Google Earth meet Tekla Structures

I saw a cool Trimble SketchUp training video for architects on brining in the jobsite as a reference at early design and massing stages on a project. I got inspired to apply this to the construction side of things.

We have a project where jobsite access to erect our precast cladding panels on the far side of the building will take some extra coordination. Using Google Earth, Trimble SketchUp, and Tekla Structures combined together, I was able to quickly create a virtual representation of the conditions we will face.

Initially I exported the Tekla model to SketchUp. I then opened up the model in SketchUp and used the Add Geo-location functionality found under the File menu. This brings up a Google Earth window. I entered the address, grabbed the area I wanted, and added that the jobsite to scale in my model. You can then go back to the File>Geo-location menu and choose Show Terrain to see a rough representation of the jobsite topography. I then used the move and rotate commands in SketchUp to place my Tekla model correctly on the jobsite.