¶ Summary
G-Earth/MC is a project designed to bring real-world cities and regions at a 1:1 scale directly into Minecraft at high fidelity utilising highly automated techniques and pipelines via the import of Google Earth/Street View data directly into Minecraft. The project is managed by Confoederatio, Artistic Division (CAD) as part of its arts and culture programme.
The full rudimentary pipeline, along with associated projects under G-Earth/MC are documented in this article, with later scraping and processing improvements in the planning stage.
¶ Cities
Several cities have already been processed utilising the 1:1 rudimentary pipeline aforementioned, although none of them have so far undergone manual touchup as the project is still in its iteration and testing phase. The area reconstructed in Minecraft is given next to the entry of each city.
None of the cities are currently available for download, though they will likely be made available for download in the future depending on file size.
Asia.
- Osaka (Osaka Castle to Yodogawa Ward) [36km^2] | Download (Gdrive)
Europe.
- Portoferraio (Default Testbed) [~0,225km^2]
- Vienna (Innere Stadt, Danube City, Ringstrasse and Hofburg) [16km^2] | Download (Gdrive)
¶ Pipelines
Rudimentary (1:1).
The Rudimentary 1:1 focuses on high-fidelity results with minimal processing time by working only on full blocks (slabs, stairs, and debugging techniques not included). Whilst acceptable in the air and for use as massing, this technique is generally not recommended for street-level or ground use. A step-by-step guide towards its reproduction is given as follows:
Setup.
- Install Blender 4.3+ as well as Blosm (the base non-premium version can be used).
- Launch Blender and go to Edit > Preferences > Install From Disk > Blosm, and add ‘<city_name>’ as a new folder in Documents/Blender.
- Set up your Google 3D Tiles key. Go to Edit > Preferences > Blosm, and copy/paste your given Google 3D Tiles API key in there to enable its use. Note that you will have to provide payment information, but that you will not be commercially charged for this task.
- Create a new text file with the following content:
minecraft:acacia_log
minecraft:acacia_planks
minecraft:acacia_wood
minecraft:amethyst_block
minecraft:ancient_debris
minecraft:andesite
minecraft:barrel
minecraft:basalt
minecraft:birch_log
minecraft:birch_planks
minecraft:birch_wood
minecraft:blackstone
minecraft:black_concrete
minecraft:black_concrete_powder
minecraft:black_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:black_stained_glass
minecraft:black_terracotta
minecraft:black_wool
minecraft:blue_concrete
minecraft:blue_concrete_powder
minecraft:blue_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:blue_ice
minecraft:blue_stained_glass
minecraft:blue_terracotta
minecraft:blue_wool
minecraft:bone_block
minecraft:bookshelf
minecraft:brain_coral_block
minecraft:bricks
minecraft:brown_concrete
minecraft:brown_concrete_powder
minecraft:brown_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:brown_mushroom_block
minecraft:brown_stained_glass
minecraft:brown_terracotta
minecraft:brown_wool
minecraft:bubble_coral_block
minecraft:budding_amethyst
minecraft:calcite
minecraft:chiseled_deepslate
minecraft:chiseled_nether_bricks
minecraft:chiseled_polished_blackstone
minecraft:chiseled_quartz_block
minecraft:chiseled_red_sandstone
minecraft:chiseled_sandstone
minecraft:chiseled_stone_bricks
minecraft:clay
minecraft:coal_block
minecraft:coarse_dirt
minecraft:cobbled_deepslate
minecraft:cobblestone
minecraft:copper_block
minecraft:cracked_deepslate_bricks
minecraft:cracked_deepslate_tiles
minecraft:cracked_nether_bricks
minecraft:cracked_polished_blackstone_bricks
minecraft:cracked_stone_bricks
minecraft:crafting_table
minecraft:crimson_hyphae
minecraft:crimson_nylium
minecraft:crimson_planks
minecraft:cut_copper
minecraft:cut_red_sandstone
minecraft:cut_sandstone
minecraft:cyan_concrete
minecraft:cyan_concrete_powder
minecraft:cyan_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:cyan_stained_glass
minecraft:cyan_terracotta
minecraft:cyan_wool
minecraft:dark_oak_log
minecraft:dark_oak_planks
minecraft:dark_oak_wood
minecraft:dark_prismarine
minecraft:dead_brain_coral_block
minecraft:dead_bubble_coral_block
minecraft:dead_fire_coral_block
minecraft:dead_horn_coral_block
minecraft:dead_tube_coral_block
minecraft:deepslate
minecraft:deepslate_bricks
minecraft:deepslate_tiles
minecraft:diamond_block
minecraft:diorite
minecraft:dirt
minecraft:dripstone_block
minecraft:emerald_block
minecraft:end_stone
minecraft:end_stone_bricks
minecraft:exposed_copper
minecraft:exposed_cut_copper
minecraft:fire_coral_block
minecraft:gilded_blackstone
minecraft:glass
minecraft:glowstone
minecraft:gold_block
minecraft:granite
minecraft:gravel
minecraft:gray_concrete
minecraft:gray_concrete_powder
minecraft:gray_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:gray_stained_glass
minecraft:gray_terracotta
minecraft:gray_wool
minecraft:green_concrete
minecraft:green_concrete_powder
minecraft:green_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:green_stained_glass
minecraft:green_terracotta
minecraft:green_wool
minecraft:hay_block
minecraft:honeycomb_block
minecraft:horn_coral_block
minecraft:ice
minecraft:iron_block
minecraft:jungle_log
minecraft:jungle_planks
minecraft:jungle_wood
minecraft:lapis_block
minecraft:light_blue_concrete
minecraft:light_blue_concrete_powder
minecraft:light_blue_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:light_blue_stained_glass
minecraft:light_blue_terracotta
minecraft:light_blue_wool
minecraft:light_gray_concrete
minecraft:light_gray_concrete_powder
minecraft:light_gray_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:light_gray_stained_glass
minecraft:light_gray_terracotta
minecraft:light_gray_wool
minecraft:lime_concrete
minecraft:lime_concrete_powder
minecraft:lime_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:lime_stained_glass
minecraft:lime_terracotta
minecraft:lime_wool
minecraft:lodestone
minecraft:magenta_concrete
minecraft:magenta_concrete_powder
minecraft:magenta_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:magenta_stained_glass
minecraft:magenta_terracotta
minecraft:magenta_wool
minecraft:magma_block
minecraft:mangrove_log
minecraft:mangrove_planks
minecraft:mangrove_wood
minecraft:melon
minecraft:mossy_cobblestone
minecraft:mossy_stone_bricks
minecraft:moss_block
minecraft:mud
minecraft:muddy_mangrove_roots
minecraft:mud_bricks
minecraft:mushroom_stem
minecraft:mycelium
minecraft:netherite_block
minecraft:netherrack
minecraft:nether_bricks
minecraft:nether_wart_block
minecraft:note_block
minecraft:oak_log
minecraft:oak_planks
minecraft:oak_wood
minecraft:orange_concrete
minecraft:orange_concrete_powder
minecraft:orange_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:orange_stained_glass
minecraft:orange_terracotta
minecraft:orange_wool
minecraft:oxidized_copper
minecraft:oxidized_cut_copper
minecraft:packed_ice
minecraft:packed_mud
minecraft:pearlescent_froglight
minecraft:pink_concrete
minecraft:pink_concrete_powder
minecraft:pink_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:pink_stained_glass
minecraft:pink_terracotta
minecraft:pink_wool
minecraft:podzol
minecraft:polished_andesite
minecraft:polished_basalt
minecraft:polished_blackstone
minecraft:polished_blackstone_bricks
minecraft:polished_deepslate
minecraft:polished_diorite
minecraft:polished_granite
minecraft:prismarine
minecraft:prismarine_bricks
minecraft:purple_concrete
minecraft:purple_concrete_powder
minecraft:purple_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:purple_stained_glass
minecraft:purple_terracotta
minecraft:purple_wool
minecraft:quartz_block
minecraft:quartz_bricks
minecraft:quartz_pillar
minecraft:raw_copper_block
minecraft:raw_gold_block
minecraft:raw_iron_block
minecraft:redstone_block
minecraft:redstone_lamp
minecraft:red_concrete
minecraft:red_concrete_powder
minecraft:red_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:red_mushroom_block
minecraft:red_nether_bricks
minecraft:red_sand
minecraft:red_sandstone
minecraft:red_stained_glass
minecraft:red_terracotta
minecraft:red_wool
minecraft:rooted_dirt
minecraft:sand
minecraft:sandstone
minecraft:sea_lantern
minecraft:smithing_table
minecraft:smooth_basalt
minecraft:smooth_quartz
minecraft:smooth_red_sandstone
minecraft:smooth_sandstone
minecraft:smooth_stone
minecraft:snow_block
minecraft:soul_sand
minecraft:soul_soil
minecraft:sponge
minecraft:spruce_log
minecraft:spruce_planks
minecraft:spruce_wood
minecraft:stone
minecraft:stone_bricks
minecraft:stripped_acacia_log
minecraft:stripped_acacia_wood
minecraft:stripped_birch_log
minecraft:stripped_birch_wood
minecraft:stripped_crimson_hyphae
minecraft:stripped_crimson_stem
minecraft:stripped_dark_oak_log
minecraft:stripped_dark_oak_wood
minecraft:stripped_jungle_log
minecraft:stripped_jungle_wood
minecraft:stripped_mangrove_log
minecraft:stripped_mangrove_wood
minecraft:stripped_oak_log
minecraft:stripped_oak_wood
minecraft:stripped_spruce_log
minecraft:stripped_spruce_wood
minecraft:stripped_warped_hyphae
minecraft:stripped_warped_stem
minecraft:terracotta
minecraft:tinted_glass
minecraft:tube_coral_block
minecraft:tuff
minecraft:warped_planks
minecraft:warped_wart_block
minecraft:weathered_copper
minecraft:weathered_cut_copper
minecraft:wet_sponge
minecraft:white_concrete
minecraft:white_concrete_powder
minecraft:white_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:white_stained_glass
minecraft:white_terracotta
minecraft:white_wool
minecraft:yellow_concrete
minecraft:yellow_concrete_powder
minecraft:yellow_glazed_terracotta
minecraft:yellow_stained_glass
minecraft:yellow_terracotta
minecraft:yellow_wool
Name this text file ‘modified_block_palette.txt’.
Processing.
- Select target bounding box coordinates that you wish to scan into Minecraft using Blender-OSM. You should split this up into 1km^2 increments in NW-SE order. Make sure to note the filled X margin (in metres) on the rightmost column and the filled Y margin (in metres) on the bottom-most row. We will refer to both throughout this tutorial as margin_X and margin_Y respectively.
- After launching Blender, make sure to select Blosm from the right toolbar and select 3D Tiles. For high 1m fidelity, you must always select ‘buildings with more details’ under Level of Details. Press ‘import’ once you finish.
- Name each corresponding Blender file in <city>_<x>_<y> format within the city folder. Save each Blender file. Go to File > Export > .glb before moving onto the next tile.
- Rinse and repeat (go back to 1) until all tiles have been converted to .glb as a format.
- Go to https://objtoschematic.com/ for each tile (this is faster if you use multiple tabs), and upload the corresponding .glb file as a mesh. It is recommended to use multiple tabs with 1 row at a time (going north to south).
- USE https://objtoschematic.com/editor to check the dimensions of your GLF file! This is important to ensure you don't have to rescale in-game too much.
- Once done, scroll all the way down past each material used to ‘3. Voxelise’. Note that if the Y dimension is >255, you cannot export this - make sure to scale it down, then scale it back up by the inverse if this occurs (check the dimensions post-voxelisation).
- If this tile is 1km^2 exactly, go to the constraint axis and select X. This X constraint must be exactly 1000.
- If this tile is a margin tile, i.e. <1km^2, set this constraint to margin_X assuming this to be the rightmost row, or margin_Y assuming this to be the bottom-most column.
- Voxelise your tile in objtoschematic. Once done, make sure to set the following options as seen in the below image:
- Now press the import block palette button, and upload ‘modified_block_palette.txt’. You must do this for each and every tile. Afterwards, press the ‘Assign blocks’ button.
- Once blocks have finished being assigned, make sure to select ‘.schem’ (not .schematic) and download your export. Ensure that it is downloaded before closing the objtoschematic tab.
- Create a new superflat world in MC without any structures once you have finished converting all Blender .obj files into .schem files.
- Now, using Axiom in Minecraft 1.20+, go to File > Import Schematic in a superflat world without any structures. Press Ctrl + V until the paste of the schematic is confirmed. Make sure your player is always facing north (press F3 to view coordinates) when pasting in schematics. Relative teleportation should be used: /tp ~1000 ~ ~ goes E, and /tp ~1000 ~ ~ goes S. Make sure your immediate schematic is north-aligned to its position in the real world.
- Continue copy and pasting schematic tiles, making sure that your gizmo overlaps perfectly with the previous tile. Note that when scaling in Axiom, you will likely have to manually scale your tile segments using a ‘Nearest Neighbour’ approach.
Rudimentary (1:1, Detailed).
- Finish Rudimentary (1:1) processing, having your Minecraft world already have full blocks.
- Merge all materials in Google Earth meshes into a single material for Blockblender to be compatible. A full video tutorial is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yhxfxcHH54. Note, however, that you must use ‘emission’, not ‘color' when selecting the properties in principle baker. Otherwise, you will get a fully blacked-out image. You must also use RGBA.
- Save your .blend file after compressing to a unified 4096px UVBakeMap.
- Remove all non-slab and non-stairs from the Blockblender 2.0 .zip (write a manual script to do such), and save it as a new .zip named ‘Blockblender_2.0_no_full_blocks.zip’. These full blocks should be replaced by an air block, which you may add. Go to Edit > Preferences > Install From Disk, and install this new plugin.
- Use Blockblender 2.0 in Blender afterwards. Make sure to use ‘Better Hole Resistance’ for material merge. Now we have only slab and stair detailing at a precise scale. Export this to a .schem.
- Once all tiles have Blockblender stair/slab .schem files, copy/paste them using Axiom in Minecraft 1.20 into your full block world. This will add stair/slab detailing to individual buildings.