Again, good to hear I'm on the right track. Thanks for the tips and when I get to a point where I can show you something, I'll put something on my server for you to look at.

Many thanks -

Kevin

Gaieus and Brodie - thank you so much for all this information. It is proving itself invaluable. It is really helping me get a better grip on what I need to concentrate on and how I would tackle this task.

Sure Brodie:
http://sketchup.google.com/green/mkd.html
The first video there on the page is 2:52 minutes long. Watch that video, especially from 2:13 thru 2:19 where it shows one navigating through their home.

I would be doing this mockup myself and am comfortable with web design software, but have never done anything remotely like SketchUP and its CAD-like feel, so this will be new to me. I am sure I can "pick it up" however. I am a trainer in our corporation (which deals with handling of industrial wastes, recyclable material, etc..). The customers would actually be our own employees as they would take this as a training element. Perhaps we were to talk about our recycling efforts and we would want to show them the inner workings of one of our recycling centers? So we could show the trucks dropping off the materials at the warehouse bays, and then to where the material is cleaned, sorted, etc....

I was really impressed with the architectural design firm's sample that they did a video for using SketchUP. It showed first person view of someone walking through a room which was pretty cool.

As far as the level of detail? I'm more worried about the level of detail in the building in question, not so much the surrounding elements (ex: all other structures besides our model facility). In SL all the PRIMS just look so jagged, you know? All of the walls seemed so "thin" - as if they were made of paper whereas I look at the models created with sketchUP and everything seems relative to its surroundings in terms of scope.

That make sense?

Brodie -

I work for an industrial cleanup/recycling company. So the facilities will be industrial in nature. Most of the "touring" will occur outside of the building, but what if we wanted them to walk into a particular room? Could they for example, walk in door A - walk past some furniture - then out door B and into another room?

I have fiddled around with Second Life and am less than pleased with the attention to detail when compared to objects created by SketchUP. I'm also not to happy with some of the crowds that SL tends to draw either (yes, I know there are private areas with blocked access - but I'd just as soon as not ask learners to have to figure out how to use SL in order to tour a building). Not only that, but I don't want them to have to wade through some of the "mature" content in SL in order to get to where I want them to go.

Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Kevin

Thanks Brodie, I appreciate it.

Can you show me some samples of some of the stuff you have done? Typically how long does it take for Google to accept submissions to Google Earth? Because our company has so many facilities throughout North America, I'm thinking submission to Google Earth would be ideal. Something "permanent" on the web - know what I mean? Would they be able to navigate through the model while on Google Earth?

The other option whereby they open up an item in sketchbook - sounds really slick, but I'd just as soon as not have to have them learn sketchup in order to walk through the rendering, though I suppose the same would be true if they walked through it via Google Earth. Is one method of walkthrough easier than the other?

Many thanks -
Kevin

Has anyone used SketchUP in any elearning applications at the office? If so, I'd love to hear their experiences with it and how it was received - as well as how it was used.

Many thanks.

I'm looking to use SketchUp to create walkthrough models of some of our industrial facilities. Is this possible?

I saw on the Official Google SketchUP Blog, in the Michelle Kaufman Designs video that they allow their clients to download a model of a home that they create. Then the client downloads that model to their Google Earth and then this allows them to do an actual 3D walkthrough of the home? Is this accurate?

Many thanks for your patience.

Kevin

Is it possible to create an environment using a combination of Google Earth and Google SketchUp that would provide a similar user experience to that of the virtual environment known as Second Life?

I'd like to create a tour of a building where folks can go to a location in Google Earth and "walk-through" a facility that I created in SketchUp based on a real location.

Many thanks -
Kevin