Create three-dimensional objects and polygons for Google Earth

Go directly to Create three-dimensional objects if you already have the required file.

Creating three-dimensional (3-D) objects and polygons (referred to below as figures) for the Google Earth client is now easy.

• 3-D objects can be 3 to 360 sided (triangle to circle) and are based on a radius (in meters) from a point on the earth.
• Polygons can be any shape and size and the coordinates are captured directly from the Google Earth Client.
• If this is your first time on this web site you need to download two files for your Google Earth Client. Instructions for their use are described as well.

The captured coordinates (point coordinates or polygon coordinates) are then automatically loaded into the appropriate browser web page for you. These web pages give you complete control over color, opacity, height above the Google earth surface, and you can add descriptive text including web addresses to the downloaded folder. The next section describes how to create the figures.

Notes on using the forms to customize figures

This section describes how to customize various aspects of the figures.

1. Coordinates. Use the files described above to capture coordinates from the Google Earth client that are automatically inserted into this section.

2. Geometry. This part determines the radius and height (in meters) and the shape of the figures.

• 3-D objects only: The radius is the distance in meters from the point coordinates to the outer boundry.
• 3-D objects only: The number of sides determine the shape (3 = triangle to 360 = circle).
• The height determines how tall the top of the figure appears above the Google Earth surface. Figures should be at least 10 meters tall to be easily seen.
• Extrusion determines whether the figure attaches to the surface with sides (Yes) or floats above the surface with no sides (No).

3. Colors. This part is used to set the colors and degree of opacity of the figures. Figures can be:

1. filled with color but have no outline,
2. outlined with only edges and sides visible(if extrusion is set on),
3. or both filled and outlined (each with a different color).

• Click on the palette icon in each table row to change the default colors.
• The outline color sets the color of the top and of the side edges (if extrusion is set on).
• The outline width is set in pixels (1 pixel is thin and 5 is significant).
• The fill color sets the color of the body of the figure (both top and sides, if extrusion is set on).
• Is the figure outlined, filled, or both filled and outlined?.
• The opacity determines the degree of transparency of the figure. 100% opacity is a solid color, values less than 30% are essentially invisible.

4. Text. The final part allows text and a description to be added to the folder that will download to Google Earth.

• Input text that will be the title of the downloaded folder (e.g. My House);
• Input descriptive text for a popup box. You can include web addresses that will link to browser pages. Simply put in a valid web address (e.g. http://www.gbif.org/), no HMTL markup is required.

Hints on using the downloaded files in Google Earth

• The file will download to your Google Earth client and open in the Temporary Places folder.
• The file can be saved permanently into the My Places folder.
• Multiple figures can be combined into single folders by cutting and pasting them together (use the right mouse button to access these features).
• There is a checkbox called terrain in the Google Earth Navigation Panel. The terrain checkbox controls whether the Google Earth surface is rendered in 3-dimensions or not.
  • If terrain is check on, the downloaded figures may appear partially embedded into hillsides and mountains.
  • If terrain is not checked, then the figures will be completely visible on the Google Earth surface.
• Non-extruded figures will follow the shape of the underlying terrain if terrain is checked on.

These scripts have been contributed by Derek Munro of the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF) to GBIF beginning on 2005-09-28. More...