If you’re a fan of Minecraft, you’re well aware of the infinite building possibilities one can create with enough time and blocks. With a little planning and imagination, one could replicate virtually anything.
On the GE Show, the Edison Memorial Tower was replicated by some intrepid builders. Using Google Maps for reference and a program called SketchUp for layout, a surprisingly accurate replica of the tower was built in Minecraft, stretching all the way into the 3D block-clouds.
Check out the construction process, sped up for the sake of brevity and sanity and set to groovy music:
Virtual crews worked through the virtual days and nights constructing the replica tower. Five grueling digital days and nights, Minecraft crews toiled and mined and worked to build the massive structure, breaking only to feed their electric livestock, even bearing virtual Mother Earth’s fury through a digital rainstorm. Yet the computerized construction crew persevered, finishing the mighty monolith.
In all seriousness, it is interesting to see a major corporation such as General Electric taking an interest in a game program such as Minecraft. While numerous (possibly countless) veterans of the game are quick to point out GE’s flaws in the method of building within the program (you can read the comments in the video, but the gist is “misuse” of tools, wrong materials used, landscaping issues), it is still a good illustration of the recognition of the game’s possibilities and a testament to the power and popularity of Minecraft.
via OneMoreBlog / Joystiq