I recently became hooked on playing with Google Sketchup, Google’s own 3D software. The interface and tools are so intuitive it’s hard not to get drawn in. I’ve already built a number of structures in the Surrey/Delta area (figuring it’ll take a while, if ever, for the google autobuilders to reach the ‘burbs), and I must say, the push/pull tool is certainly the best. Need a cube? Sorry, there’s no cube tool, but why not just draw a rectangle and pull/extract it into a cube? What makes this so much better than similar tools in other programs, is the crazy amount of snapping/automatic guides that show up to help the models stay accurate. Of course there’s also a measuring tool which helps, but that merely complements the snapping/guides.

View/download my model of Station Tower and the Cornerstone towers.

Once completed, users can upload their model replicas to the Google 3D Warehouse, where other users can download them, or they can be submitted for approval to appear in the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth.

If you’re interested in trying it for yourself, hit http://sketchup.google.com or if you just want to see what other people have done, you can browse the 3D Warehouse at http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse. There’s also a 3D Warehouse Network Link you can download to Google Earth, so even if some buildings don’t show up in the 3D Buildings layer, you can still find them!

View/download my model of the Alex Fraser Bridge.

For my models, I only use phototextures rather than stock material textures. They help blend the buildings into the environment better, and really increase the realism. I think the term Google has used to refer to this kind of modeling is georeference modeling – modeling real structures, using the correct geographical and visual information that is available (even if available means getting out and taking pictures to use as homemade textures). It also means I try to keep them as simple as possible to make sure loading isn’t a problem – it’s all in finding the right balance between too much detail, and not enough.

At this point, I’m anything but finished with SketchUp. I figure if I can model the main commercial centers and buildings taller than 10 stories in all of Surrey and Delta, I’ll be satisfied. Central City will, of course, be my pièce de résistance.. that thing is anything but simple, but then I’ve never been one to back away from a challenge!

View/download my models of Ted Kuhn Towers and Strawberry Hill Shopping Centre.

To view the rest of my models, and to check up on future models I upload, visit my 3D Warehouse page here.

To make a good thing even better, the maps still display great business listings so you can find what you’re looking for whether it’s the nearest laundromat, or a new restaurant for date-night dinner – only rather than seeing it like a big tack on a map, you can now take a look from street level to find exactly where it is, and what it looks like. This a super fun and enjoyable process too, especially using the fullscreen mode (pictured above) which offers options to adjust image brightness, sharpness, projection/angle, to zoom in/out, and more.

In addition to these features, the app also has a very easy to use interface. Click on or near any of the blue lines on the map, and you’ll be taken to a street view of the nearest recorded street. From there, you can drag the blue view cone of the street view icon guy and the image will adjust in realtime to face whichever direction you choose.

Similarly to the Google Street View, you can also nudge your way along a street by clicking the blue dots (the closest pad will take you to the next photo, but you can reach ahead a few pads to jump a little further). Maybe a cyber trip down to English Bay will tickle your fancy?

Another great thing about the Canpages Street View is the coverage they already have online. Rather than being limited to the downtown core, the system reaches into Stanley Park, around Vancouver, out to the airport in Richmond, up to SFU on Burnaby Mountain, even to downtown New Westminster, where condominium projects are still barreling along. (and don’t forget Whistler!)

With such an easy to use interface, high quality images, and integration with the Canpages listings, I definitely suggest checking it out if you have a few extra minutes this weekend. Simply head over to Canpages.ca, enter in a category of business you’re looking for, and browse the streetscapes of Metro Vancouver to your heart’s content!

(please note this site is, in fact, not canpages, so searching for your street on my blog won’t give you any results)