On Tuesday, software giant Google released version 7.0.2.8415 of its popular Google Earth program. The new version, a 40.8 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:
What’s New:
– We have included substantial performance improvements to this build. You should see scenes load more rapidly than in our previous public Beta release.
– We have included minor tweaks to the Tour Guide UI.
Issues fixed in this release:
– We fixed the bug that prevented users from recording movies from saved tours.
– Wikipedia text displays in tours.
– Gray buildings and extruded polygons have improved lighting effects.
– Imagery holes no longer appear after sun has been turned on in DirectX on certain hardware configurations.
– Icons align correctly upon installation of .dmg.
Known issues in Google Earth 7:
– When run in DirectX mode on certain Radeon graphics cards on Windows, SketchUp models and extruded polygons will appear gray. To work around this issue, run Earth in OpenGL mode.
– When run in OpenGL mode on certain Intel graphics cards, SketchUp models and extruded polygons will appear gray. To work around this issue, run Earth in DirectX mode.
– Clamped Polygons and Image Overlays display multiple instances in 3D cities on certain hardware configurations.
– KML overlays don’t render correctly in 3D cities in DX on certain hardware configurations.
– Water surfaces around coastlines will flicker then resolve upon zoom.
– Placemark and linestring quality diminishes in the Plugin with browser refresh. To workaround, zoom closely into the KML you want to view.
– Terrain and Water Surface oddities exist at the antimeridian.
Google Earth 7.0.2.8415 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.6 or later to install and run.
If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, let us know in the comments.