• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Google Earth Blog

The amazing things about Google Earth

  • Home
  • About
  • Basics
  • Links
  • Tips
  • 3D Models
  • Sightseeing
  • Videos

The Costa Concordia 3D tour is now stunningly realistic

February 8, 2012

A few weeks ago we showed you Peter Olsen’s 3D tour of the Costa Concordia. It was a very impressive file, showing a 3D model of the ship as it progressed through its fateful voyage.
Peter has been hard at work since then, and we simply had to show you the file with his latest updates. He has rebuilt the ship model from scratch, added much more data to the timeline, built 3D lifeboats (which slowly descend into the water), and even a 3D helicopter to show how the rescue operation unfolded!

boats.jpg

As you may recall from Peter’s work on Stone Mountain and the MLK Memorial, his attention to detail is incredibly high. If you’re curious where he got some of the data used in this animation, here is a list:
• The general conversation between ship and harbour master and times is from here.
• The specific conversation between the captain and coastguard is here. (his version is slightly abridged)
• Some of the timeline is from here.
•The AIS track data is from here.
• The list of dead and missing came from here, which is now a dead link, as well as here.
•The chaotic way the lifeboats departed is from here.
• The helicopter is an exact replica of the real one used in the rescue – call sign VF-57. It is an Agusta Bell ab412SP Air Ambulance, based on the Bell 412. It was manufactured under license by Agusta for the Italian Rescue Service. The photo at the end just before the list of names shows the actual helicopter hovering over the ship. The general line of Bell helicopters of the family, including the Agusta’s is here.
• The Bell 412, with size specifications, is here.
• The shape of the helicopter is here.
• The actual VF-57 helicopter is here.
• A video of an identical model (call sign VF-67) is here.
To see it for yourself, you can download the file from the 3D warehouse or watch the video below:

About Mickey Mellen

Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.

  • Twitter
  • |
  • More Posts(1431)

Filed Under: 3D Models, Sailing

Reader Interactions






PLEASE NOTE: Google Earth Blog is no longer writing regular posts. As a result, we are not accepting new comments or questions about Google Earth. If you have a question, use the official Google Earth and Maps Forums or the Google Earth Community Forums.

Comments

  1. ss says

    February 8, 2012 at 11:16 am

    wow, that’s pretty impressive! so much content in a 2mb kmz.

  2. Chris says

    February 8, 2012 at 11:33 am

    When I view this post in Google Reader, I also get an advertisement for Princess Cruises. I think I’ll pass.

  3. wilberfan says

    February 8, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    Awesome indeed–with the exception of his heavy-handed choice of music…

  4. Phillip Castaneda says

    February 9, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    Loved the animation, but the music about killed me… lol. Anyway great work reconstructing the events, was *very* helpful and very cool.

  5. Chris says

    February 10, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    Impressive (+ excellent links) … but turn off totally inappropriate sound before viewing, and manoeuvres depicted are a little too nifty for such a monster of a vessel.

  6. Jan Melin says

    February 22, 2012 at 7:37 am

    How do a make an object that can be animated i Google Earth? Like a ship sailing from one location to another.

  7. Les says

    March 8, 2012 at 4:52 am

    What the captain did to those poor people on that ship, is very wrong as he should have stayed on board while all the passages got off and he would have been the last one off. Why don’t they give the captain life in prison for what he did, I have no feelings for him, and who I feel sorry for are the passages on that stricken ship. This why I never travel on ships as they sink when the captain decides to leave the ship and not return this is not for me.



PLEASE NOTE: Google Earth Blog is no longer writing regular posts. As a result, we are not accepting new comments or questions about Google Earth. If you have a question, use the official Google Earth and Maps Forums or the Google Earth Community Forums.

Primary Sidebar

RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
Twitter




Categories

  • 3D Models (792)
  • Applications (708)
  • Business (288)
  • Environment (353)
  • Flying (208)
  • GE Plugin (282)
  • Google Earth News (1,764)
  • Google Earth Tips (592)
  • GPS (136)
  • Navigation (227)
  • Network Links (214)
  • Sailing (121)
  • Science (499)
  • Sightseeing (1,903)
  • Site News (587)
  • Sky (67)
  • Sports (154)
  • Street View (50)
  • Tours (117)
  • Video (421)
  • Weather (180)

Get new posts by email

Get new posts by email:

Google Earth Satellites

Copyright 2005-© 2023 Frank Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

This blog and its author are not an official source of information from Google that produces and owns Google Earth Google and Google Earth are trademarks of Google Inc.. All image screenshots from Google Earth are Copyright Google. All other trademarks appearing here are the trademarks of their respective owners.