Meet your new addiction. Your cure for boredom at work. Your new 3D tool from the masters of our universe, Google. Google Building Maker can take you on a trip around the world, from the comfort of your own uncomfortable computer chair. Google Building Maker allows you to build models of real buildings and add them to Google Earth. You can model buildings in only 50 cities for right now, but more cities will be added later. Here is what Google had to say:
“We like to think of Building Maker as a cross between Google Maps and a gigantic bin of building blocks. Basically, you pick a building and construct a model of it using aerial photos and simple 3D shapes – both of which we provide. When you’re done, we take a look at your model. If it looks right, and if a better model doesn’t already exist, we add it to the 3D Buildings layer in Google Earth. You can make a whole building in a few minutes.”
Why is this cool? Well one thing that was pointed out quite appropriately, and I wish I had this when I was a kid, is for geography class. Teachers would find this tool extremely valuable as it introduces new parts of the world to a student, from a detailed birds eye view. Plus, you get to make 3D models as a bonus which I think is pretty cool. All for free and all you need is an internet browser and their plugin. Considering the 3D software I use costs thousands of dollars, this sounds like a good deal and an awesome way to get your feet wet in both 3D modeling, and geography. So, what are you waiting for?
The Gamer Report 