KML/KMZ (Vector Only)

The Export KML/KMZ command allows the user to export any loaded vector data sets to a KML/KMZ format file for use with Google Earth.

When selected, the command displays the KML/KMZ Export Options dialog (pictured below) which allows the user to set up the export. The dialog consists of a KML/KMZ Options panel, a Gridding panel, and an Export Bounds panel which allows the user to set up the portion of the loaded vector data they wish to export.

Filled Area Translucency

The Filled Area Translucency section allows the user to control the degree to which filled polygons are see-through in the created file.

Feature Descriptions

The Feature Descriptions section allows you to setup what is contained in the description for each feature in the generated file. You can choose to include only the feature description and links to any files associated with a feature, you can choose to add attributes to this, or you can choose to provide your own HTML text to use for the feature description.

If you use the Custom HTML Text option, you can load the HTML text from a file. Embed the values of attributes from the feature in the text by enclosing the attribute name in percent signs, like %ATTR_NAME%. In addition to the name of attributes, you can also specify <Feature Name>, <Feature Desc>, <Feature Type>, <Longitude>, or <Latitude> as the attribute name to get the feature display label, description, type name, point longitude, or point latitude embedded in the result. If you need to embed an actual percent sign in your result, simply use two percent signs consecutively as an escape sequence. Use Attribute option to insert and add Attributes from the layer being exported to the HTML .

Additional Options

The following additional options are also available:

For advanced users, you can also customize what is displayed in the balloon text that appears in Google Earth when you click on a point. You are able to customize the <Balloon Style> tag to use text with the string value stored in the registry (create if it doesn't exist) at 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Global Mapper\KmlExport_BalloonStyle'.If that value is empty the default setting from Google Earth will be used.

3D Features

The 3D Line Export, 3D Area Export, and 3D Point Export sections allow the user to control whether or not area, line, and point features with elevation values associated with them are drawn at the terrain surface or at the elevation values associated with the feature. You can specify whether the elevation values are relative to ground level or sea level if drawing the features above the terrain.

The 3D Line Export section also provides the option to Chop Up Lines with Too Many Vertices to Render in Google Earth. Lines with more than 65,000 vertices can not be rendered in Google Earth, so enable this option to automatically split lines with more than 65,000 vertices into multiple line features to render properly in Google Earth.

If the Area Features are drawn above the terrain, the Extrude Areas option allows you to control whether or not they will also be extruded, which means they will extend back to the terrain surface, making them look like solid 3D features.

If this option is not checked, the areas will just be drawn in space as a surface and not a 3D closed object. If the Fake 2D Area Heights to Maintain Area Draw Order option is checked, exported 2D area features will be assigned fake elevation values in order to attempt to get them to layer properly when displayed in Google Earth. This is only necessary if you have overlapping areas that do not display in the correct order without this option checked.

If point features are drawn above the terrain, the Extrude Points option will control whether or not a thin line is drawn from the terrain surface at the location of the point to the floating symbol above the terrain surface. Enabling this option makes it easier to locate exactly where a point lies relative to the surface.