Google Earth Settings Dialog

Setting	Description
Format	Lets you set the output format as KML only or KML and Collada.
Stroke Tolerance (Meters)	Controls the accuracy of the mesh approximating curves or curved surfaces. A smaller value produces a more accurate representation at the expense of increased file size and slower display speeds. As the KML format is relatively verbose and the current version of Google Earth does not handle models with a large number of polygons, do not specify a smaller stroke tolerance than necessary.
Minimum Element Size (Meters)	Allows you to specify a minimum threshold for the size of elements that are exported to Google Earth. This setting improves performance by avoiding the export of insignificant details (such as exporting an entire corporate park and exporting polygons for the window frames). If set to 0.0, this setting is ignored.
Convert Undisplayed Levels	If off, only geometry on visible levels is exported. If on, all levels are exported, but undisplayed levels will have their display turned off in Google Earth. The display of any level can be accessed in Google Earth by opening the Levels folder. Note: It is very important to export only the minimum amount of data necessary for visualization in Google Earth. It is recommended that you turn off levels for interior geometry, on buildings, or other unseen geometry.
Convert Custom Line Styles	Google Earth has no support for line styles and can display only solid lines. If on, Custom Line Styles are converted to KML by dropping them to their individual components. This produces correct display of the line style but can substantially increase file size and degrade performance.
Raster To Ground Overlays	Google Earth can display images as ?Ground Overlays? rather than the usual aerial or satellite imagery. If on, then Raster References in the X-Y plane are converted automatically to Ground Overlays. The Raster Reference overlays are placed in a separate ?Raster References? folder. Their display can be controlled as a group by selecting the folder, or individually by selecting the individual references.
Include Raster in KMZ File	If on and a compressed (KMZ) file is being generated, then the raster references are copied into the output file.
Open Exported File	If on, Google Earth opens immediately after a model is exported, and navigates automatically to the current OpenPlant PID view of the exported geometry. If Google Earth is already open, it navigates to view the exported geometry.
Include Properties	Lets you publish a Google Earth (KMZ) file that includes business items. The business items display as placemarks in the Google Earth dialog. None ? No business items are included in the Google Earth (KMZ) file. All ? All of the business items are included in the Google Earth (KMZ) file. Filtered by Property Filter File ? Enables you to include a subset of the business items in the Google Earth (KMZ) file.
Property Filter File	(Enabled only when Filtered by Property Filter File is selected in the Include Properties control) Allows you to specify a Property Filter file. A Property Filter file enables you to include a subset of the business items in the Google Earth (KMZ) file. Click the Browse icon to locate a Property Filter file.
Render Mode	Sets the rendering mode for Google Earth display. From View ? Rendering mode from the active view is used. Wireframe ? Wireframe display is used. Smooth ? Smooth rendered display is used. For Google Earth version 3, if a material is attached or assigned to geometry then the Google Earth color is extracted from the material. Google Earth version 3 has no support for textures, but if a texture image is defined for the material then the average color for the texture is used. Google Earth version 4 does support textures.
Altitude Mode	Controls the interpretation of altitude values in Google Earth, which has two ways of rendering the Earth?s surface. If the Google Earth Terrain setting is off, then variations in altitude, such as mountains and valleys, are ignored. In this case, the Earth is depicted a perfect sphere (ellipsoid). If the Terrain setting is on, then the variations in altitude are depicted in the Google Earth display. This setting applies only to 3D models. For 2D models, the Flatten To Ground option is always used. Relative To Ground ? Altitude value is interpreted as a distance from the ground plane. In this mode, geometry with a positive value always displays. As the altitude is interpreted as a distance from the ground, this produces distortion in the display of geometry when the Terrain setting is on and there are significant changes in altitude. Absolute ? All altitude values are interpreted relative to sea level. Flatten To Ground ? All altitude values are interpreted as being at ground level. This setting is useful for any data that is truly 2D. For 3D geometry this has the effect of flattening the geometry.
Altitude Bias (Meters)	Google Earth is based on the physical representation of the earth with coordinates specified by longitude, latitude, and altitude. Geometry with negative altitude values typically are not displayed (obscured by the Earth?s surface). The Altitude Bias setting specifies a value that is added to each coordinate in a KML file. A positive value moves geometry up from ground level, while a negative value moves geometry toward the ground.
Convert Rendered View Wireframes	If on, wireframe geometry (such as text, lines, curves, and dimensions) is exported along with shaded objects in a rendered view. If off and a rendered view is being exported, then wireframe geometry is ignored.
Reproject Elevation	If on, and the coordinate system is 3D, OpenPlant PID corrects the Z values of coordinates when the datum or geoid elevation of the source and destination Geographic Coordinate Systems are different. If off, the Z values are unchanged. The default is to leave Z values unchanged.
Capture As	Option menu that sets how the Google Earth terrain is captured. Mesh ? Terrain is captured as a mesh. B-spline Surface ? Terrain is captured as a B-spline surface.
Rotation from Google Earth View	Where there is no information about the location of your model, it is assumed that your model's origin coincides with the center of the Google Earth view and that the y-axis is to be aligned with North. If this setting is on, the Google Earth view perspective is maintained on capture.
View Terrain	(For captures from Google Earth with Terrain turned on only) This setting can be turned on/off after capturing from Google Earth. If on, imagery is laid over the terrain surface. If off, imagery is laid over a flat surface.

Format

Lets you set the output format as KML only or KML and Collada.

Stroke Tolerance (Meters)

Controls the accuracy of the mesh approximating curves or curved surfaces. A smaller value produces a more accurate representation at the expense of increased file size and slower display speeds.

As the KML format is relatively verbose and the current version of Google Earth does not handle models with a large number of polygons, do not specify a smaller stroke tolerance than necessary.

Minimum Element Size (Meters)

Allows you to specify a minimum threshold for the size of elements that are exported to Google Earth. This setting improves performance by avoiding the export of insignificant details (such as exporting an entire corporate park and exporting polygons for the window frames). If set to 0.0, this setting is ignored.

Convert Undisplayed Levels

If off, only geometry on visible levels is exported.

If on, all levels are exported, but undisplayed levels will have their display turned off in Google Earth.

The display of any level can be accessed in Google Earth by opening the Levels folder.

Note: It is very important to export only the minimum amount of data necessary for visualization in Google Earth. It is recommended that you turn off levels for interior geometry, on buildings, or other unseen geometry.

Convert Custom Line Styles

Google Earth has no support for line styles and can display only solid lines. If on, Custom Line Styles are converted to KML by dropping them to their individual components. This produces correct display of the line style but can substantially increase file size and degrade performance.

Raster To Ground Overlays

Google Earth can display images as ?Ground Overlays? rather than the usual aerial or satellite imagery. If on, then Raster References in the X-Y plane are converted automatically to Ground Overlays. The Raster Reference overlays are placed in a separate ?Raster References? folder. Their display can be controlled as a group by selecting the folder, or individually by selecting the individual references.

Include Raster in KMZ File

If on and a compressed (KMZ) file is being generated, then the raster references are copied into the output file.

Open Exported File

If on, Google Earth opens immediately after a model is exported, and navigates automatically to the current OpenPlant PID view of the exported geometry. If Google Earth is already open, it navigates to view the exported geometry.

Include Properties

Lets you publish a Google Earth (KMZ) file that includes business items. The business items display as placemarks in the Google Earth dialog.

None ? No business items are included in the Google Earth (KMZ) file.
All ? All of the business items are included in the Google Earth (KMZ) file.
Filtered by Property Filter File ? Enables you to include a subset of the business items in the Google Earth (KMZ) file.

Property Filter File

(Enabled only when Filtered by Property Filter File is selected in the Include Properties control) Allows you to specify a Property Filter file. A Property Filter file enables you to include a subset of the business items in the Google Earth (KMZ) file. Click the Browse icon to locate a Property Filter file.

Render Mode

Sets the rendering mode for Google Earth display.

From View ? Rendering mode from the active view is used.
Wireframe ? Wireframe display is used.
Smooth ? Smooth rendered display is used. For Google Earth version 3, if a material is attached or assigned to geometry then the Google Earth color is extracted from the material. Google Earth version 3 has no support for textures, but if a texture image is defined for the material then the average color for the texture is used. Google Earth version 4 does support textures.

Altitude Mode

Controls the interpretation of altitude values in Google Earth, which has two ways of rendering the Earth?s surface.

If the Google Earth Terrain setting is off, then variations in altitude, such as mountains and valleys, are ignored. In this case, the Earth is depicted a perfect sphere (ellipsoid).
If the Terrain setting is on, then the variations in altitude are depicted in the Google Earth display.

This setting applies only to 3D models. For 2D models, the Flatten To Ground option is always used.

Relative To Ground ? Altitude value is interpreted as a distance from the ground plane. In this mode, geometry with a positive value always displays. As the altitude is interpreted as a distance from the ground, this produces distortion in the display of geometry when the Terrain setting is on and there are significant changes in altitude.
Absolute ? All altitude values are interpreted relative to sea level.
Flatten To Ground ? All altitude values are interpreted as being at ground level. This setting is useful for any data that is truly 2D. For 3D geometry this has the effect of flattening the geometry.

Altitude Bias (Meters)

Google Earth is based on the physical representation of the earth with coordinates specified by longitude, latitude, and altitude. Geometry with negative altitude values typically are not displayed (obscured by the Earth?s surface). The Altitude Bias setting specifies a value that is added to each coordinate in a KML file. A positive value moves geometry up from ground level, while a negative value moves geometry toward the ground.

Convert Rendered View Wireframes

If on, wireframe geometry (such as text, lines, curves, and dimensions) is exported along with shaded objects in a rendered view.

If off and a rendered view is being exported, then wireframe geometry is ignored.

Reproject Elevation

If on, and the coordinate system is 3D, OpenPlant PID corrects the Z values of coordinates when the datum or geoid elevation of the source and destination Geographic Coordinate Systems are different. If off, the Z values are unchanged. The default is to leave Z values unchanged.

Capture As

Option menu that sets how the Google Earth terrain is captured.

Mesh ? Terrain is captured as a mesh.
B-spline Surface ? Terrain is captured as a B-spline surface.

Rotation from Google Earth View

Where there is no information about the location of your model, it is assumed that your model's origin coincides with the center of the Google Earth view and that the y-axis is to be aligned with North.

If this setting is on, the Google Earth view perspective is maintained on capture.

View Terrain

(For captures from Google Earth with Terrain turned on only) This setting can be turned on/off after capturing from Google Earth.

If on, imagery is laid over the terrain surface.

If off, imagery is laid over a flat surface.