Google Earth publishing tool enables civil engineers to publish and share vital civil and geospatial information with project team members, oversight committees and general public

Government agencies, professional engineering firms, utilities and commercial developers are under growing pressure to keep extended teams, review committees, clients and the general public frequently informed and updated about the status of projects. To assist them, Autodesk is introducing Autodesk Civil 3D 2007 Extension for Google Earth-Technology Preview.

This publishing utility - the first of its kind - is designed specifically for civil engineers and surveyors who need to keep all those involved in a project, from the planning stages through public approval, apprised of the latest design information.

With a wizard-driven interface, engineers and surveyors can rapidly publish Civil 3D objects and design data in Google Earth, allowing all project constituents to create, manage and share design projects with extended teams and enhance the materials they publish with rich and interactive context.

"Tapping into Google Earth geospatial visualisation capabilities, Autodesk's utility delivers a significant leap forward in terms of sharing complex design data with both professional and technical audiences who have an interest in following the planning, building and management of vital infrastructure projects," said Gary Lang, vice president of Autodesk's Infrastructure Solutions Division.

Autodesk Civil 3D 2007 Extension for Google Earth-Technology Preview offers design professionals the ability to quickly and easily:

Publish to Google Earth:  Through the wizard-driven interface, engineers and surveyors have complete control over the data they want to publish (such as points, parcels, alignments, corridor models, surfaces and hydraulic networks) and how they want it displayed.

Share Data with Extended Teams:  This utility creates a .KML file that can be opened directly in Google Earth, allowing colleagues to view and navigate a design project inside the web application.

Enrich Designs:  Inside Google Earth, team members can add layers of data, including buildings, transportation systems and more to enhance a subject site with additional surrounding area context.

Navigate a Site:  To provide project views from different vantage points, designers can include such visualization capabilities as realistic "drive-throughs" along road centrelines and snapshots of locations.

Deliver Winning Presentations:  The realism of Civil 3D models can be enhanced by associating design points with lifelike 3D content such as houses and cars along a street.

The Autodesk Civil 3D 2007 Extension for Google Earth-Technology Preview is available immediately for download free of charge.