Google Earth screen capture onto site in Revit

[corybschneider]

Can someone run me thru how to apply a screenshot I took from Google Earth onto a topo model I have of my site into Revit?
I've been trying it in the "Edit: Structure" menu within "Element Properties" but I'd like to hear it from someone that's acheived it, because I'm obviously going in the wrong direction.

Thanks ahead of time
CBS

[cliff collins]

You can not "drape" the image onto the toposurface in Revit.

You can load the image as a Raster Image, control its display order front/back, etc.
You can hide/turn on /off the image w/ Visibility settings, etc.

It may also be good to convert the image to a .png file so it has transparency.

Good luck!

[Munkholm]

If you´re talking about rendering only, it´s actually possible to "drape" the google map onto your topography. Just choose an existing rendering material (ie. Stucco Light Grey) and change the imagefile to match the one from google.
It´s important that the size of your topo, match the actual size of the google image,and that the size is set in the material properties

[truevis]

...
It´s important that the size of your topo, match the actual size of the google image,and that the size is set in the material propertiesWhat is the units of the image size? Inches?

[azmz3]

I have tried this in our office, and unofortunately it was not that simple. whenever we would bring in the image, it would come in rotated in the wrong direction and would not fit over the topo correctly. we tried changing the size and rotation thru the material properties, and still no luck. this should be a simpler process in Revit if it can be done in Sketch-Up.

[Munkholm]

I´m in the metric part of the universe, so for me it´s millimeters.
Tried it with a site plan being 100x80 meters, croped an arial view to match the site proberty lines, and set the image file in the material dialog to be 100 meters wide (100000 milimeters) - Hope that makes sence...

[patricks]

I´m in the metric part of the universe, so for me it´s millimeters.
Tried it with a site plan being 100x80 meters, croped an arial view to match the site proberty lines, and set the image file in the material dialog to be 100 meters wide (100000 milimeters) - Hope that makes sence...

Unless you're doing an aerial site rendering, I think the satellite image would be extremely pixelated if the camera is closer to the ground, at a more "normal" viewing height.

If you're wanting to have an image on your site plans, take it from me, PLEASE do not do that. I did a recent project where the Civil drawings were sent to us with an aerial image underlay, and the drawing is extremely difficult to read. On the reproduced sets especially, the black lines of the site layout and grading drawings get lost in the dark areas of the image. It's probably the worst set of civil drawings I've ever seen.

[Munkholm]

Unless you're doing an aerial site rendering, I think the satellite image would be extremely pixelated if the camera is closer to the ground, at a more "normal" viewing height.

I only use it for "BirdEye" perspectives, to show the project in context. An yes, it gets pixelatet, but to me it´s better thatn having to model the entire site.

[corybschneider]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll just keep plugging away trying to get the rotation and sizing right. Wish me luck.

[twiceroadsfool]

If youre in 2009, here is a trick for making the rotation and placement work:

Make a new model pattern, and use that as the surface pattern of the material. Make it very large though, so the surface pattern only appears once. (Like, for a 12'x8' box, i would make a pattern that is a crosshatch of 12'x8'.

Then when you set up the bitmapped image for MR, go to the texture alignment, and pick a point on the image that you know is some demarkation, and set it so it is at the crosshair of the model pattern.

Then grab the lines of the model pattern in the model, and adjust it till its it the right place.

This, of course, all goes at the window if the surface pattern gets jacked to the hilt becuase the topo isnt flat. I havent tried it, but it works wonders with floors and images for sites...