Capture Google Maps Geometry for Blender

Archive notice: This workflow was documented in June 2020 for Blender 2.82, RenderDoc 1.6 and Chrome on Windows. Current software, APIs and usage terms may differ.

A Windows-only workflow combined Blender 2.82, RenderDoc 1.6 and Elie Michel’s MapsModelsImporter to capture geometry and image textures from the 3D satellite view in Google Maps.

Required components

MapsModelsImporter handled the captured RCD file inside Blender. RenderDoc recorded the browser’s 3D buffer, and Google Chrome supplied the compatible browser process. Firefox and other browsers were not supported by the documented method.

Chrome launch configuration

After installing the components, the workflow created a shortcut to Chrome and replaced its target with the following command so RenderDoc could hook the GPU process:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c “SET RENDERDOC_HOOK_EGL=0 && START “” ^”C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe^” –disable-gpu-sandbox –gpu-startup-dialog”

Production cautions

Captured map geometry is optimised for interactive viewing rather than clean DCC topology. Artists should inspect scale, texture resolution, mesh fragmentation and legal usage constraints, then test the import on disposable data before bringing it near a production scene.

Further technical notes remain in the MapsModelsImporter troubleshooting documentation.