I’ve just spent far too much time playing with a great piece of new free intuitive software. I know it’s intuitive because all the instructions are in Japanese, and I still got it to work. I’m talking about SOLA’s 3DtoKML (beta) (good luck with the English translation), a converter program for both Windows and Mac that takes any old W3D (Shockwave), 3DS and DXF (AutoDesk) and OBJ (Wavefront) file and turns it into KML fit for Google Earth.

The software comes with a sample file of an urban Japanese setting converted to KML; as far as I am concerned, urban Japanese settings are not complete without some Godzilla action, so I found myself a W3D model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and added it using the software.

It works like a charm, though I don’t know what the situation is with colors and transparency — maybe some knowledgeable Japanese speaker will enlighten us. BTW SOLA, great trees.

This reminds me about something I wrote a few months ago, when Maya 2 Google Earth came out:

Eyebeam’s Theo Watson writes that he’s hoping for volunteers to supply a Godzilla to rampage through Japan. I’m still holding out for a King Kong on the Empire State Building, meanwhile.

Well, I’ve upheld my end of the bargain. Where is my King Kong?

PS: SOLA has also authored some cool Shockwave models you can view on this English-language page.