google earth

Salt Lake Temple in 3D with Microsoft Photosynth

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If you’ve been following me for a while you know that I like computer graphics.  I’ve worked in the industry for almost a decade, and enjoy new technologies that make computing a more visual experience.  You’ve seen my 3D model of the Salt Lake Temple for Google Earth, and the Google Street Views of the temples along the Wasatch Front.  Well, here is one more cool technology to add to the list.

Microsoft has built some free software called Photosynth with which you can take many photographs of an object or place, and the software will automatically overlay them together seamlessly and construct a 3D model from their similarities.  You can then fly around the object or place in real-time and zoom in to see details in the photographs.  It’s fascinating technology.  See a fuller definition here.  It’s been in beta for a while now, but has just been released for anyone to make their own “synths.”  A designer from the Church has picked up on it.  [Read more…]

3D Salt Lake Temple in Google Earth

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Salt Lake Temple model

Salt Lake Temple model

One of my hobbies is 3D modeling with computers. A couple years ago, when Google acquired Keyhole and the Google Earth and Sketchup software, I chose to build the Salt Lake Temple in 3D for it, as a tribute to my love of temples and so all the world can see this unique temple’s architecture and majesty in Google Earth.

It took me a few days, and many hours of Photoshoping photographs of the Salt Lake Temple to get the textures just right and the structure built to scale. But I think it was a worthwhile experience and will give many people the opportunity to “virtually” visit the Salt Lake Temple on Temple Square.

When I was done I submitted my model to Google’s 3D Warehouse so that anyone in the world could download and see the temple in Google Earth. Just recently I noticed that my model has been given Google’s distinction of being one of the “Best in 3D Warehouse” and will show up in that layer of Google Earth if you have it.

You can view the model, download it into Google Earth, see rankings/reviews, descriptions, location, and other details at this link.

I guess you could say that I am continuing the tradition of my predecessors in a small way, since one of my ancestors was William Warner Player, the chief stone mason on the original Nauvoo Temple. I have built other temples in 3D also, which I will share on another day.