Posted 10/14/09 at 07:34:06 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Google’s rendition of our planet is ready for a massive 2D to 3D transition with the launch of its browser-based Google Building Maker tool for Google Earth. It is a new tool that lets almost anyone create 3D buildings for Google Earth. All you need is a Google account, the latest version of Google Earth and some rudimentary imaginative faculty to hit the ground running.

The internet giant defines the new tool as the progeny of “Google Maps and a gigantic bin of building blocks.” At the moment, it is possible to create 3D building in around 50 cities across the globe, though the 3D buildings can be viewed from anywhere in the world. The user is free to choose any building in the cities currently covered by the tool.

The model has to be created using the existing aerial shots of the selected location and 3D shapes. The finished product can then be submitted for review to the Google 3D Warehouse (an online repository of 3D models). If chosen, it is added to Google Earth’s 3D building layer.

“One of the best ways to get a big project done — and done well — is to open it up to the world. As such, today we're announcing the launch of Google Building Maker, a fun and simple (and crazy addictive, it turns out) tool for creating buildings for Google Earth,” Google’s Mark Limber (Product Manager) and Matt Simpson (User Experience Designer) wrote in a blog post announcing the launch of Building maker.

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