Edmonton Construction 9 (2008-08) - Page 259

newfangled · #**5161** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdmTrekker

Every time I look at Edmonton Google Earth it gets better and better. More buildings showing in 3D and done so well. Not sure who to thank for all this effort but it is an amazing effort. Who are whom are the heros?

I wish we could get the high-rises running west down Jasper. There are so many there it would creates a grand sweeping entry as you zoom in. I know this is a lot of work.

Glad you like them. I just wish that google would hurry up and do an update, so that all the towers with the corrupted sky texture would get fixed.

And I'm just going to rant a bit:

I sent an email to Ft. Edmonton/the COE at the beginning of April volunteering to model the park. How instructive and unique would it be to have a clickable 3d representation of the whole thing? I think it would be cool.

All I asked was to be able to walk around the park taking pictures for a few hours on few days BEFORE the crowds showed up, and BEFORE the leaves grew in. I've traded a couple emails with them, and apparently they are interested, and I get that they are a gigantic bureaucracy, but now it's the 11th hour so maybe it's waiting until next year.

Oh, and google takes a few months to vet models so there are some new ones that don't show up. When I do a new model though, it's on my blog right away: inthreedimensions.blogspot.com

Oh, and I finally did it:

christopherj · #**5162** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:47 AM**

I think I need to leave the city with opinions such as this. From Hick on Six's blog:

Quote:

"I really like the way the Venetian condo building on the northeast corner of 112 Street and 103 Avenue (a short block from the original Railtown project that started all the action in this particular neighbourhood) is shaping up.

Builder Abbey Lane Homes layered in colour after colour after colour - the result being the Venetian really does have an echo of it's namesake - all the strong coloured buildings to be found in Venice, and indeed all over Italy.

After the colour comes the variety in the depth - it's not a huge deal, maybe a couple of feet in and out there and there, but it truly is so much more interesting to the eye than the incredible front flatness of less-attractive condos. And the way in which one building is made to look as if it's almost a collection of six-floor high townhouses.

I like the white accents, even the slightly silly columns working their way up the building. Hey, it may look a little like West Edmonton Mall's Europa Boulevard facades ... but at least this is a real building, with a definite personality in a city where too many buildings are simply cookie cutter."

Mycroft · #**5163** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:54 AM**

@ newfangled...you're best bet is to go once the park is open for the season (may 17), but after park hours (6:00 and onward). Approach the gate and if anyone asks, just say you're going to the Hotel Selkirk/Johnson's Cafe, which is open most days of the week. Drive to the hotel, park at the side of the road, enjoy a pint at the Mahogany room (also open after hours), and take pictures without crowds or the red tape.

newfangled · #**5164** Posted **May 8, 2009, 12:37 PM**

^ unfortunately, it really needs to be done during the day. Without decent light, getting usable photos is a huge pain. And trying to use exposure compensation or adjusting the colour for 80-odd buildings is just making it way work than it should be.

ue · #**5165** Posted **May 8, 2009, 2:02 PM**

Newfangled, thank ya for doing all the 3d models, it is a great representation of our city. I wonder why Google does so many full neighbourhoods for American cities and some European ones but no Canadian except Vancouver?

Your models are great, but what made those weird cloud things on the Google earth?

Keep up the good work and that High Level Bridge one looks great!

wco · #**5166** Posted **May 8, 2009, 3:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by christopherj

I think I need to leave the city with opinions such as this. From Hick on Six's blog:

RE: Venetian

I girl in my office said she was looking to buy a condo there because it was "cute" ......I just shook my head.

MrOilers · #**5167** Posted **May 8, 2009, 4:04 PM**

I've mentioned a few times that I know a lot of people who think that building (Venetian) is "cute".

I got the impression that most people here thought I was making it up.

wco · #**5168** Posted **May 8, 2009, 4:11 PM**

There's two girls in my office that think it's "cute" and one seriously considering buying. It just goes to show you.....somebody will buy this crap.

deedub35 · #**5169** Posted **May 8, 2009, 4:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wco

There's two girls in my office that think it's "cute" and one seriously considering buying. It just goes to show you.....somebody will buy this crap.

Yeah ... my cousin ... she thought it was cute too. When she moves in I'll report back on the fit and finish ... can't be worse than the outside ... could it?

wco · #**5170** Posted **May 8, 2009, 4:40 PM**

I don't know. Has anyone on here set foot in the place?

newfangled · #**5171** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by edmontonenthusiast

...what made those weird cloud things on the Google earth?

Google Earth used to allow semi-transparent textures. And I was feeling clever, so for any model that was a boring glass box I created a cloud layer to wrap it in. So the models went from this:

to this:

But then in one of their updates the semi-transparency stopped working, and the cloudwrap became the main texture that you now see on all those models. For the longest time I thought it was a bug. And I even got emails from Google saying it was a bug. But then recently I found something in one of their forums indicating that yes, semi-transparency was officially no longer supported.

So then I went and fixed all the models, and am now just waiting for the update.

Getting rid of the transparency was actually a good thing though, because GE runs a lot smoother without it.

Coldrsx · #**5172** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:21 PM**

On wednesday night I had the pleasure of hearing Ed Mazria speak about the 2030 challenge and how the building sector and more specifically the green building sector needs to be engaged to get us out of the recession we are in.

Yesterday i attended the sustainable building symposium at the Robbins centre, beautiful building BTW, and got to go to the following sessions:

1. LEED and MURBS (multi-unit residential buildings)
2. Manitoba Hydro Building
3. LEEDing contractors

also, at lunch we had the managing director of Windmill West (dockside green in victoria) speak to how developers are not doing enough when it comes to sustainability and durable buildings and that governments need to promote R&D in the building sector more.

i highly recommend you all attend this next yr.

Coldrsx · #**5173** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:34 PM**

^for those who have not seen their site...

http://www.windmillwest.com/

i asked him to please consider helping us here.

Coldrsx · #**5174** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:46 PM**

when will we ever see something of this calibre in Edmonton?

http://www.busby.ca/clients/thevento/index.htm

hilman · #**5175** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:52 PM**

^ Meh, I don't like the wood color/lines. Reminds me of this lol.

Coldrsx · #**5176** Posted **May 8, 2009, 5:58 PM**

hello awesome event coming up...

104th Street Al Fresco Block Party

deVine Wines organizes first annual "Al Fresco 104th St." block party to benefit the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, Satuday, June 13th.

The team at deVine has garnered approval from the City of Edmonton to close 104th St. between Jasper ave. and 102nd Avenue the night of Saturday, June 13th in order to stage an everyone welcome block party culminating with a two-and-a-half storey outdoor movie screen showing of "Big Night" with Stanley Tucci and Minnie Driver. The movie begins at 10pm and is free of charge to the public. Please bring your own chair. Events throughout the day will involve the majority of the businesses on our street.

From the very beginning, "Al Fresco 104th St." was conceived as a community event. The businesses and residents along 104th believe that downtown Edmonton is a vibrant and growing community and want to share their enthusiasm in the name of a worthy cause. Please mark your calendars and come out and enjoy the festivities.

Date: Saturday, June 13
Time: 3pm till midnight

Cost: most events free, bring a chair for the movie!

Visit the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters website: http://www.acws.ca

IKAN104 · #**5177** Posted **May 8, 2009, 6:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by newfangled

Google Earth used to allow semi-transparent textures. And I was feeling clever, so for any model that was a boring glass box I created a cloud layer to wrap it in. So the models went from this:

to this:

But then in one of their updates the semi-transparency stopped working, and the cloudwrap became the main texture that you now see on all those models. For the longest time I thought it was a bug. And I even got emails from Google saying it was a bug. But then recently I found something in one of their forums indicating that yes, semi-transparency was officially no longer supported.

So then I went and fixed all the models, and am now just waiting for the update.

Getting rid of the transparency was actually a good thing though, because GE runs a lot smoother without it.

So will we have to download the new versions of your models to solve this problem, or will Google Earth automatically resolve this for us when the update is released?

IKAN104 · #**5178** Posted **May 8, 2009, 6:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wco

There's two girls in my office that think it's "cute" and one seriously considering buying. It just goes to show you.....somebody will buy this crap.

That's good news. A lot of people really like this building, which in a strange sort of way means that it won't be the embarrassment that we all thought it would be.

Coldrsx · #**5179** Posted **May 8, 2009, 6:10 PM**

"which in a strange sort of way means that it won't be the embarrassment that we all thought it would be."

to each their own but this building in NO WAY is going to reduce the embarrassment that it IS.

bruno should be ashamed.

the city should be ashamed.

newfangled · #**5180** Posted **May 8, 2009, 6:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by IKAN104

So will we have to download the new versions of your models to solve this problem, or will Google Earth automatically resolve this for us when the update is released?

All of the models show up in my account as "Awaiting Review." So that means they're back in Google's queue, and once they are vetted then the fixed versions will automatically show up in Google Earth.

When they are going to do the next update is a mystery, though. Back at either the beginning of march or april they did a massive across-the-board approval, and I went from 90 approved models to the current 124. Hopefully the next update is coming soon.