Sunday, August 19, 2007

Google Earth New York: Midtown Skycrapers

Last week I showed you the Financial District of Manhattan in my other New York recreation project, Google Earth New York. Today we'll head to Midtown, Manhattan's bustling business center.


The Midtown skyline looking up from 42nd Street.



Bloomberg Tower on 57th Street

100 United Nations Plaza next to Trump World Tower.

860 and 880 United Nations Plaza across the street on 1st Avenue.

The Austrian Cultural Forum near Fifth Avenue.

The Corinthian Apartments near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.

Park Avenue Tower on 55th Street.

425 Fifth Avenue.


The Bryant Park Hotel (formerly the American Radiator Building)


The New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue.

The Lever House on Park Avenue.

The world famous Plaza Hotel next to Central Park.

Across the street from the Plaza Hotel is the new Apple Store encased in a glass cube and hidden under the plaza outside the General Motors Building.

Nearby is the Four Seasons Hotel.

More to come next time.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Hanson,
I recently attempted to use Google SketchUp 6 in order to export files into Gmax, however I soon discovered that the professional version of SketchUp is needed in order to export in .3ds format. I am 16 years old and do not own my own company, therefore I cannot download the trial version (which only lasts 8 hours anyway). Is there any way, other than spending $495, that I can convert a .skp into a .3ds?

ehanson said...

Sketchup isn't only meant for professionals and companies; it's for everyone. It can be used for personal use also.

My trial of Sketchup lasted about a month. I'm not sure why it lasted that long... maybe they extended the trial period. Nonetheless, you should be able to export to 3ds format with the trial.

Hope that helps.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the help above. I have now been able to export google earth buildings into Gmax. I am working on 1585 Broadway in Gmax now, but I am struggling with the night effects. What is the best way to add night effects without losing the textures and without covering an entire object?

Anonymous said...

Or do you know anyone who would be willing to do the night effects and modding for me?

ehanson said...

Here's a great nightlighting tutorial for buildings similar to Sketchup buildings: http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=49&threadid=46312&enterthread=y

I'll put it up in the "How To" section.

Also here's some other helpful BAT tutorials: http://simcity.ea.com/coolstuff/bat/bat_tutorial_jump.php

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the help, I'm still having wierd problems with the textures and nightlights, but ILL Tonkso and Patriots_1228 are helping me with them. I was wondering if you are using Google's models and what they said about uploading them to Simtropolis.

Thanks,
PBGV

ehanson said...

Hi PBGV,

Good to hear you're getting off the ground with BAT. Regarding uploading Sketchup models from the 3D Warehouse to Simtropolis I would advise you not to upload them to the STEX.

After reading through the TOS at the 3D Warehouse I'm pretty sure you can only use the models for personal use and cannot redistribute them in any form anywhere else. As for getting permission from the original authors, the TOS isn't clear if they give you permission to upload their work to other sites.

This is why I didn't write a tutorial on converting Sketchup to BAT because I don't want to get people in trouble. It's better to be safe than sorry ;)