This is nice. I was tracking back a hit to the MIT Adlab and noticed an entry (Link) regarding Google Earth’s move to support textures by upgrading their .klm format (see above sample). Very cool. Now everyone is going to have to upgrade their exporters I guess (I need to read Google’s announcement again to be sure I understand if that’s the case). Hopefully the folks at Eyebeam who wrote the Maya exporter I use will update their plugin if it’s necessary.

That format update might also apply to the newly-announced .kml to .x3d converter I read about over on the 3pointD blog (Link). Fun to see how the data is finally moving around in the fluid manner I’ve expected for some time. And there’s more to come. It’s going to be getting fun real soon.

Meanwhile I’d like to get back to my Second Life “protoSat” piece which definitely needs some textures in Google Earth; it looks pretty boring without them (reLink). Maybe in a couple months I can apply those new textures. Maybe.

{Image Copyright © 2006 Google}