Internet User Converts Google Earth Data Into Minecraft

Minecraft player KNKevin moved three cities from the map available on Google Earth to Mojang Studios' game. The creator used his original program.

IN A NUTSHELL:

One of Minecraft players has moved several map fragments from Google Earth to the game;
The creator used RenderDoc and Blender, as well as his own handwritten application.

In the past, we've already described various stories about the wonders that ingenious players perform in Minecraft, including even one very ambitious city. And what if somebody moved... Google Earth to Mojang's game? Theoretically it is possible, as one Reddit userproved .

I converted Google Earth into Minecraft from r/Minecraft

KNKevin used an app called RenderDoc to read 3D environment data from Google Earth. He then improved the models in Blender and exported them to OBJ format. The final step was to use his original program that converted these files into a data package that could be used in Minecraft, assigning different objects the correct textures and materials of the right color. Interestingly, the resulting function files cover millions of commands and often take up over a hundred megabytes.

The possibilities of this method are limited by the level of detail of Google Earth itself. For now, the creator has moved three cities to the game: New York, Tokyo and London. KNKevin admits that in many places the maps are lacking in detail and there are some anomalies. Unfortunately, it would take a lot of time to "polish" these creations to a state in which they would be fit to play, so they are not available for download. He also can't make the tools available, because it would break the law (the converted data belongs to Google). However, both the idea and its execution are very impressive.