A cross-disciplinary group of UMass Amherst students have created a 3-dimensional model of nearly all the buildings on the Amherst campus. Approximately 100 buildings were modeled and the 3-D campus can be used to visualize new campus planning, to orient visitors, and to show "dorm previews" to incoming students among other uses.

The model was created using two Google programs, Google SketchUp and Google Earth, and has been entered into Google's "Model your Campus" competition.

The student project was started as part of an assignment in a Building Materials and Wood Technology (BMAWT) class taught by Alex Schreyer. Several students from varying disciplines including BMAWT, Architecture and Design, and Landscape Architecture continued the project to bring it near completion. They enlisted help from Facilities and Campus Planning, who supplied CAD data of building footprints as well as SketchUp models of buildings under construction such as the new Integrated Sciences Building and the Steam Plant.

To create the model, students first drew the volumetric shape of all buildings in Google SketchUp. Then, all sides of the real buildings were photographed and the photos were applied to all visible building faces as textures. Next, the students 'georeferenced' each building, positioning it at its exact location and altitude. Finally, each building was exported to Google Earth, making it viewable on any computer that has the free program installed.

The campus model will be available for public use in Google Earth through the '3D Buildings' layer later this summer. Until then, it can be downloaded at the following site (file size is approx. 48MB): http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/academics/student_projects/images/UMass_Model_All_Buildings.kmz