city models

[ronll]

I'm looking for a 3D model of a portion of the city of Seattle. Does anyone know of a public domain source for such a thing (or a purchase source if necessary)? I can't seem to tailor a google search that turns it up. Or is it possible to use Google Earth or MS(?) and convert it to Acad compatible?

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

This subject was covered in great detail at the DMVC. Someone form their has a very detailed model of Seattle, though I can not remember if is proprietary or not. You may want to check AutoDesk also, though I am having a problem connecting to their site.

 

http://www.autodesk.com/digitalcities

[ikinman]

It was Parsons Brinckerhoff that developed the city model of Seattle, but it's proprietary. The only company that I know of that sells a Seattle model is Sanborn:

 

http://www.sanborn.com/products/citysets.asp

 

On that page you will see on the right a list of the cities that they have for sale, and Seattle is included: 3.6 Square miles, based on a flyover from 2002.

 

The Sanborn Data sets are of middling use for visualization. They are essentially accurate cubes of the correct height and size, but there is no detail or texture mapping. Pricing is on the pdf that you can get from the above link.

 

Hope that helps.

 

-Ian

[ronll]

Thanks. The Sanborn set looks good if a little pricey. Might also be overkill for what I need. But a good source nonetheless.