But how does this technology work, and why is it becoming the ultimate virtual road trip?
// Simple "buildings" (cubes) to suggest town const buildingMat = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial( color: 0xbc9a6c ); const roofMat = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial( color: 0xaa6e4a ); for (let z = -120; z <= 120; z += 24) const building = new THREE.Mesh(new THREE.BoxGeometry(2.5, 1.8, 2.5), buildingMat); building.position.set(-9, 0.7, z); building.castShadow = true; const roof = new THREE.Mesh(new THREE.CylinderGeometry(1.6, 1.8, 0.6, 4), roofMat); roof.position.set(-9, 1.6, z); roof.castShadow = true; scene.add(building); scene.add(roof); 3d driving simulator in google maps
: You can switch between a standard car and a single-decker bus. But how does this technology work, and why
// Wheels const wheelMat = new THREE.MeshStandardMaterial( color: 0x111111, roughness: 0.5 ); const wheelGeo = new THREE.CylinderGeometry(0.2, 0.2, 0.15, 16); const positions = [[-0.5, 0.1, 0.7], [0.5, 0.1, 0.7], [-0.5, 0.1, -0.7], [0.5, 0.1, -0.7]]; const wheels = []; positions.forEach(pos => const wheel = new THREE.Mesh(wheelGeo, wheelMat); wheel.rotation.z = Math.PI / 2; wheel.position.set(pos[0], pos[1], pos[2]); wheel.castShadow = true; carGroup.add(wheel); wheels.push(wheel); ); But how does this technology work
| Feature | Google Maps 3D Simulator | Earth 3D Simulator (ArcGIS) | Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | City Car Driving | |--------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|------------------| | Real-world map data | ✅ Full Google Maps | ✅ Yes (GIS data) | ✅ Bing Maps + satellite | ❌ Fictional / generic | | Collision detection | ❌ None | ✅ Basic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced | | Traffic AI | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No (aircraft only) | ✅ Yes | | Vehicle physics | ❌ Arcade | ❌ Arcade | ✅ Realistic (aircraft) | ✅ Realistic | | Purpose | Easter egg / demo | Professional simulation | Entertainment / training | Driver training |