Topic: Importing Google Earth Image/Surface

[Guest]

Anyone have any luck doing this??  I keep getting either a fatal error or an Invalid Pointer message.  *sigh*  And it looked so promising at the Experience the Possibilities tour in Boston.  *sigh*

[Jeff_M]

Yes, I just did this in C3D2008 using GE ver 4.0.2737

In GE I flew to a spot over my house, then I started a new C3D drawing, assigned a Coordinate System (NAD27CA-II), went to Files->Import->Import GE Image & Surface, used the Coordinate option, about 15 seconds later I had my Image and contours showing in the drawing.

[Maverick®]

  Very cool Jeff!

[Jeff_M]

Thanks, Mav!

Matt,
I just d/l'ed the most recent GE and was able to get a neighboring view into the same drawing without a problem. So make sure you have the recent version of GE. If you already do, sorry, not sure what else to look for.

[Guest]

GE was downloaded yesterday...  I set my coordinate system to NAD27 (see image - do I need to change anything else - I'm new to this game).... File - Import - Image & Surface.  It begins to retrieve the data from GE but the progress bar never gets past 0%.  Then it throws up the fatal error message (see image).  The import GE Image option gives me an Invalid Pointer message (see image).

[Jeff_M]

Nope, looks like you got it setup correctly. I just tried an area in CT to see if maybe there's a glitch in the Zone data, but I got a nice image with contours around Vernon, CT.

Then I thought maybe it's a size issue (i.e. too much data) but I was able to get the entire state of CT.

I even tried importing when it wasn't a top-down view and that came in too.......

I'm at a loss as to why it works here but not for you.

[Guest]

So there aren't any other settings I should check for the coordinate grid?  Hmmm... well this certainly sucks!

[Jeff_M]

How about saving a placemark in GE and sending that to me? Give me the eye elevation you'd like the view from and I'll go to that place, create the drawing and send that to you.

[Dinosaur]

Just for grins, try setting viewres to a low number . . . if no joy:

That custom scale of " 1 " looks a bit spooky.
You don't have any transformation settings going on, right?
 . . . you are in model space . . . ?
Did you restart C3D and failing that, reboot?

[Guest]

Thanks for the offer but I'm not doing this for a project right now.  I'm trying to figure this thing out so that I can show my boss and give him the ol', "Hey, this is what we used to do... this is how we can do it using Civil 3D.... this is how much time we'll save" dog & pony show.  But right now it's more like a..... ferret and a..... badger.... show. 

[Guest]

When it imports the image... where does it put that??!?  Our application data is redirected to a server.  Just thinking out loud.

[Jeff_M]

Dino, the drawing scale shouldn't matter (I just tried it again with the setting of 1 and it's still OK).

Matt, have you tried just the Image and/or just the Surface? Maybe narrow it down....

Oh, and do you have a default Surface style selected? Not sure if it matters, but you never know.

A good boot to the ... er, a re-boot might clear some bad juju in the PC.

And yes, this is soooo much nicer/easier than working with DEM's

This is where mine is stored:
C:\Documents and Settings\Master\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\C3D 2008\enu\Dra22B7.jpg

[Guest]

If I try to import the Image or Image & Surface, I get the Invalid Pointer message.  When I try to import the Surface, I get a fatal error.   Not sure which one is worse!?!

I've already rebooted.

My application data is stored on a server.  I'm wondering if that might be the cause of the Invalid Pointer message?!?

[Dinosaur]

The surface style MAY matter . . . set the current style to one that displays as little as possible - just a boundary or even a null display to get the data into the drawing.

[sinc]

Yes, I just did this in C3D2008 using GE ver 4.0.2737

In GE I flew to a spot over my house, then I started a new C3D drawing, assigned a Coordinate System (NAD27CA-II), went to Files->Import->Import GE Image & Surface, used the Coordinate option, about 15 seconds later I had my Image and contours showing in the drawing.

I know where that is!  My sister lives a few miles SSW of that screenshot, a bit south of W. College Ave.