Earthware Blog

This is what John Hanke, head of the Google Earth Unit said in an article published on the Financial Times website entitled “Way to go? Mapping looks to be the web’s next big thing”. Does this explain why, as the article also states, “a map is about to become the interface to many things people do on the internet”. The big names in mapping products are racing to become the one to provide the interface for these maps and are even driving city streets to collect street level information. Some are even designing and building special cameras and flying over cities to gather 3D images.

The article explores the upcoming potential takeovers of Navteq by Nokia and TeleAtlas by TomTom and what that is likely to mean. It proposes that there is a ‘3D arms race’ in progress with Microsoft and Google competing to own this space (see link for how Earthware is using 3D models in Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth). The article, and contributors such as John Hanke, Head of the Google Earth unit and Erik Jorgensen from Microsoft explore how the combination of technologies such as 3d and mobile phones will shape the internet usage and see mapping make searching a more visual experience, especially when cross selling products.

So what is Earthware’s view? We very much agree with the premise of the article that:

· Maps provide a concrete visual representation of a context and,

· Maps allow the user to go to one place and find all the information they could want to know about it, providing a one-stop-shop.

At Earthware we are already seeing the benefits mapping solutions bring to the user. Our mapping solution for the property market has greatly enhanced the effectiveness of our clients’ website as well as the users experience as they search for property (see www.london-executive.com or www.wowproperty.co.uk for examples). With the current development of our mapping solution for the travel market (to be released later this year) we expect to see mapping solutions in all geographically based market places in the coming years, proving the value of mapping across a number of market places.

The possibilities are nearly endless for mapping and mapping products especially with new technology expanding in terms of GPS availability on phones and cameras etc. The development in mapping technologies we are seeing now are just the beginning and to be honest where it could go simply makes the mind boggle!

To read the article in full and discover just some of the mapping possibilities of the not too distance future see Financial Times and click here for more information on Earthware’s interactive mapping

Using details from a local planning application for a proposed wind farm, Earthware provided a Vscapes presentation to aid in the application showing a 3d scale virtual representation of the completed site in Google Earth including support structures and access roads.

To download the Google Earth file containing this project and experience the development yourself please click here, you will need to install Google Earth before viewing this file by clicking here.

We are pleased to say that the outcome of the application was successful, and the Vscapes presentation was praised as an effective tool to present and understand the proposed development.

As part of this video, 3D models of wind turbines and a local structure were built to scale to give a real world comparison between the sizes of each.

We at Earthware believe that this style of presentation can be highly effective for a range of environmental planning or pre-visualisation, as it accurately shows how a future structure will appear in the environment and the visual effect it will have on the landscape.  This has been previously demonstrated with our background in visualisations for off-plan property developments.

For more information about how Vscapes can help your planning process visit www.earthware.co.uk/vscapes or call us on +44 (0)845 642 9880.

Yes you heard it folks the sun actually rises!  The Guys at Google have added a sun button and when activated you can see a sun in the sky that cast light on the land and even 3D models. A slider appears at the top of the screen that can be positioned anywhere along its 24hour timeline moving the sun to the appropriate position in the sky.

To the right of the slider is a play button which will play through a day at a default or user designated speed. the night sky even plays with stars once the sun has retreated round the other side of the globe.

I have to say it look great and is a very cool new feature although it does unfortunately not create shadows around 3D structures or between mountains. Even Having said this the overall effect is still very good and adds a lot of depth and realism to the environment.

Clouds and Weather

Other notable features are clouds and up to date weather information which not only beautify the globe but also give relevant and highly useful information to the user about what the weather is like, not only where they are but where they want to go as well. I can see this being very handy for the next ski seasons snow report!

 

Wow isn’t that pretty!

Here the weather report and forecast over our offices for the next few day. doesn’t look nice at all :@(

Today sees the launch of version 6.1 of the Microsoft Virtual Earth map control. There are some great new features especially considering its not a major release. Here is a quick summary of the highlights:

High Detailed 3d Cities

Microsoft have updated 4 US cities (Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix and Dallas) to include every building and even trees! These “densified” cities look amazing as you can see from the screen shot below from Las Vegas.

These models and even the matching of trees are apparently all done automatically using the technology Microsoft acquired when buying Vexcel.

We can’t wait to start adding our Vscapes high quality photo realistic models to these existing cities like we have already done in Google Earth to give the ultimate tool for property developments.

Birds Eye views with road map overlays (Hybrid Birds Eye)

Microsoft have done an amazing job at adding road maps and labels to their existing birdseye imagery. We were concerned how this might work when we first heard about it but now we have seen the results we are really impressed.

One thing we noticed of interest is that the roads and labels are being overlayed transparently on top of the existing birdseye imagery, rather than creating a whole new set of birdseye tiles. We are hoping this will be done in future for the aerial hybrid views so that road maps could be overlayed on top of our own custom tile layers.

We have already started integrating hybrid birdseye into our EarthwareProperty estate agency mapping as you can see below, this and our new local area information will be available in the next release this month.

Improved Localisation Support

The new Virtual Earth control now supports localisations of the map “dashboard” user controls. There is now support for English, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and French.

There are also now improved localised directions for 15 languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian.

Improved directions and new routing features

There are now directions for walking, this uses different rules about what roads you can use in routing. Traffic based routing is now also available but again only in the US and only where traffic information is currently available.

Other minor features

There are a few more changes that are welcomed but might go unnoticed by some.

• Reverse geocoding, allowing you to get the address for a given latitude and longitude, only is the US currently
• Improved support for Safari 2 and 3
• Improved printing support, especially for Firefox and Safari
• New 3d tour videos features on Live.com (we will blog more about this later today)

One major hitch for UK and Maybe Europe

All these new features are amazing and we spent a long time this morning on local.live.com trying them all out. However we did come across one major problem. It appears that Microsoft have decided to redirect all users from the UK (and maybe Europe - please let us know) to Multimap maps (multimap was recently aquired by Microsoft).

While we can maybe see why UK visitors may get better data and features from using Multimap we would like to be able to choose ourselves not have it forced upon us. The biggest issue is we cannot now access our collections and 3d models on local.live.com which is a big issue for us and I’m sure others.

We have however found a work around in that you can use the url below to set your region to the US, therefore not getting redirected:

http://maps.live.com/?q=&mkt=en-us&scope=&FORM=LIVSOP

In Summary

We have been really impressed by what has been released today and can’t wait to start integrating them into our interactive mapping products. Once again Microsoft have shown their commitment to driving Virtual Earth forward. Thanks to all the dev team involved its a brilliant release!

Vscapes, the interactive modelling division of Earthware is looking for a  3D modeller

Due to the success of the Vscapes offering, it’s time to expand the team! Reporting to the Sales and Marketing Manager, the successful candidate will undertake projects and activities to help drive interactive 3D design.

Accountabilities

• Bespoke 3D Modelling
• Client and project management
• Creating innovative new products and solutions using 3D modelling and API’s
• Constantly developing knowledge in order to increase standards of our 3D models

Person Specification

The successful applicant should satisfy the following requirements:

Required:

· 3d / cad experience e.g. 3dStudio, Sketchup, Autocad

· Photoshop

· Video editing experience e.g. adobe premier, avid, adobe after effects

· General multi-media experience

Desirable:

· Google Earth KML

· Basic HTML

· XML

· Experience creating textures

· Experienced digital photographer

Attitude:

In addition to the above, enthusiasm and self-discipline are valuable traits for this role. Earthware is a small, but fast growing, entrepreneurial organisation with a unique culture built around integrity, enthusiasm, initiative, playing as a team and having fun. Earthware encourages personal and skills development so an eagerness to learn is essential.

Personal Specification:

It almost goes without saying that successful applicants will have good inter-personal skills, as a good working relationship with the team is essential. The ability to work calmly under pressure of deadlines is essential, as is the ability to prioritise and manage parallel tasks. Also essential are good telephone, writing and communication skills.

Location

Earthware is based, in Letchworth, Herts (about 35 minutes by train from London Kings Cross) and the role would be predominantly office based. However, Earthware is a flexible organisation and encourages flexible working arrangements wherever practical.

How to Apply

Please send an up to date C.V. to recruitment@earthware.co.uk stating job reference 3D101 and a selection of your work

C.V. applications without accompanying examples will not be considered.

All applicants must be registered to work in the UK.

For further information or an informal discussion about this position please contact Dan Roberts on 0845 642 9880.

No contact from agencies please.

UPDATE: Earthware’s Vscapes product now offers 3d Building developments for our clients in Virtual Earth and Google Earth. For more details see our Vscapes virtual landscapes page for details and client stories.

As part of an in house training exercise here at Earthware I went into town and captured some photos of the Town Hall here in Letchworth.

This building was constructed in 1935 and makes a nice challenge for anyone wishing to create a building for Google Earth due to its unique architectural features. The biggest challenge faced is the need to keep the model simple enough to not to exceed the restraints of Google Earth yet detailed enough to look like the building the model is designed to represent. Below is a short list of tip I believe are essential to creating an efficient Google earth model.

• When creating textures from photos always crop them and remove unwanted items from the picture as this will reduce image size.
• Always resize and save your textures at the lowest quality possible that still retains the level of detail you require. A good web texture is no more than 30k
• Remove all redundant geometry from your model such as the base plane of the model and any polygons that have formed within your model while you have been creating it.
• Create curved surfaces from a number of straight lines to give the appearance of a curve. For example if you examine the tower on the town hall model you will see that the curved dome is made up of a few flat angular pieces.
• Use your textures to show building details like windows and doors rather than modelling it for real.

These few useful techniques should get you well on your way to creating web efficient and Google earth compliant models in no time at all.

I have submitted the Town Hall model to Google in the hope that they will embed it in Google Earth so that anyone scanning the sights of Letchworth will be able to view it in its natural location. For now clicking on the image will take you to 3D warehouse and allow you to download the model to you computer or view it in Google Earth.

Let me know if anyone finds this useful!

Cheers

Chris

This project that has been recently completed represents a new venture for Earthware that puts our 3D and mapping skills to a new and innovative use.

Video: Stonish Hill WindFarm

We have used the plans from a local planning application for a proposed wind farm and created a scale virtual representation of the completed site in Google Earth including support structures and access roads. To download the Google Earth file containing this project please click here

The purpose of creating this video and accompanying Google Earth file was to support a local planning campaign the outcome of which was successful with the assistance of this video.

We at Earthware believe that this style of presentation is highly effective for a range of uses such as environmental planning or pre-visualisation as it accurately shows how a future structure will appear in the environment and the visual effect it it will have on the landscape.

As part of this video 3D models of wind turbines were built to scale as well as a local structure to give a real world comparison between the sizes of each. Below are the 3D models which you can interact with inside the windows by clicking the play button and following the on screen instruction to download the necessary file to run the player. please be aware the 2 windows will not run simultaneously so one must be paused for the other to become operational. Do this by right clicking on the viewer and selecting pause.

I would just like to say a big thanks to 3Dvia for their excellent model hosting service which provides these stunning i-fame viewers. If you like these models or wish to see other 3D models created by Earthware they are available to view and download from my profile hosted at 3Dvia.

If you are reading this blog and you have an vested interest in scale presentations within Google or Virtual Earth then please drop us a line and find out how Earthware can help you.

Chris

Multimedia Developer

We are delighted to announce that NovaLoca and Earthware have agreed to enter into a partnership arrangement to launch 3D Virtual Neighbourhoods to the commercial property market in the UK.  The Virtual Neighbourhoods product will be promoted under the NovaLoca brand name and through the UK’s fastest growing commercial property portal.

For more information please contact Neil Osmond (Operations Director) on 0845 642 9880 or email neil@earthware.co.uk.

Hi Guys, its been a little while since I last Blogged so I will take this opportunity to wish you all a happy a new year. What follows is a few of our latest offerings, with one more to follow once I have finished it hopefully later today but as someone is coming in to pull down a wall in the office tomorrow I’m not sure I’m gonna get there in time!

Also a quick welcome to anyone coming through to us from 3Dvia. Somehow my work has ended up on the homepage so that makes this post long over due for some of you.

Anyway here goes:

Earthware Tower

This video demonstrates the Earthware tower which allows the user to view the inside as well as the outside of a building in Google Earth. This is the first product aimed at developers of large residential buildings with complicated features. The video outlines the main selling points and a few new features of this style of 3D model. Below is the link to download the Google Earth file so that you can have a play yourself!

Download Earthware Tower for Google Earth

Earthware Superstore

As with all these videos please excuse all the rubbish music. If it were up to me it would be something a little be more cool and a lot less cliché but we don’t want to have to pay royalties so my choice was limited!

Anyway this video shows Earthware superstore a fictional out of town shopping centre or depot style building. This to has a simple interior to show the scope of what is becoming possible with Google Earth and will hopefully be possible with virtual earth very soon.

If your interested in commercial property please check out www.novaloca.com which has a working example of Earthware’s advanced mapping and where hopefully 3D buildings will become a common place feature of the search once Microsoft has developed their tool kit a bit further.

Download Earthware Superstore for Google Earth

As usual we would love your feedback on these items using the comments below, or if you have any business propositions then please contact us.

Cheers

Chris Jackson
Multimedia Developer

For a while we have toyed with the idea of interior modelling in Sketchup for Google earth but with residential models it is impossible to navigate inside them effectively with the tools available. A larger commercial space gives more room to navigate in so we have developed a prototype with a basic interior space to test out the concept.

With some careful mouse movement it will be possible to get inside and view the interior of the building. If you have the advantage of a 3D mouse then performing a fly through will be easy. To aid things a little  there are some place marks in the tour folder which will hopefully guide you through several view points in and around the model providing they work correctly.

Click the link to download the Google earth file

Earthware Commercial Demo

feel free to leave your comments and let us know what you think