http://sketchup.google.com/
Cool, now once you've got that, open the file, install it etc.
Tip: When getting Google Sketchup, whilst your there, download Google Earth along side it (Google Earth 6.0), if your reading this later, get the newer version if one is out. It helps to have this because later on, you may need to test your model and preview it.
Anyways, back to the tutorial, once you've got that and opened it up, you may need to specify the units and design you want to use for sketchup. I use the feet/inches setting as I find it easier. You could use metres and centimetres if you wish, its up to you, whatever you 're comfortable with.
Once you've opened sketchup and everything is done, their may be a woman/man or some kind of human being placed in the centre of the axis. We'll call him/her/thing, Dorothy. You can keep Dorothy if you want for size comparison etc once your model is made. But to be honest, its not that important.
Tip: Make sure to not include the default human into your model because Google will not accept this on your Earth model and will not be available for the world to see.
So now that Dorothy is out of the picture, we can get started. Properly.
Right, first your going to want to click on an icon at the top - just right of the centre. This icon is called 'Add a location...'. Once you click on it, Google maps should appear on your screen. Zoom into the area you want to model or enter the address of the place on the top left of the box. Once you've found the area you want to use, click on select region.
Tip: When using select region, only place it around the building you want to build. Do not place around a large area of space. Not only will it cause difficulty, but you cannot make more than one building in a model. You can only create one discrete model.
To see the must have and must have-nots, make sure you check Googles acceptance criteria.
http://www.google.com/intl/en_GB/sketchup/3dwh/acceptance_criteria.html
Note that the parts I highlighted in red are what I was talking about before. The icon, the address bar and the select region button.
Once you have gotten the area you wanted it's now time to start building the thing you wanted!
Build the basic shape of the base of the structure. Make sure you keep the toggle terrain button OFF for now. I am building a block of flats near to where I live, Whitley bay. Try to start off with easy structures such as rectangular buildings with not much detail, obviously in time you can advance. Make sure you build the shape carefully to match the outline of the building as this can effect your chances of getting accepted.
Make sure you build the shape perpendicular to the edge if it is similar to the shape of a rectangle or square. This does not apply with curved building shapes. Do not use the square tool as this only works in proportion to the axis rather than the satellite image.
Note that it may look as thought I have not covered the full size of the building, however this buildings satellite imagery was taken at an angle slightly less than 90 Degrees (vertical). So by using two edges of the building, length and width, I was able to have a starting point and template of what the rest of the building looks like.
So now you can toggle terrain! This is better applied once you've created the base structure of the building, however don't apply this later on. If you apply it before hand, it is a lot more difficult to get started with. More advanced users for a more accurate outcome may use it, however for now, its best not to.
Tip: Do not start trying to build on a hill or anything else with a high gradient. It is very difficult for beginners.
Don't panic if the following happens, all this means is that 2 faces are touching. This is a good thing, it means your base structure is in line with the land. The gray part of the base may be slightly out of sync with the land. It can be easily fixed.
If you use the orbit tool and zoom just underneath the grey surface, you may see a little gap between the land and the base. All you need to do to fix this is just use the push/pull tool to pull the base down slightly into the land like this.
The view above is just underneath the grey surface you saw on the image before. Now we use the push/pull tool to bring the base down.
Now we come on to the height part of this section. This is usually the most difficult, but can be overcome if guessed correctly. Now if you know the height of your building, when using the push/pull tool to raise the height of the shape, look in the bottom right corner.
You will see a box indicating how high you are raising your block. However if you let go of the push/pull tool, the height in the bottom right corner will disappear and you wont be able to tell how high your shape is. Don't worry though, because the tape measure icon in the top corner will save the day and all you need to do with that is click on the start of where you want to measure on the shape, and the end of where you want to measure and a reading is placed in the bottom right corner.
Once you've fiddled about with the sizes of your model etc. We now place the pictures and imagery of your model on. On the top tool bar you will find an icon called 'Photo Textures'. Google street view will appear with a smaller box below with Google Maps. Find the address or move the man on the map to where your building is.
Once you've found your building, click on the face of your model that you want to apply the imagery to, and then click on select region and use the corners of the square to match your model depending on how your model looks. Then click grab and hope for the best! It may take a few attempts to get it perfect, but experiment and keep trying.
Paste the images on to each face. Once you've done this, get your model and now you can make your images on the model, 3D! That's right folks, 3 Dimensions! You can use the square tool, the circle tool and the pencil on this part. Now lets say there is a window on one of the images on one of the faces. You use the square tool and place a square matching the window on the face on top of the window. Then using the push/pull tool, pull or push the inside of the square making the window sink into the building or face out.
After using this effect on windows, doors balconies etc, using the same process, you eventually end up with a model like this.
Well done! You have just completed your first Google Earth worthy model. If you have any problems, run over the instructions again or look at tutorials on Youtube. Make sure you read the Google acceptance criteria and check that everything is okay.
http://www.google.com/intl/en_GB/sketchup/3dwh/acceptance_criteria.html
Now all you need to do is upload it to the 3D Warehouse and hope that Google accept your model. Click on the upload icon, log into your Google account. If you don't have one, go to the Google homepage and click on Sign Up in the top right. Once you've logged in, fill in the information boxes about your model and then your done!
From there, just wait and see if you get an E-mail from Google to tell you its accepted, or go to the 3D Warehouse and check if it has been accepted. The acceptance time can take up to a week or two depending on how busy Google is, or if they are updating satellite imagery.
Best of luck!
Thanks for reading!
Calsketch.
