Dresden 3D-City Model

3DGeo, a company based in Germany, has announced the launch of the Dresden 3D city model. Using their LandXplorer technology they modeled a total of 154,000 buildings with around 30 modeled in fine details that display an exact representation of the facade elements. Also, highly complex city-landmark buildings and geometric roof features can be viewed.

3DWalkthroughs.com is looking into investing in the LandXplorer technology to help round out our offerings. Clearly we would like to offer the ability to step inside the model and Walkthrough detailed interiors and Floor Plans. As we have discussed in previous posts, interior walkthroughs of public buildings could present a security issue so this must be more thoroughly researched.

Below is a press release from the 3DGeo website.

Dresden 3D in Google Earth
Montag, Juli 09, 2007


The Dresden 3D city model, the largest city model in the world, is now accessible through Google Earth.

The LandXplorer technology from 3D Geo GmbH makes it easy to create 3D models and import them into the Internet; this is also possible for very large models. Control of the data remains in the hands of the local governments. There are numerous fields of application for using the models.

Potsdam, the 9th of July, 2007 Dresden is now accessible in a close-to-reality way to everyone as a complete, interactive 3D city model in the Internet. The 3D city model, with its more than 150,000 buildings, is the biggest of its kind in comparison to other similar models available in the world today. Dresden’s vice mayor and city councilman for urban development, Herbert Feßenmayr, together with the head of the city surveying department, Helmet Krüger, gave official public access to the virtual model of the Saxon capital city via Google Earth’s Virtual Globe on the 9th of July. The interactive, real-time environment allows the user to move about in virtual space and observe the city on the Elbe from various perspectives. Internet users can start the model by clicking this link www.dresden.de/3d-model and then viewing it via Google Earth’s visualization platform. German-speaking users can start the model by following this link: www.dresden.de/3d

The city fathers placed great emphasis on the creation of a complete representative model of the city. And in compliance with their wishes, the entire urban area of the Saxon capital was recreated in model form. All buildings that were larger than 25 square meters were taken into consideration – a total, then, of approximately 154,000 buildings. With this volume, Dresden surpasses the “first-mover”, Berlin, with its 44,000 model buildings, which went on-line in March. Around 30 buildings in the Dresden model are presented to the viewer replete with fine details; they display an exact representation of the facade elements. Also, highly complex city-landmark buildings and geometric roof features can be viewed.