Since the launch of Google’s 3D Imagery last summer, they’ve gradually expanded the coverage of it around the world. They’ve just added it to a number of new cities including:
• Australia: Canberra
• Germany: Linz, Ulm
• Switzerland: Berne, Basel, Lausanne
• United States: Alabama (Birmingham), Arkansas (Little Rock), California (Anaheim), Kansas (Wichita), Missouri (Springfield), Nevada (Reno), New Mexico (Albuquerque).
Google’s 3D Imagery isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly a great way to roll out thousands of 3D buildings in a single shot. These new cities look great, and I’m sure Google will be pushing out even more of them soon.
You can read more about this release on the +Google Earth page on Google+.
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.
Linz is in Austria, not Germany
Google forgot to mention Philadelphia. I don’t know why Google didn’t announce Phillie but somehow that city is 3D in my GE program. Am I the only one who sees Phillie in 3D? :/
Anyway I’m a bit gutted that Google didn’t make DC and NYC 3D already. Perhaps they’re waiting for the One World Trade center to finish before they make NYC 3D. But Canberra sounds like a nice place to roam around in the meantime. 🙂
Nonetheless, thank you Google! 🙂
Why can’t i see the 3D stuff? I have it on but still can’t see it.
There are two types of 3D. One is the models that GE has had for years. The other is, I gather, generated by computer analysis of images taken from different angles, and has only been around since last year. That layer can be turned on and off in the Options, not the conventional “3D Buildings” check box on the left hand pane, but in the Tools. If the option doesn’t show up, you need a current version of GE. I’m not overjoyed with the cities I’ve seen so far, and sometimes there are views that crash the program.
The 3D imagery can’t be viewed in GE 6.1 or earlier, but can be viewed in the satellite option of Google Maps -switch via menu bar – when zoomed in to a ‘close up’ of around a quarter kilometre squarer, rotatable to N, E, S or W perspectives, and it is stable.
You may decide you are not missing too much in the older versions of GE, however, it seems that there is very good quality high res ‘conventional’ imagery wherever there is 3D imagery
In Switzerland, Geneva and Zurich have also got the new and somewhat weird-looking 3D buildings update.
Zooming in this view made my program crash all the time, until I unchecked the “Use high quality terrain” checkbox in the Options. Now it seems to work.
There is 3D imagery along de northern Leman Lake’s coast between Geneve and Lausanne as well.
Unchecking “Use High Quality Terrain” didn’t affect the crashing problem for me. Moving around Seattle, for instance, causes a fairly rapid crash. One second you’re looking at distorted trees and buildings, the next second you’re looking at the desktop. I like the old models better, anyway.
I kid you not.
Many small towns and highways in the USA like in Ohio still have images from 2007-08 in poor quality like using a Polaroid Camera from the 1980s.
It absolutely amazes me beyond belief the ignorance on here about how old so many street view images still are.
And furthermore Google seems to not be doing as much updates to Google Earth as they used to.