Google Earth vs. Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D

Repost (fixing broken link)…

Here’s your connection to the 3DWarehouse.

Thanks for the link Frank, but I don’t understand why they can’t add this into the default application. The 3D Warehouse is the killer feature in GE’s pocket and they make it so hard for average users to access it.

Brian, how do you enable the high detail buildings? Mine are just the grey blocks. I know you can download new ones from the 3D Warehouse, but I’m thinking they should be enabled by default when I turn on the buildings.

I revisited this and added a better comparison taking into consideration the 3D models available at the 3D Warehouse.

With a 3.2Ghz system, plenty of memory and a T3 connection, I’ve been waiting dozens of minutes waiting to see any building information other than blue blocks. How long does one have to wait to see something worthwhile? Is it always SOOOoo SLooooow?

James, who is your host for this website? Considering that it is probably getting hammered by Slashdot, I’m impressed with it not going down or being slow.

Come on James, get off the Kool-aid. Anything that requires IE is dead. Google Earth doesn’t require IE even on Windows.

Google Earth I found better photo quality

@ feras

Find it at Google Earth home page.

Choices: for speed go with Google earth 4.2 (beta), its more faster and reliable

link: >>http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

for quality go with Microsoft Virtual Earth 3d (beta)

link >> http://local.live.com/ >> then click and the 3d button and it’ll give another link to download from!

enjoi!!!

besides google is better with Poland for example. I could see vavel in cracow and warsaw way clearer than trough Virtual Earth. Although VE is clearer when viewing USA.

i like google earth. i can see my house from this. google earth pro free download please.

this program very beautiful very good

thank you very much.

Malak

James,

You have great interaction on your blog with your readers … enviable, though it makes it a little difficult for me to follow this “VE3D versus Google 3D” discussion. But here is a consideration:

I am not sure what is available in the Google 3D Warehouse at this point. Frank provided a comment with a link and, at a glance, seems like there is quite a bit there to choose from. Nonetheless, in my view it is not the quantity of individual models that matter most–and I won’t even make the argument based around the count of COMPLETE 3D cities nor the speed consideration–but the quality and accuracy of those models. WHO is creating these models that go into the Google 3D Warehouse? And HOW? Using sketch-up? That is great for models that don’t require a high degree of accuracy … in other words, models that emergency first responders won’t count on in a post-Katrina type scenario to determine whether they can fit a rescue vehicle down an alley or whether a ladder can reach a specific window of a building.

Otherwise, I am happy to assure public sector customers that the models found in Virtual Earth are created by Microsoft through an automated photogrammetric process that results in models that inherit the same sub-meter accuracies of the aerial photography from which they are derived, i.e, as high as 15 cm in many places.

This, to me, is the biggest consideration between the two 3D worlds. – VJ