My Google Map Blog

I’ve long said that one of my favorite features of Google Earth are the 3D buildings. Being able to explore new areas in full 3D is an amazing thing to be able to do.

Nearly two years ago, Google first unveiled their idea for 3D Imagery. Rather than showing individual, hand-modeled 3D buildings, Google would begin to convert cities to full 3D that was automatically generated. While the quality of individual buildings isn’t quite as sharp as hand-modeled buildings, the overall experience of the city and Google’s ability to rapidly roll out new cities makes this a superior way to handle 3D.

We try our best to mention when new cities are released in 3D, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of those milestones. Google typically doesn’t mention it when they roll out, and with hundreds of cities already in 3D we’re never quite sure if a city is “new” or if we simply failed to notice it previously.

We’ve found the best list of cities in 3D comes from Wikipedia, where anyone can edit their entry on the main Google Earth page. If you notice additional cities that feature 3D Imagery and aren’t yet on that list, edit the page and put them on there.

If you happen to notice a new 3D city that was just released, contact us and we may mention it on the site. Thanks!

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