Viewing your collections with Google Maps

Posted by Mark Limber, Product Manager

Are you using Google SketchUp to build out a city for Google Earth? Are you interested in building a city for Google Earth? Or maybe you're just getting started on putting together a collection of buildings that are important to you?

If so, the Maps View of the Collections feature of the 3D Warehouse can help you organize your efforts. (And if you didn't already know, the 3D Warehouse is a place for sharing your 3D creations made with Google SketchUp.) In 3DWH, a "collection" is a way for you to group models that fit together according to whatever criteria you choose. It's simple: create a collection, find all the models in the 3DWH that belong in your collection, and add them as you go along.

The Maps View feature helps you navigate through all the geo-referenced models in your collection. When you go to the main page for your collection, you'll see a Google Maps view of your collection items. Using this map you can monitor your progress. (Is the neighborhood crowded enough for you?) You can also navigate the entire collection without paging through the hundreds of models you've gathered.

Visit these collections of buildings in the cities of Edmonton in Canada and Valencia, Spain, to see a few interesting examples.