Video Archives

November 6, 2009

Links: Milwaukee and Indianpolis 3D buildings, Fraps 3.0 released

New 3D Buildings in Milwaukee and Indianapolis: Google continues to add more 3D buildings to Google, having just released Milwaukee, WI and Indianapolis, IN, along with thousands of user-generated buildings. As with past releases, I would expect that most of the user-generated buildings were from people using the Building Maker tool. (via @3DWH)

Milwaukee in 3D

Fraps Version 3.0 Released: Fraps is a Windows-only program that allows you to easily grab video from almost any program that uses DirectX or OpenGL, including Google Earth. We've used it before to show off things like Disney in 3D and it does a great job.

Today they've released version 3.0 with a few significant improvements. In particular, it now supports DirectX 11 and Windows 7, two essential technologies that this kind of software needs to support. I've tried out the new version and it runs as well as the previous ones. For $37, it's a steal. Even better, you can try it out for free (with a watermark added to the video) to see how well it'll work for you.

I personally use Jing for a lot of screen capture sessions, but for getting video imagery directly from Google Earth, Fraps can capture at a much better frame rate.

Posted by mickmel at 1:13 PM | Comments (0)

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November 3, 2009

Links: Seero for sale, i-gotU GPS logger review, Best of Building Maker expands

Seero For Sale: We've talked about Seero a few times in the past. They offer live video with GPS and did some cool stuff with Where 2.0 2008. Recently, the Seero team decided to sell the site (eBay auction) and all assets so they can focus on other projects. The site would be a serious investment, with a starting bid close to $50K. A good example of Seero's capability can be seen in this Steve McQueen video.

i-gotU GPS: The folks at @trip have a nifty new GPS device to help you put your activity into Google Earth. I've been playing with it for a few days and I tend to agree with them -- it's a great little device. It's tiny, waterproof and can be used for 80 hours non-stop; quite impressive!

The only big problem I had with it is that it's not very compatible with Windows 7. My primary desktop and my primary laptop are Windows 7, and my netbook doesn't have a CD drive. That meant I had to dig out my old XP laptop and fire it up. To their credit, it worked reasonably well on there. However, they need to solve the insane Windows 7 directions as quickly as possible. As neat as the device is, having to boot Windows in a special manner each time just to use the device is a bit too much. Also, there is no Mac version of the software available; they simply recommend Windows 2000, XP or Vista.

If you have a computer that can handle it, the cost isn't too bad (under $100 for both models) and would probably be excellent if you do a lot of travel and/or hiking. I'll keep an eye on it and let you know when they finally release decent software for Windows 7 and/or Mac. In the meantime, I'd hold off on this purchase unless you have an older Windows machine with no intention of upgrading to Win 7. Here's a short sample video from their site to show what a track looks like:

Best of Building Maker: We've mentioned this collection before, but felt it was worth showing off again. With all of the Building Maker models that are arriving in Google Earth, the Best of Building Maker collection is a great way to see some of the best. None of my models have made it in there -- have yours?

Best of Building Maker

Posted by mickmel at 9:16 AM | Comments (4)

October 13, 2009

Links: Race My Race, Random Hacks of Kindness, WorldView-2

Race My Race - Designed for athletes that want to visualize an upcoming event (running, biking, etc), this uses the Google Earth plug-in and gives you a test drive of your event. It has some slick features -- an elevation overlay as you go, start/finish gates, easily controllable speed. The downside is that many places are just flat. For example, I had it simulate the Boston Marathon, and the first 90% of the race is useless -- just flat scenery with a few hills. The end of the race (shown below) is kinda neat, with the 3D buildings all around. This simulator would do well to offer the option of StreetView, as that would make many of these courses much more lifelike. Still, it's a neat project. (via All Points Blog)

Boston Marathon Finish

Random Hacks of Kindness - Google is partnering with The World Bank to host a codejam called "Random Hacks of Kindness". As they explain: Random Hacks of Kindness will bring technologists and relief workers together to develop technologies that enable disaster victims to help themselves and give first responders and aid workers the tools they need to better help victims--to reduce loss of life and to speed recovery.

Google has built a variety of geo-related tools to assist after major disasters, such as Tropical Storm Ketsana, the Cyclone in Myanmar, and even back as far as Hurricane Katrina. The results of this gathering should help make these tools even more useful in the future.

DigitalGlobe launches WorldView-2 satellite - Just over a year ago, the GeoEye satellite was launched to provide exclusive imagery for Google. The WorldView-2 satellite was launched a few days ago aboard Boeing Delta II 7920, and promises to bring even more great imagery to Google Earth. You can read more on the DigitalGlobe site, or view the launch of the Delta 2 below:

Posted by mickmel at 9:39 AM | Comments (1)

October 9, 2009

Links: Load KMZ files on handheld Garmin devices, video of NASA rocket crashing into the moon

KMZ in a Garmin deviceGarmin has quietly released a pretty cool beta update for some of their devices; the Colorado, Oregon and Dakota, specifically. This update allows users to create image overlays in Google Earth, then load the resulting KMZ file on their device. Once loaded, the overlay will simply appear as part of the map when they view that area.

The instructions are pretty straightforward for anyone that has built an image overlay before. Simply build the overlay, save it your PC, and upload it to your device. It looks quite slick. Hopefully more devices and services will start supporting the KML/KMZ format, making the datasets in Google Earth even more useful.

Rich and Scott have both posted blog entries with tips on doing this with your Garmin. Rich covers some best practices for creating these maps to keep redraws to a minimum, while Scott gives a step-by-step walkthrough, along with a resolution chart to keep things looking sharp on your device. (via SlashGeo)

Also today, as you may have heard, NASA intentionally crashed a segment of a rocket into the moon to study the impact. Keir has built a simple page that lets you browse the moon, the Cabeus Crater where the impact occured, and view a video of the impact as an overlay on top of the moon.

You can read more about the mission on the NASA website, or view the video below for a raw look at the impact:

Posted by mickmel at 3:45 PM | Comments (1)

October 8, 2009

Links: Improve Map Data, Urban Planning Webinars, Students building 3D models

Improving Map Data: Google has just released some tools for Google Maps to make it easier to report map errors (misspelled street names, for example) in the United States. By right-clicking on the map, you can choose to "Report a problem". Google hopes to have issues corrected within a month of being reported.

The new mapping data does not yet appear to be in Google Earthis now in Google Earth, but I'd expect that it (and any error correction updates) will find it's way over to Earth before too long.

[Update, 10-Oct: The data now seems to be live in Google Earth]

Here's a short video showing the new process:

Urban Planning Webinars: Planetizen will be hosting a few webinars in the next month on how to use Google SketchUp, Maps and Earth in the context of Urban Planning. They are:

  • October 21: Using Google Maps and Mashups for Planning

  • October 28: Google Earth for Planners -- An Introduction

  • November 4: The Virtual Staff Report -- Using the Free Version of Google Earth

  • November 11: The Virtual Staff Report -- Advanced Google Earth for Planners

More information about all of their courses is available here.

Italian students building 3D models: An Italian math teacher has been using Google SketchUp with his 13-year-old students for the last few years as they work on solids. In that time, they've submitted 622 models to the 3D Warehouse! In addition, they've done some work using the Google Earth plug-in, such as head-to-head modified Monster Milk Truck. Here is a video showing models of the cars the students made this year:

For more information, you can read their Italian language blog, or read a short paper about why he chooses to use SketchUp with his math students.

Posted by mickmel at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

More entries for this category:

  1. Loop Links, Biodiversity and the Law of the Sea - September 30, 2009
  2. Links: Building Design Competition, Google Wave - September 29, 2009
  3. Links: Boston University goes 3D and a fun real estate video - September 25, 2009
  4. Augmented Reality with Google Earth - September 15, 2009
  5. Two New 3D Cities in Google Earth: Dublin and Cardiff - September 4, 2009
  6. Links: Alphabet Soup, 3D Models movie, Fire tracking - August 24, 2009
  7. Links: Picasa Street View, Cool Screen, ArcExplorer Earth, SketchUp Podium Prize - August 17, 2009
  8. Planes For Google Earth Flight Simulator - August 11, 2009
  9. Google Earth Videos - July 30, 2009
  10. Amazing Lunar Lander Game Using Google Earth - July 27, 2009
  11. Google Marries Panoramio Lookaround to Street View - July 25, 2009
  12. Look at the Moon in Google Earth - Available Now! - July 20, 2009
  13. What if the Eagle Landed on Earth? - July 18, 2009
  14. Music Video with Google SketchUp - Awesome! - July 16, 2009
  15. Beastie Boys Create Google Earth Driving Game - July 9, 2009
  16. PhotoSketch Released - Make 3D Buildings from Photos - July 8, 2009
  17. Snoovel - Google Earth Tour Creation and Hosting Site - July 7, 2009
  18. Hurricane/Cyclone Tracking with Google Earth - June 25, 2009
  19. Lots of New 3D Content Added in Google Earth - June 10, 2009
  20. World Oceans Day, 3D Design Competition, Britain Archeological Site, New Imagery Tour Idea - June 8, 2009
  21. US Drought Conditions in Google Earth by NOAA - June 5, 2009
  22. Major Street View Upgrade - 3D Features - June 4, 2009
  23. Huge Waste of Energy Visible in Google Earth - June 2, 2009
  24. Links: New 3D Tours Gallery, Earth API Update - May 29, 2009
  25. More on Disney Paris, Street View Cave, Data.Gov, Space Imagery Enhancement - May 27, 2009
  26. Video of New 3D Disneyland Paris for Google Earth - May 25, 2009
  27. Where 2.0 - Day 2 - Short Summary - May 21, 2009
  28. Where 2.0 - Day 1 - Workshops and Ignite - May 20, 2009
  29. Fantastic Free Google Earth Game: Ships - May 18, 2009
  30. Formula One Circuit Tour - Car Simulation - April 24, 2009
  31. Links: Ocean Now, Michigan Earth Day, Goldman Prize, Convention Center, Queen Mary - April 21, 2009
  32. Synchronized YouTube with Google Earth Plugin - April 15, 2009
  33. Home Made Street View for Google Earth - March 25, 2009
  34. Glacier Melt Survey in Google Earth - March 24, 2009
  35. St. Patrick's Day Fun with Google Earth - March 17, 2009
  36. Heli-Ski Tour in Google Earth - March 12, 2009
  37. CO2 Emissions Data Visualization in Google Earth - February 23, 2009
  38. Make AR Movies from Google Earth 3D Models - February 18, 2009
  39. YouTube Searching in Google Earth - February 16, 2009
  40. Google Earth 5 Announcement Video - February 12, 2009
  41. Google Earth 5 - Video Showcase - February 3, 2009
  42. Google Earth 5 - Video Showcase - February 2, 2009
  43. Links: New GE Help Forums, DC-3 Weather Vane, NYC GE Visitor Center, Virtual Alabama Video, 360Cities Embed - January 22, 2009
  44. Fly Flight 1549 Yourself in Google Earth - January 21, 2009
  45. Urban Tick - Research Results in Google Earth - January 8, 2009
  46. Print 3D Buildings from Google Earth - January 7, 2009
  47. Happy Holidays from Google Earth Blog - December 23, 2008
  48. Links: Google Geo Data Grows, Maps Gets YouTube, Licensing, GeoServer Nod - December 18, 2008
  49. Upgrade to EveryTrail GPS Trails Layer in Google Earth - December 17, 2008
  50. Making Better 3D Models for Google Earth - December 9, 2008
  51. Links: GE Plugin Update, KML Contest Update, Panoramio Contest, Teaching with GE, Santa Video - December 5, 2008
  52. MutliTouch Wall Demo - Hilarious - October 24, 2008
  53. iPhone Earth Available Free Temporarily - New Features Too - September 19, 2008
  54. Links: Math Lessons, Chemical Brothers Video, Radar Loops, Swedish Hires - September 15, 2008
  55. Real-time Satellites in Google Earth - September 8, 2008
  56. Track Hurricane Hanna in Google Earth - September 1, 2008
  57. Sailing Passage From Exuma to North Carolina - August 25, 2008
  58. iPhone Earth App Available Now - August 22, 2008
  59. Watch Arctic Ice Melting in Google Earth - August 11, 2008
  60. Best Google Earth Interface Videos - July 16, 2008
  61. New Google Earth 4.3 (beta) Available - Version 4.3.7284.3916 - July 11, 2008
  62. More Bad News on Coral Reefs - NOAA's Google Earth Data - July 10, 2008
  63. New WebCams Layer for Google Earth - July 9, 2008
  64. Links: Earth API Explained, Tour of 3D, Geography Lesson Plan, How NIN KML Was Done - July 7, 2008
  65. Hologram Google Earth - July 1, 2008
  66. Links: Outreach Birthday, Bullit Chase Scene, NIN Downloads, KMLWiki - June 30, 2008
  67. Disney World 3D for Google Earth YouTube Demo - June 4, 2008
  68. Look Around with Google Panoramio - June 3, 2008
  69. iPhone Earth - Coolest Things I saw at Where 2.0 2008 - May 23, 2008
  70. Mike's Flying Bike for Google Earth - May 16, 2008
  71. Watch Where 2.0 Events Live Here with Seero - May 12, 2008
  72. Google Earth Zooming Music Video - April 21, 2008
  73. Links: GE Lesson, GETools, Microsoft KML, 3D Bridges, Royal Australian 3D, EPA Award - April 18, 2008
  74. New Navigation Gadgets in Google Earth 4.3 - April 16, 2008
  75. Video Demo of Google Earth 4.3 - April 15, 2008
  76. Links: Viewfinder, KML in the North, GE Pro Address Trick, Boy Finds Home - April 10, 2008
  77. Seero Releases Live Video with GPS Following for Google Earth - April 4, 2008
  78. Google Earth April Fools Joke Video - April 3, 2008
  79. Wilkins Ice Shelf, Sea Ice Extent Animation - March 28, 2008
  80. Links: Seero GPS Videos, GE Labels, Wikitude POIs, 3D Egyptian Viz - March 20, 2008
  81. YouTube API on Swiss Fighter Video - March 14, 2008
  82. Video Tutorials Inside Google Earth - March 12, 2008
  83. Links: Outreach Showcase, Spreadsheet mapping, Geo Test, KML Lesson Talk - February 26, 2008
  84. Miami Post - Links: Mapper Tool, GE Game, KML Wishlist - February 15, 2008
  85. YouTube Layer in Google Earth Updating Daily - February 7, 2008
  86. Powers of 10 in Google Earth - February 5, 2008
  87. Using Street View in Google Earth - February 4, 2008
  88. Video Tutorials for Google Earth - January 31, 2008
  89. Wrong Turn Down Google StreetView - January 27, 2008
  90. Guys Fly Balloon to 30 km Altitude - See it in Google Earth - January 25, 2008
  91. Musicians in Google Earth - January 22, 2008
  92. Major Geek Cred - January 17, 2008
  93. Top 10 New Google Earth Features 2007 - December 31, 2007
  94. Top 25 Stories of Google Earth 2007 - December 27, 2007
  95. Microsoft Needs to Share Data with Google - December 21, 2007
  96. Mazes of the World in Google Earth - December 10, 2007
  97. News and Links - Out of Beta, Crysis, Our Dumb World, Visual ILS - November 30, 2007
  98. Large Hadron Collider Visible in Google Earth - November 28, 2007
  99. Google Offers New Mapping Data for Switzerland - November 14, 2007
  100. Links: Glider Towing, 3D Bonanza, John Hanke Presentation, Google Maps Profiles, Virtual Earth 3D Modeling - October 19, 2007
  101. Crocodile Man Easter Egg in Google Earth - October 18, 2007
  102. Virtual Earth Bird's Eye Views in 3D - Seen in Google Earth First - October 15, 2007
  103. New YouTube Layer in Google Earth - October 11, 2007
  104. Hurricane Followspot Animations in Google Earth - October 4, 2007
  105. 3D Warehouse Open to All 3D KML Content - September 25, 2007
  106. 3D Red Bull Flights in Google Earth - September 21, 2007
  107. Supernova Explosion in Google Earth Sky - September 17, 2007
  108. Google Earth Outreach Enhancements - September 16, 2007
  109. 3D Buildings - Groningen, Netherlands - September 14, 2007
  110. Google Lunar X PRIZE - Race to the Moon! - September 13, 2007
  111. 3D Model Roundup: Floorplan Star Trek, Bouncing Earths - September 12, 2007
  112. Back to School - Educational Uses with Google Earth - September 11, 2007
  113. Video for Flying with Google Earth Flight Simulator - September 3, 2007
  114. The Gmail Video Collection in Google Earth - August 30, 2007
  115. Google Earth 4.2 Roundup - August 27, 2007
  116. Embed Video In Google Earth 4.2 Placemarks! - August 22, 2007
  117. Video Showing Storm Tracking Tools for Google Earth - August 20, 2007
  118. News Roundup: Peru Earthquake, Virtual Earth Update, Stefan's Alps Hike - August 16, 2007
  119. R/C Planes and Camera Fun with Google Earth - August 12, 2007
  120. Virtual London Project Dead in the Water - August 8, 2007
  121. Barnabu 3D News - Animating International Flights in Google Earth - August 4, 2007
  122. Blues Brothers Bridge Jump Animation in Google Earth - July 24, 2007
  123. The Solar System in Google Earth - July 18, 2007
  124. Solar System Moons in Google Earth - July 15, 2007
  125. News Roundup: GE Design, Live Tour de France, PhotoSketch, Iran Nuclear Project - July 13, 2007
  126. Google Mapplets Officially Released - Mashups 2.0 - July 11, 2007
  127. Google Earth Outreach Announcement Video - June 28, 2007
  128. How to Add a Sky to Google Earth - June 24, 2007
  129. Taipei 3D Models for Google Earth - June 21, 2007
  130. London Eye Animation with Shadows for Google Earth - June 11, 2007
  131. Google Developer Day - Videos Released - June 1, 2007
  132. Rising Water Effects for NYC in Google Earth - Part III - May 25, 2007
  133. Rising Water Effects for NYC in Google Earth - Part II - May 18, 2007
  134. Google Earth Umbrella - May 16, 2007
  135. Having Fun with Google Earth and SpaceNavigator - May 10, 2007
  136. Microsoft's Virtual Earth 3D - Video Demos - May 9, 2007
  137. News Roundup 1 - Education, Clean Cruising, Magnalox, NASA UAVSAR - May 6, 2007
  138. Google Earth on The Simpsons - April 27, 2007
  139. Video Demo of New American Architecture 3D Layer for Google Earth - April 25, 2007
  140. Maverick Waves Explained - Illustration in Google Earth - April 23, 2007
  141. GeoBeats - Travel Videos - April 18, 2007
  142. More Google Earth Video Demos - New video category - April 8, 2007
  143. SketchUp Training DVD Available - April 6, 2007
  144. Google Earth in Second Life: GeoGlobe - March 28, 2007
  145. 4D London Eye in Google Earth - March 21, 2007
  146. Super High Resolution Photos in Google Earth - March 18, 2007
  147. Skype + Unype = Multi-User Google Earth - March 10, 2007
  148. YouTube Demo of Berlin in 3D for Google Earth - March 9, 2007
  149. News Roundup: Google Earth Resume/CV, Google Maps Interface to BMW cars - March 7, 2007
  150. Swiss Alps "Fighter" Tour in Google Earth - March 1, 2007
  151. New Video Demos of Latest 3D Buildings for Google Earth - February 26, 2007
  152. SpaceNavigator News: Fly Inside Demo, Security Checkpoints - February 22, 2007
  153. Google Earth Tutorials - Making 3D Poloygons, GE Pro Movie Making - February 21, 2007
  154. iCommunity.TV - News with Google Earth Location - February 14, 2007
  155. 3D Video Inside Google Earth - February 7, 2007
  156. Google Earth Critical Tool in Fight Against Logging Plan - February 6, 2007
  157. Video Tutorials for SketchUp to Google Earth - January 30, 2007
  158. Discovery Sunrise on Google Earth - January 29, 2007
  159. Super Touch Screen for Google Earth - January 25, 2007
  160. Boulder, Colorado 3D Buildings in Google Earth, and a Google 3D Contest - January 18, 2007
  161. Hamburg 3D Buildings Coming to Google Earth - January 17, 2007
  162. PanoViewer - Viewing Panorama Photos in Google Earth - January 15, 2007
  163. News Roundup - KML indexing, GPS tools, SketchUp PhotoMatch Tutorial, GE Blogs - January 13, 2007
  164. Upper Green Valley Environmental Issues Illustrated with Google Earth - January 10, 2007
  165. Awesome 3D Buildings of Denver in Google Earth - January 9, 2007
  166. The Truth About Google Earth - January 8, 2007
  167. Watch Remote Control Plane with Camera Capturing Real-time Images for Google Earth - January 5, 2007
  168. Book Recommendation: "Off the Map" - November 30, 2006
  169. YouTube Demo of SpaceNavigator with Google Earth - November 28, 2006
  170. New Blue Marble Add-on Version 2.0 - November 20, 2006
  171. Satellite Photo of KFC Logo and Viral Marketing Scheme - November 17, 2006
  172. TeachingHacks.com Video Course on Google Earth for Education - November 4, 2006
  173. Baseball, 3D Stadiums, Videos, and Google Earth - November 2, 2006
  174. End Mountain Top Removal Campaign with Google Earth - October 15, 2006
  175. Ad Campaign for Saturn Aura Uses Google Earth - September 26, 2006
  176. 3D 747 Airliner on Approach at Maho Beach in Google Earth - August 25, 2006
  177. Turnhere.com - Videos About Places - August 15, 2006
  178. Speech and Gesture Input for Google Earth - August 5, 2006
  179. Update to Ping Pong Ball Interface for Google Earth - Video - August 3, 2006
  180. Boys Use Google Earth to Find Bin Laden - July 30, 2006
  181. 1000 Pizzas Publicity Stunt Using Google Earth - June 28, 2006
  182. Feature Request: 3D Video in Google Earth - May 11, 2006
  183. Google Earth Sleuthing - Helicopter Shortly Before Crash - April 24, 2006
  184. Discovery Channel Releases Video Links for Google Earth - April 7, 2006
  185. Google Earth for VW Car Navigation Demo - March 31, 2006
  186. Dancing Japan - October 14, 2005
  187. Slick Videos of Google Earth - August 29, 2005
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