A similar method to what Chris is saying: you can go into your current style and make the photo the watermark. I've done this a few times with pretty good results. It allows you to move your model around and keep your photo still.

Thanks Steeler. I'm glad to hear it was something as simple as that and not some crazy advanced technique that I've never heard of. I probably would have used this same technique too. I'm very noobish with PS as well so it's nice to know that it just came down to spending the time to get it right. Also love the trees and wires reflecting in the windows, very nice.

Maybe a silly question here but can you give a short description about how you dealt with the power lines and poles that run between the model and the viewer? I'm going to need to know how to do this and you did it perfectly! Really great work.

I was just looking for something like this yesterday, I'll use it today. Thanks Daniel!

As a professional geographer do you think I could lose my job for holding such 'beliefs'? (not that I do, mind you!)

Assuming it is flat, what does this mean about heaven and hell in the traditional sense (God above, Devil below)? I'd be curious to see how many flat-earthers are religious.

Offend? The only one that comes close for me is the Mullet shot, I rocked a killer mudflap back when they were cool. (sadly I don't see a smiley with one) These are great, I'm inspired!

I recently had a request from an engineer/landscape architect type to send him a .dxf or .dwg file containing multiple themes/layers of data for the same plot of land. I have all the data as seperate shapefiles but had no way to put them all into one file so they will be spatially oreinted to each other. I loaded them all into a new ArcMap .mxd file, selected all features in all layers and used the Export to SU plugin within ArcMap making sure to group the layers on the proper attribute. I then exported out a nice .dwg file for the client and all was well.

Another reason I love SU.

+2, I got an 'Access Denied' error.

It's used more and more in my business (GIS) to make terrain models, they put one in a plane and fly at relatively low altitudes. Pennsylvania is finishing up a project (PAMAP) where they collected LIDAR for the whole state, for example (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/pamap/index.aspx). In this case it results in massive amounts of data and requires a lot of post processing.

It aint cheap neither.

Way cool Tom. Nice model and you seem to have perfected placement within GE. Please keep us updated on what you learn in your process.

Thanks!

As far as I know ArcScene comes with the ArcView license level which is the lowest/cheapest level.

ArcGlobe comes with the 3D Analyst Extension.

Hey guys, sorry I haven't replied, been on VACATION!

Just to clear a couple things up:

ArcView - strictly 2D, used for managing/creating/editing/analyzing spatial data and making maps. It can do 3D analysis (viewsheds, hillshades, slopes, etc.). It's functionality can be extended with 'extensions' but still just 2D display.

ArcScene - can show 2D and 3D data, used mostly for fly-through animation and stuff like that, the real analysis goes on in ArcView (depending on your license level and extensions).

ArcGlobe - Similar to ArcScene but more like Google Earth in that it includes a globe and other data. I still don't know what the real differences are between this and Scene other than the animation export functions.

ArcGIS Explorer - (it's FREE!) ESRI's version of Google Earth/Virtual Earth except it plays very nicely with ESRI's favorite data formats. There's a link below, I use it as much as the others since it will often have more up-to-date imagery.

Sites 404

(www.esri.com)

As for using these packages with SU data I've had mixed results. The best I've been able to pull off is to save my SU models down to SU v5 and use them as symbols for a point shapefile. For examples, I have a point shapefile that has centerpoints for all the buildings along my street, I then go into each point and symbolize it using the SU model I made for it (this is similar to how you do trees as well). It's pretty time-consuming and not really accurate since ArcScene/Globe displays the model based on it's axes, not geographically referenced points so each one has to be rotated indivitually. They also don't come in at the right size so that has to be tweaked as well. See my other posts in this subforum for some graphics and more details on the workflow.

According to ESRI there is also the Multipatch which is a data format that supposedly plays nicely with SU and other 3D modelers. I haven't had much luck with it yet but I plan on digging into that soon. I'll certainly post my findings here, glad to see interest. You can also use attributes in your GIS data to use to extrude your shapes but I have'nt tried this (yet).

As far as going the other way goes, it's pretty nice. You can use ArcGIS to make all your spatial layers (parcels, contours, any thematic data really) and export them to SU, then add your models to it from there. This would ensure that your model is spatially correct, at least as far as XY goes.

Gai, I share your sentiments on reviving this forum, I do what I can you know.
lapx, let me know if you're still having trouble getting the tool to show up in ArcGIS and I'll try to help.

You're welcome. Do you plan on modeling the entire 16 blocks in 3D? Sounds like a fun project.

I've worked a little with putting 3D buildings from SU into ArcGIS with mixed results. My conclusion was that it's probably more seamless to do all the 3D stuff in SU but the plug-in should be a great way to get you started with 2D parcel data, streets, building footprints and whatever thematic data you may have or need. Starting out with 2D data from

As for comparing ArcGIS to Google Earth/Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth; I see GE and VE as data viewers for the most part since that's what most people do with it, it's possible to create and edit data with them but the average user isn't doing much of this. ArcGIS is a fully functional GIS suite that can create, edit, display spatial data as well as do complicated spatial analysis and generate some really nice maps. That's in a nutshell of course.

I'm glad to help out any way I can so please come back at me if you've got more questions. Nice to see someone else on this forum using GIS!

MODS- you could move this thread to the GIS forum if you like.

ArcGIS is made by ESRI, it's the leading GIS product, kind of the industry standard. I've been working with ArcGIS and SU for a while now and have had some success. There's a nice add-on for SU that can aid in passing data back and forth.

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

(sketchup.google.com)

This is a good starting point. What are you hoping to accomplish?

Anyone who is serious about this election and wants real change should check out Ralph Nader. Before you laugh and judge, do yourself a favor and youtube him and his running mate Matt Gonzalez. He provides a shocking insight into the state of modern politics and government and offers a straightforward approach to changing it. He stands for removing corporate influence from government which, in my opinion, is the root of everything that is wrong with it today.

Just go do a little research and I think you'll find that McCain/Obama rhetoric quite shallow.

Chuck Norris says 'never'.

Kid time. Nothing is better.

[flash=425,344:1igjed3k]http://www.youtube.com/v/1R5yEI0eiO0&hl=en[/flash:1igjed3k]

Smustard has a dashed lines ruby that works pretty well.

OSAMA BIN LADEN --- Switch the B and the S...

OBAMA SIN LADEN. Wow. Now take the B and the S together to see what all this adds up to...

BS

Just kidding, see the avatar. Sorry ladies.