Google Earth, Now With Browser Goodness

Google announced this week that their Google Earth application can now be used from the browser, instead of having to download and install the desktop application. "Google also launched an JavaScript API that lets you interact with the globe, draw markers, add layers or integrate with Google Maps. 'The Google Earth Plug-in and its APIs let you embed the full power of Google Earth and its 3D rendering capabilities into your web pages.' Google LatLong blog announced that each Google Maps mashup can take advantage of the new 3D view by adding a single line of code. 'Our goal is to open up the entire core of Google Earth to developers in the hopes that you'll build the next great geo-based 3D application, and change how we view the world.'"

Comments

Web or Linux 3D SketchUp?

[Doc Ruby]

3D models for inserting into Google Earth are made with SketchUp, which is a 3D desktop studio available only for Windows, and MacOS, not Linux. When will Google finally release a Linux SketchUp, or at least include its main modeling features into the Web version?

Or even better, when will there be a simple way to use existing (and good) Linux 3D studio tools to make standard-format datasets that are easily and completely importable into Google Earth (whether desktop or Web)?

Hell, at this point I'd even settle for a way to import the paths in a 2D PostScript (or PDF) file into something that makes them 2D lines/areas on a 3D canvas that I can put into Google Earth, rotated and positioned for at least an idea of what a fully 3D model would look like. But to do anything like that right now, I need a Mac or a Windows machine.

Re:Web or Linux 3D SketchUp?

[fotbr]

I'd be interested in any good linux 3d tools at all, but it seems the linux community is happy with blender, and doesn't seem to care that its interface is horrible (ie, the gimp syndrome -- "we want to be different, even at the cost of being good").

IF you can tolerate blender's handicapped interface, you might be able to export into a form google earth can handle (or, as the forums will tell you "write it yourself").

Gap between this plugin w/ Virtual Earth 3D?

[waded]

What's the gap between this and the existing Virtual Earth 3D plugin? http://www.google.com/earth/plugin/examples/samples/index.html vs. http://dev.live.com/virtualearth/sdk.

Re:Not compatible with:

[Colonel Korn]

All Linux browsers
Firefox (Macintosh)
Safari (all platforms)
Firefox 3 (all platforms)
Opera (all platforms)... ... and so on I never expected to see Google release something that was (practically) IE exclusive...

Re:Not compatible with:

[dave420]

Sure, but it also means it can be embedded in a web-page, and interfaced with via javascript. No more downloading KML files and waiting for Google Earth to load them, the webpage can directly show you what it's describing. That IS progress. Just think how useful Google Maps would be in a stand-alone application, compared to how useful it is now. The fact it can be extended using JS and presented in a web-page is how it really becomes useful. But I guess it's more fun to ignore all that and just have a pop at Microsoft, even when this is entirely Google's doing.

maps.google.com?

[Anonymous Coward]

I never understood why anyone would bother with Google Earth when satellite view exists on maps.google.com.

Of course it's also been years since I've tried Google Earth, so maybe they've added quite a bit extra functionality over maps.google.com.

Re:Already done in Google Maps

[TheSpoom]

Brewster Jennings Protects America is pretty close.