Better Google earth contour meshes?

[archytextural]

Is there any way to specify the quality of mesh that google earth exports to Sketchup? Need to model a really big site area, and would like some better quality meshes to work from. Thanks

 

archytextural

[Ernest Burden III]

I don't know what resolution GE is built to show, but its probably 30 meter or worse. I would suggest getting a USGS DEM model, which are usually 10 meter, for your local area, and building the really close, important site contours from survey contours.

[archytextural]

Thanks Ernest. I've tried getting free DEM Models for the area, but they just create a big rectangle of only 2 faces, so i was hoping to use the GE info as a base but the mesh file is too rough and it ends up looking like the Q-bert board. Oh well. I gues tracing the usgs 10 foot contours will have to do, but VERY time consuming.

 

archytextural

[tcorbett]

The Google Earth plug-in looks like it just samples the geometry over a grid plane. To get better geometry I have had to zoom in close and stitch together multiple captures of the topography.

 

For best results your best bet is probably to trace a simple version of the 10 foot contours then build that surface using the terrain tool.

[Ernest Burden III]

Thanks Ernest. I've tried getting free DEM Models for the area, but they just create a big rectangle of only 2 faces...

 

What area? What software to convert the DEM?