Blog List

Keith on the MSDN forums just posted about a quick fix to support collections in V6. This is great news for people who needed to support their basic collections but I wondered if this now means we get 3D models as well? The answer is yes!

Click on the image to load a basic map with a very basic model of sydney's centre point tower.

The two additional lines to add are:

VE_CollectionsManagerConstants.Market="";
Msn.VE.API.Globals.language="";

This weekend I upgraded the code in the clustering example to Version 6 of Virtual Earth. This means we now utilise the bulk add shapes method and the bounds for a birdseye scene. Additionally I added some throttling logic for ajax webservices and showed how to provide legacy support for PNG icons in IE6.

Read the article here:

http://www.viawindowslive.com/Articles/VirtualEarth/ClusteringPinsinVirtualEarth6.aspx 

I've been busy with the release of Virtual Earth 6 this week exploring the new features and making some videos and articles.



A must read for any VE developer is the what's new Article I just finished:

http://www.viawindowslive.com/Articles/VirtualEarth/WhatsnewinVersion6.aspx

I'm very impressed by this release with no breaking changes and many good new features. The VWL site also has the new getting started article from MSDN if you feel like building your first map:

http://www.viawindowslive.com/Articles/VirtualEarth/GettingStartedwithVersion6.aspx

I have also been having fun with the new features on maps.live.com and made two videos (available in 720p High Definition) on the new 3D models that you can make and import into Virtual Earth 3D and also the new 3D tours.

http://www.viawindowslive.com/Articles/VirtualEarth/Creatingyourfirst3Dmodel.aspx

http://www.viawindowslive.com/Articles/VirtualEarth/Createa3Dtour.aspx

The viawindowslive site is all about community content and resources so if you have something to contribute feel free to get involved:

http://www.viawindowslive.com/Contribute.aspx

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I was made the moderator for the MSDN Virtual Earth Forums today. The idea is a moderator can help make the forums function better for everyone. How?

• Make sure Answers are marked as answers. This makes searching easier for others and also rewards the person who answers (Star system in place and top answer leader board)
• Create Sticky posts. A sticky post is stuck to the top of the forums, used wisely these can answer the immediate needs of common or timely questions and can prevent duplicate and repetitive posts.
• Remove duplicate posts. These annoy people that answer questions, typically it's a glitch in the network connection or a page refresh and the poor user can be the target of the annoyance caused, simple solution - remove them.
• Make sure Comments are not posted as questions. Again it helps with the searching.
• Keep an eye out to ensure that everyone is treating one another with respect.

So from today onwards I'll not only be answering questions but also helping to make the whole forum a better place. First up I'll be clearing the very old sticky posts and adding a new FAQ and Resources post.