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.

[SomeCallMeDave]

Great thread.   Thanks Guys.

I just installed C3D2008 and didn't know it had this capability.  But the procedure Jeff outlined worked fine for me.

[Guest]

I'm guessing that > >this< < is probably my problem with GE.   :realmad:

[Jeff_M]

Yep, makes sense to me. Can you manually copy that folder structure to where it belongs and be on your way?

[Guest]

Yep, makes sense to me. Can you manually copy that folder structure to where it belongs and be on your way?

The problem is all of our application data is redirected to a server, when GE wants it to be in C:\Documents....  From what I've been reading online, it seems the folks at Google hard-coded some lines which makes it (GE) throw a hissy-fit (yeah... I wrote "hissy-fit") if the app data isn't located on the C:\ drive.

[mjfarrell]

This all worked well and good for me, right up until I turned on some contours, and did a few quick sections. Then my confidence i the data went out the window.  Best for preliminary work, I wouldn't advise any design decisions be made from it.

[sinc]

Yep, we've already seen a lot of engineers get into trouble because they use the local city government's topo maps to design a project instead of getting a survey done.  They think they're saving money by cutting out the topo, but in 4 out of 5 cases they end up with problems that cost a lot more to fix than the topo survey would've cost.  We're completely baffled by engineers who do this, since we've seen some of them get bitten repeatedly and not change their ways.

We're expecting to see something similar any day now, where the engineer used GE data to design a project instead of getting a "real" survey done...

[dfarris75]

What boneheads.

I've tried this feature and it works fine, however, yesterday I zoomed to a project site where the extents of the site were in the GE window and did an import image and surface. Then after analysis and comparison with the actual survey topo data and also USGS dem data I zoomed out a little in GE so I could do a comparison of a larger area with the USGS dem. The first GE surface I imported was different than the second one in our project area. I had figured that the project area would have had the exact same appearance. This scares me, especially if anyone is using it for design purposes. Does GE change the topo/contouring with different zoom levels? The USGS dem was actually a little closer (as far as average elev) to what the survey data shows, but it's even a good deal different. I'd say go with the USGS dem if you must do preliminary design work.

I think that using GE for importing an image would be best use and leave the surface out of it.

[Guest]

This scares me, especially if anyone is using it for design purposes.

What scares me is someone who uses that for design purposes.  Use a legit surveyor and make sure you've got it right!

We've only used it for schematic purposes; just to get a rough idea of what the site is like.  For final docs, we get a survey from the client (if we can).  If not, we use the best information we have available and make note of that on the drawings.  For utilities, we'll put some type of VIF notes on there or something about the owner hiring a qualified utility locating company to verify the locations/types of utilities out there.

[jpostlewait]

Some additional info about uses of GE.

http://www.civil3d.com/2007/03/even-google-has-its-limits/

[Mark]

FYI I removed the few posts about the above link.

[jpostlewait]

Thanks Mark.
I really don't try to pee in anybody's cheerios and I try not to be anybody's fluffer.
Just a place I take a brain dump in the hope that it helps.