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For example, we'd appreciate better explanations of the options to Open, Import, or Add content as well as a clearer walk-through of the difference between vector data, images, and KMZ content. That said, Google's directions weren't newbie-friendly when it came to integrating images and SketchUp models. While limited technical help is normal for a free download, we find that Google does a better job organizing its instructions than other makers of online apps do.

Google Earth offers thorough Web-based support, including a getting-started guide and a searchable knowledge base. Members of any profession that deals with geography, whether it's selling real estate or managing ecological resources, could rely on Google Earth's unique abilities to map locations and display models of developments in progress. If you run a company, you can add a business listing to Google Earth at no charge. Google Earth is currently ad-free, although we expect to see commercial uses cropping up in the future.

#Free download virtual earth 3d beta how to#

However, we found it tricky to figure out how to add and place our own SketchUp drawings into exact locations within Google Earth.

#Free download virtual earth 3d beta Pc#

Then, just for kicks, we grabbed a model of a giant PC monitor from Google's 3DWarehouse site and opened it on a rooftop in Boulder, Colorado, within a matter of seconds. We dropped Google's sample model of the Transamerica Building into Google Earth's San Francisco within a minute. This could be helpful for showing, say, weather patterns around a camping site or changes to a construction site over a period of time. Overlays allow you to blanket a chosen area with the data of your choice. An architect, for example, could draft a model of a project within SketchUp, then load it into Google Earth to show clients a preview of the finished site. You can flesh out such views further by dropping your own 3D models-whether photorealistic or cartoonlike-from SketchUp or 3DWarehouse into Google Earth. This takes some tinkering to achieve the desired effect, as the third level can distort buildings significantly. The Options dialog box now lets you fine-tune views, such as choosing from three levels to exaggerate the displayed elevation. Cities now look more realistic, as Google has colored in buildings with textures to reflect brick, glass, and metal. Google has updated its pictures and says that Google Earth allows one-third of the planet's inhabitants to spy a high-resolution image of their own home.

By comparison, MSN Virtual Earth seems even slower and less vivid than it did upon its initial release last year. Some of Google Earth 4 beta's imagery, drawn from photos shot from satellites and airplanes, looks clearer than in the last version. We loaded a 3D model of the Transamerica Building into a view of downtown San Francisco.