A researcher at Cornell Tech in New York has developed an innovative pipeline of tools that transforms Google Maps' 3D tiles into a world of voxels in Minecraft. The result is a visually stunning and remarkably impressive process that generates voxelized versions of the Earth.
Voxelizing Google Earth
Graduate student Ryan Hardesty Lewis, the mastermind behind the Voxel Earth technique, explained, "The pipeline we developed starts with Google’s high-resolution 3D Tiles, which are then decomposed into voxels, assigned colors and textures, and exported. We use an algorithm to assign color and material properties based on the original photogrammetry data, making the world much more recognizable."
The project has garnered attention for its eye-catching visuals and attention to detail. Lewis shared more insights in an interview on SIGGRAPH's website, and interested individuals can explore additional details and gifs of the project in action on voxelearth.org.
Industry professionals attending SIGGRAPH will have the opportunity to experience Voxelizing Google Earth firsthand and interact with the project next month. The fusion of Google Maps' data with Minecraft's voxel world showcases the endless possibilities of creative technology integration.