3D buildings are available for all users in TPE, with variations in the presentation:
| Plan | Maps Page – 3D Buildings Layer | 3D Page |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Included | – |
| Supporter | Included | – |
| PRO | Included | Standard Buildings |
| MAX | Included | Standard Buildings + Enhanced Buildings |
3D Buildings Layer
The 3D Buildings Layer is an optional map layer that can be enabled on the Maps page. It shows outline building footprints and shapes on top of the selected map style. It is not available with Google Maps (but Google Maps’ Road Map style may also include building outlines).
The 3D Buildings Layer does not support shadow casting, but may be used to assess when the Sun (or other body) is clear of the building footprint, for example:
Standard Buildings
Standard Buildings uses the same Open Street Map-derived building data as the 3D Buildings Layer discussed above. The building models are rendered into a 3D scene as opaque objects, with support for lighting effects, shadow casting on the ground and other buildings, and self-shadowing:
Enhanced Buildings
Enhanced Buildings are also derived from Open Street Map data and enhanced with other data sources (see the Buildings Guide). Generally (but not always), you will find the building data includes additional metadata when you click to inspect a building, and often major buildings are modeled better than with Standard Buildings, with more structural detail, color, and material information, some of which is used to improve the rendered appearance.
IMPORTANT: Neither Standard Buildings nor Enhanced Buildings provides high-fidelity, detailed building models. They are schematic approximations. They trade individual building detail for extensive coverage.
Building Materials
Enhanced Buildings often include material specifications that are used in TPE to render specular highlights from sunlight and moonlight. Compare Standard Buildings (left) with Enhanced Buildings (right) for the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE:
Building Parts and Metadata
The Standard Buildings dataset fuses building parts for a simplified representation, and include very limited metadata. The Enhanced Buildings dataset decomposes buildings into parts and includes broader metadata. The ability to pick individual building parts can be useful when trying to compose a photo that aligns with a specific part of a building. Here’s a comparison of Buckingham Palace, London (Standard Buildings first, then Enhanced Buildings):
