Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 5:28 PM
Google is sponsoring a “Build Your Campus in 3D” competition; more than 250 teams from colleges across North America have already signed up to participate. What better way could there possibly be to create content for Google Earth than to get hundreds of college students jazzed up about the possibility of a free trip to the Googleplex?
Each team is required to model their school’s campus buildings in Google SketchUp and geo-reference them in Google Earth. Both .SKP (SketchUp) and .KML (Google Earth data) files must be submitted. The top five to seven winning teams will receive an all-expenses-paid visit to Google headquarters (the storied Googleplex) in Mountain View, California. The competition is only open to college teams in the US and Canada.
All buildings should be modeled in Google SketchUp using photo-texturing and with a low-polygon count. Google offers a best practices document, some video tutorials, and building examples to get teams started. Contest entries must be received by Google no later than 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time on June 1, 2007.
All entries will become public domain, stored in the Google 3D Warehouse and visible in Google Earth. In addition, Google reserves the right to use all submissions “in any form desired for any length of time.” Teams (or their advisors) concerned about the ramifications of this should take a close look at the Official Rules before submitting.
A blue-ribbon judges panel has been assembled to review entries. The judges are: - Bobby Brooks, AIA, Creative Director, Concept Architecture, Walt Disney Imagineering
- Ken Harsha, Producer/Production Designer, Electronic Arts
- Janet Martin, Communication Arts, Inc.
- Paul Seletsky, Associate AIA, Director of Digital Design, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
- Gary Smith, Founder and President, Green Mountain Geographics
- Ken M Tse, AIA, Vice President, HKS Architects
Visit the competition website for more details. http://contest.sketchup.com/entry.php?rules=1
--RSN