Future of Handmade Models

I was just catching the end of the live press conference "The Next Dimension of Google Maps." What they showed looks very cool-- a high res automated 3D model of San Francisco, complete with modeled trees, buildings, and terrain.

Unlike the current situation, where many user generated models of varying styles with different lighting schemes collide in a potluck of 3D goodness, the new style map, or the new Google Earth, is modeled as one unified seamless mesh. It's as if you're looking at the real thing.

I'm not sure where that leaves us geo-modeling enthusiasts. Maybe the large cities will receive this 'next dimension' treatment (rendering our current handmade models obsolete)-- but possibly the countryside will be ours to model yet?

Maybe maybe maybe. It's all speculation on my part but I am very curious to know what this new direction, and the sale of SketchUp along with it, means to me and other geo-modelers worldwide.

EDIT: Read the official statement in the 3D modeling for Google Earth and Maps Forum

Address Is Approximate

This is cool, something Google Maps posted to Google Plus. It is stop motion animation made using Google Maps Street View (one of the resources also used within SketchUp to help texture building fronts realistically as in the models seen here, here, and here-- made by me).

Address Is Approximate is the title and it was made by Tom Jenkins. It's beautifully done. Check it out!

NEW Earth View in Google Maps Features Models

Bruce Polderman of Google has posted an article about the new "Earth View" feature in Google Maps.

Now explorers have the option of using an embedded 3D view of Google Earth right inside Google Maps.

Also included are the 3D models created by many of you. Some of them are even featured for the launch in the left-hand side bar (maybe yours?). Click on them for a tour, and click on the creator's name to launch a new window featuring their other work.