Mountain View, Calif. - Google has kicked-off its first-annual SketchUp Gingerbread House Design Contest, running until January 4, 2009.
Anyone is invited to participate. A description of how to get started follows:
SketchUp gingerbread building tools can be found in a special "gingerbread2009" file at http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=539a3e1c5487720d45f5590ac69325a5.
Inside the file is a blank gingerbread house, and several different candies and treats for decoration (gum drops, peppermints, candy canes, and more). Each of these decorations is also a "dynamic component," meaning it can be programmed to behave in certain ways. For example, a peppermint can be made to change colors when it is clicked.
After the file has been downloaded, open it and your gingerbread house will appear in SketchUp. If you don't have SketchUp yet, you can download it for free at http://sketchup.google.com/
When you're done, follow the directions and upload your design to the 3DWarehouse, a database of millions of 3D models, with the tag "gingerbread2009."
After January 4th, the company will look through all the models and bestow a few awards on its favorite gingerbread creations:
1st, 2nd and 3rd place – for the best overall gingerbread houses in thecollection
The Sprinkles Prize – for the best additions to the base model (the crazier, the better)
The Swirl Prize – for the best use of Dynamic Components (http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-about-dynamic-components.html) in the model
The Sweet-tooth Prize – for the most creative use of a single candy ingredient in a model