ContextGen

ContextGen is a Grasshopper-based context generator that builds unlimited, fully textured 3D site models from anywhere in the world using only a latitude and longitude. No manual tracing Google Maps, no API keys, no GIS software — just plug in coordinates, preview the model in Grasshopper, and then bake it with an organized layer structure into Rhino! ContextGen pulls elevation data, OpenStreetMap building footprints, road networks, water bodies, and green spaces, then stitches high-resolution aerial imagery from a network of regional satellite servers when available and uses lower-resolution imagery as a global fallback. The result is a UV-mapped terrain mesh with texture, extruded buildings, roads, and paths, ready to bring into any Rhino model. Coverage for image texturing quality varies by region. Areas with dedicated regional tile servers, such as Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and New Zealand, deliver the sharpest imagery. The rest of the world uses other imagery sources that provide good to excellent results across most of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and major cities globally. It can be noticeably lower resolution in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and rural areas of developing countries. Mainland China is a known weak spot in this version, with low-resolution textures for many areas outside tier-1 city centers. In all cases, urban cores tend to have significantly better coverage than surrounding rural or wilderness areas, and coastal/tourist regions generally outperform landlocked interior zones. Check specific regions here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1loHwHVnXEv7LvgCxIyFyCli3iex_GwZCwA4jeo0-eRA/edit?usp=sharing