Most people will have heard of Google Earth but may not know about the 3D buildings layer.  Enthusiasts around the world are creating 3D models of buildings in their towns and cities, and putting these into Google Earth.
Google Earth 3D models are not highly detailed as might be the case if you were to model, say, your house or the local church.  Instead, digital photographic images are used to give the model a realistic appearance, but without the 3D complexity.  This helps keep the file size small and allows the Google Earth software to display the model more quickly.

The software needed to do this is all free, and downloadable from Google’s web site.

First of all, the Google Earth software is downloadable from earth.google.com

Secondly, you need Google SketchUp.  I’ve been using this marvellous 3D drawing tool for about three years, mainly for DIY projects around my home, but it was only recently that I finally took the plunge and tried my hand at creating a model for Google Earth.   There is a Free and a Pro version; the Free version does everything necessary for my needs.  SketchUp comes in Windows and Mac versions and can be downloaded at sketchup.google.com

Lastly, you need photo editing software to resize and adjust the pictures of the buildings you model.  Many people use Adobe Photoshop, and this is often referred to in the Google online docs and video tutorials.  Photoshop is quite expensive for the average hobbyist, especially if you’re not sure you’ll want to make it a long-term interest.  I use Gimp, or more correctly The Gimp.  This is open source, so it’s free.  Versions are available for Windows and MacOS, and for Linux.  Go to www.gimp.org for all the info and download.

To get started, take a look at his article on the Google Earth site.

For me, creating 3D models for Google Earth is likely to remain an absorbing interest for years to come.

3dBloke.