Google Maps 3D goes super hi-res: Stunning multi-dimensional views of New York and San Francisco are unveiled
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From undulating sand dunes to the Great Barrier Reef, Google has added some of the world's most spectacular sights to its Street View library over the past year.
Now, it has updated some 3D models in Google Earth, including the Statue of Liberty and bay Bridge in San Francisco.
The attention to details is incredible, with thousands of tiny windows on skyscrapers showing 'reflections' and features demonstrating the texture of monuments.
Stunning: Google has updated some 3D models in Google Earth, including parts of New York (pictured) such as One World Trade Centre, otherwise known as Freedom Tower. The attention to detail is so good that you can see 'reflections' in the skyscraper's glass
New York and San Francisco are the first cities to have got the improved 3D makeover, Susan Cadrecha, of Google, told Mashable.
Viewers can take a tour of the cities in 3D via Google Earth, or Earth View in Google Maps.
It is possible to spot landmarks from above, before tilting the view to get the whole 3D effect, in order to see all the details.
New and improved: Small details can now be seen more clearly, as shown in this zoomed-in image of the AT&T baseball park in San Francisco on the left. The older version is shown on the right, where the colours aren't as good and adverts less legible
Clever: New York and San Francisco are the first cities to have got a 3D make-over. This shot shows a 3D model of the Statute of Liberty from above. Users can tilt the model to see it from different angles, and easily access Street View photos too in Google Maps Earth View
More coming soon: Users can enjoy landmarks in the cities such as the new Freedom Tower in New York and Coit tower in San Francisco (pictured), and the company says that it will update more 3D models of landmarks around the world throughout next year
Spot the difference: While details of the Empire State Building are visible in the picture on the right, the newer version is clearer and brighter (left). Details on he top of the skyscraper as well as small features on the shorter buildings show this well
Google told TechCrunch that it used improved cameras and better algorithms to reconstruct buildings in the cities in three dimensions.
Notable improvements include cars that no longer look like they have been flattened and smaller details such as billboards and bus stops looking more realistic than before. However, commentators have remarked that the trees still look a little strange in places.
Users can enjoy landmarks in the cities such as the new Freedom Tower in New York and Coit tower in San Francisco, and the company says that it will update more 3D models of landmarks around the world throughout next year.
MailOnline asked Google when existing version of 3D Stonehenge and London are likely to get a makeover, but the search giant says no other cities have been planned yet.
Google last updated the 3D models in its maps in May 2013, with the new versions boasting more details and sharper graphics.
However, the full effect is dependent on a user's computer, as it can take a long time for such detailed images to load correctly.
Clearer: MailOnline asked Google when Stonehenge and London is likely to get a make-over, but the search giant says no other cities have been planned yet. The shot on the left shows tiny details such as individual bricks and advertisement, which are not visible in the older, less colourful image on the right
Attention to detail: Google said that it used improved cameras and better algorithms to reconstruct buildings in the cities in three dimensions. Notable improvements, include cars that no longer look like they have been flattened and smaller details such as billboards and bus stops, looking more realistic if you zoom in beyond a birds-eye-view ( a shot focused on the Chrysler Building is pictured)
Sharper: Google last updated the 3D models in its maps in May 2013, with the new versions boasting more details and sharper graphics. A shot of the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco is pictured
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