Slideshow: Austin gets 3D on Google Earth

16 April 2008 | Aaron Stanush
| Image 1 of 5 |
Ooh, just like Grand Theft Auto. Except without all the bazooka-wielding criminals. At least for now.

Some 3D modelers have been some busy bees lately — most of Austin’s downtown landscape has been converted into 3D photo-realistic models and placed inside Google Earth. But it doesn’t stop there, buildings from the UT Campus, South Congress, and even the East side have been built as well. We’re starting to have a nice little virtual tour of the city on our hands — thanks Google.

If you’re not familiar with Google Earth, it will totally blow your mind. Think Google Maps but with higher detail and extra features such as the photo-realistic buildings, 3D terrain, advanced camera controls, places of interest, and lots of community-generated markers (like secret places). You can view a nice tour of all these features here.

Now that you’re convinced. Here’s how to start exploring Austin or anyplace else in the world on Google Earth.

  1. Download and install Google Earth
  2. Open Google Earth and search for “Austin, TX”
  3. Expand the “layers” window and check the box next to “3D Buildings”
  4. After you’re through with Austin, go find crazy places around the globe
*All images copyright 2008 Google Inc.

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