the same origin as model 1.
When you import model4.kmz in model 1 you don’t get a warning, the geo-location of model4.kmz will be ignored, and the imported model will have the same origin as model 1.
If you really want to import model4.kmz in model 1, you first have to import it in model 3.
Then you can export model 3 to model3.kmz and import model3.kmz in model 1.
