Beginning a Sketchup Model from ArcGIS

Beginning a 3d Site Model in Sketchup Using Data from ArcGIS

INteroperability of GIS and 3d modeling tools is a capability that has historically been loaded with potential and unfortunately fraught with problems. While GIS has the capcity to handle lots of data in a very scalable and very versatile ways, very nice tools and logic for modeling terrain, and abilities to assimilate data from many sources and different real-world coordinate systems, GIS tools typically do not have the capacity to edit geometry in true 3d. True 3d editing is the domain of tools like Sketchup or 3d studio, or AutoCAD. These tools, while offering nice good at 3d modeling capabilities, are not scalable, and have problems if your models get very large. Until recently it has been very difficult to bridge these two worlds -- that is, until the creators of Sketchup (the aptly named @Last software, now Google) have teamed up woth the makers of ArcGIS (ESRI), to create tools for the easy interchange of terrain and building data from GIS to Sketchup, and od 3d information from sketchup back to ArcGIS.

This page describes how data is transferred from GIS to 3d models in Sketchup. It used as its example, the GSD's 3d data for New York City, which is a compilation of data from the Ney York City Emergency Management, The new york Tax Assessor's office and, the US Geological Survey. The same techniques will work for any other place where you have a GIS layer of buildings with a height attribute and a raster terrain model.

Our sample arcMap project contains a couple of resources to make this tutorial simpler. We have set up a 3d Clip toolbox that handles the clipping and selecting of buildings and the terrain model within a specifed extent. The clip 3d model also creates a Trriangulated Irregular Network (TIN) of the terrain. These derived products are placed in a folder called 'Clip.' which contains some ready-made ArcMap and ArcGLobe documents that let you view the products of this clipping process.

The user is responsible for exporting a georeferenced image of the aerial photo or anything else you might want, loading the Sketchup plugin and exporting all of the above to sketchup.

How to do it

Right-Click_here to Download the sample dataset
Examine the attributes of the buildings layer
Examine the attributes of the USGS terrain model
Run the Clip_3D model from the GSD_3d_Cities toolbox
Set the extent in this model to be Same as View Extent
Without changing your view extent, turn off or on any layers so that you create a map that you want to export to sketchup. This may be just the aerial, or it may be a land cover map that symbolizes pavement and parks with colors (maybe you will do each of these)
Use File->Export Map to export a jpeg of this map view. Use the Options to adjust the DPI -- for starters keep your pixel dimensions below 1200. Later you can make this larger once you see how long it takes. Be sure to click the Save World File option. Save these into your Clip folder. Sabe the aerial as aerial.jpg if you want it to appear automatically in the documents discussed in the next two steps.
Open the ArcMap document in the clip folder.
Zoom to one of your layers
Load the sketchup plugin with Tools->Customize and check the sketchup5tools lougin. This will work on the lab computers. If you have not got the sketchup 5 esri plugin on your own computer, install it from the instructions in the l:\public\winapps\sketchup folder.
Invoke the Sketchup Export tool.
Extrude your buildings by 'Height'
Uncheck Exclude from export for your TIN
Uncheck "Exclude from export" for your aerial.
Export your model!




	Geographic Information Systems (+/-) Geographic Information Systems in the Design School Getting Started With ArcGIS at the GSD GIS Software Manuals GIS Courses at the GSD Links for GSD GIS Fans Data Resources (+/-) GIS Data Resources GSD Data Collection Downloading US Census Data: 2000 - 1970 US Business Directory Digital Elevation Models Sources of Geographic Images Data Handling (+/-) Understanding GIS Data, Metadata and Schema ArcMap 101: Exploring Peoria Data Beginning a GIS Database Concepts of Geographical Referencing Systems Why Don't My Layers Line Up? AKA: ArcMap Projections Tutorial Georeferencing Scanned Maps and CAD Data Reclassifying Data with Lookup Tables Converting GIS Layers to DXF Geocoding Clipping an Ocean Polygon Effective Cartography (+/-) Elements of Cartographic Style Basic Cartography in ArcMap Mapping with Quantitative Data About Mapping Census Data Mapping Census Data Tutorial Analytic Techniques (+/-) Modeling What's Important A Development Buildout Model Real Estate Tutorial Guidelines for Documenting Models Mastering Relational Procedures in ArcMap Vector GIS Procedures in ArcMap Vector GIS Procedures in ArcMap (08 Version) Raster GIS Procedures in ArcMap Classifying Satellite Images Designing for Visibility Zakem Bridge View Corridors Evaluating Development Scenarios Topographic Modeling in 3D (+/-) Experimenting with Zoning Dimensional Regulations in 3d A rough Understanding of 3D Site Context with ArcGlobe Graphics and Animation in ArcGlobe Basic Terrain Modeling (ArcGIS) Experimenting with Massing Scenarios in SketchUp Beginning a 3d Site Model in SketchUp Good Site Model Structure in Sketchup Interchanging 3D Data between ArcGIS and 3dStudio Topographic Modeling in FormZ (+/-) FormZ 101: A Field of Dreams Modeling Terrain with Contours and Surfaces (formZ) Modeling Surfaces with Mapped Images (formZ) Analytical Graphics from 3-D Site Models (formZ) Metropolitan Scale 3d Models (+/-) The Boston Virtual City Collective Retrieving Scenarios from the Metropolitan Model Repository Creatning Historic and Future Scenarios Studying Urban View Corridors Integrating Administrative CAD Data, GIS and Google Earth Export NYC Data to Sketchup
				Beginning a 3d Site Model in Sketchup Using Data from ArcGIS INteroperability of GIS and 3d modeling tools is a capability that has historically been loaded with potential and unfortunately fraught with problems. While GIS has the capcity to handle lots of data in a very scalable and very versatile ways, very nice tools and logic for modeling terrain, and abilities to assimilate data from many sources and different real-world coordinate systems, GIS tools typically do not have the capacity to edit geometry in true 3d. True 3d editing is the domain of tools like Sketchup or 3d studio, or AutoCAD. These tools, while offering nice good at 3d modeling capabilities, are not scalable, and have problems if your models get very large. Until recently it has been very difficult to bridge these two worlds -- that is, until the creators of Sketchup (the aptly named @Last software, now Google) have teamed up woth the makers of ArcGIS (ESRI), to create tools for the easy interchange of terrain and building data from GIS to Sketchup, and od 3d information from sketchup back to ArcGIS. This page describes how data is transferred from GIS to 3d models in Sketchup. It used as its example, the GSD's 3d data for New York City, which is a compilation of data from the Ney York City Emergency Management, The new york Tax Assessor's office and, the US Geological Survey. The same techniques will work for any other place where you have a GIS layer of buildings with a height attribute and a raster terrain model. Our sample arcMap project contains a couple of resources to make this tutorial simpler. We have set up a 3d Clip toolbox that handles the clipping and selecting of buildings and the terrain model within a specifed extent. The clip 3d model also creates a Trriangulated Irregular Network (TIN) of the terrain. These derived products are placed in a folder called 'Clip.' which contains some ready-made ArcMap and ArcGLobe documents that let you view the products of this clipping process. The user is responsible for exporting a georeferenced image of the aerial photo or anything else you might want, loading the Sketchup plugin and exporting all of the above to sketchup. How to do it Right-Click_here to Download the sample dataset Examine the attributes of the buildings layer Examine the attributes of the USGS terrain model Run the Clip_3D model from the GSD_3d_Cities toolbox Set the extent in this model to be Same as View Extent Without changing your view extent, turn off or on any layers so that you create a map that you want to export to sketchup. This may be just the aerial, or it may be a land cover map that symbolizes pavement and parks with colors (maybe you will do each of these) Use File->Export Map to export a jpeg of this map view. Use the Options to adjust the DPI -- for starters keep your pixel dimensions below 1200. Later you can make this larger once you see how long it takes. Be sure to click the Save World File option. Save these into your Clip folder. Sabe the aerial as aerial.jpg if you want it to appear automatically in the documents discussed in the next two steps. Open the ArcMap document in the clip folder. Zoom to one of your layers Load the sketchup plugin with Tools->Customize and check the sketchup5tools lougin. This will work on the lab computers. If you have not got the sketchup 5 esri plugin on your own computer, install it from the instructions in the l:\public\winapps\sketchup folder. Invoke the Sketchup Export tool. Extrude your buildings by 'Height' Uncheck Exclude from export for your TIN Uncheck "Exclude from export" for your aerial. Export your model!