Google’s 3D University
Today the Build Your Campus in 3D Competition begins. This spring, you and your (presumably equally artistic) friends can honor your campus turf as you hone your 3D design skills just by modeling your school’s campus buildings in Google SketchUp, geo-reference them in Google Earth, and submit them through the competition website to earn lasting online glory. And the winners get a visit to Google, all expenses paid.
How I wish I was still in touch with my AutoCAD skills. Back in the days of architecture college, I was literally a baap of CAD and even made my second semester (early 1996) design using my self-taught skills of AutoCAD. Even until my third year, I was the only one using the computer to make architectural drawings for my working drawings and building technology classes. Certain Luddite-classmates of mine hated me for it and heck, even the external jury gave me a tough time on certain occasions. But now, most of them are way more competent than I and I haven’t drawn a line in AutoCAD after circa 2000.
Now only if I could, I would have modeled my university or at least part of it. I’m sure TAMU with its huge architecture student population and a topnotch visualization lab to boot will not miss me.

