CityExplorer

CityExplorer is a simulator that allows you to freely explore photorealistic 3D urban spaces—recreated using PLATEAU, Cesium OSM, and Google 3D Tiles—from a drone's-eye view. Featuring a real-time day/night and weather system reflecting actual weather data and sun positions, AI-guided regional information panels, and POI (Point of Interest) markers for restaurants, tourist spots, and public facilities, this tool can be used for everything from pre-travel research to virtual sightseeing.

CityExplorer - Gameplay & Practical Use Guide

From virtual exploration to practical utility, there are many ways to enjoy CityExplorer.

Chapter 1: Gameplay & Entertainment

1-1. Virtual Travel & Sightseeing

CityExplorer is the ultimate virtual travel tool, allowing you to fly over and explore cities around the world from the comfort of your home.

• Instant Teleportation: Simply enter the name of a city or tourist spot in the search bar to travel there instantly.

• Real-Time Weather & Time Cycles: Experience the actual "now" of any location with real-time weather and day/night cycles.

• AI Loading Screen Guide: The AI automatically provides information on local specialties, tourist attractions, and festivals during loading screens.

• Night View Mode: Enjoy the mesmerizing and magical nightscapes of global cities.

• Rain Mode: Experience the unique atmosphere of cities in the rain.

1-2. Photo Mode & Creative Composition

Find beautiful scenery, take screenshots, and build your own collection.

• Full Environment Control: Freely adjust the time of day and weather to create the perfect scene.

• Realistic 3D Visuals: Immerse yourself in highly detailed 3D imagery of global cities.

• Vibrant Nightscapes: Commercial districts illuminated by neon lights at night are highly recommended shooting spots.

• Custom Markers: Adjust your altitude to find the perfect angle, and save your favorite locations using custom markers.

1-3. Hidden Mode

By entering specific commands, you might unlock a completely different way to enjoy the simulator...!

Chapter 2: Practical Applications

2-1. Pre-Travel & Sightseeing Research

The perfect tool for scouting and planning your next real-world trip.

• 3D Layout Preview: Check the streetscapes, terrain, and scale of your destination in full 3D beforehand.

• POI Markers: Easily locate restaurants, tourist attractions, and public facilities.

• Detailed Info (Spacebar): Access official websites and photos for specific locations.

• Favorites List: Create and manage a customized "places to visit" wishlist.

• AI Insights: Learn about regional specialties and festivals ahead of time through the loading screen AI.

2-2. Geography & Educational Use

An excellent educational tool for studying geography and urban development.

• 3D Topography: Gain a three-dimensional understanding of the terrain and geographical features of cities worldwide.

• Diverse Landscapes: Learn experientially by exploring varied terrains such as mountainous areas, coastlines, and plains.

• Cultural Integration: Study geography and culture simultaneously using Wikipedia data and AI-generated information for each region.

• Real-Time Data Display: Understand geographical relationships with real-time displays of altitude, address, and latitude/longitude.

2-3. Location Scouting for Photography & Videography

A powerful tool tailored for photographers, filmmakers, and video creators.

• Lighting Simulation: Check lighting conditions at your shooting spot by changing the time of day (Morning, Noon, Evening, Night).

• Weather Simulation: Simulate environments under sunny, cloudy, or rainy conditions.

• Composition Testing: Virtually test framing and compositions for aerial and drone photography.

• Location Management: Automatically generate markers from geotagged photos to manage your shooting locations.

2-4. Real Estate & Neighborhood Research

• Aerial Inspection: Check the neighborhood atmosphere and surrounding environment of areas you are interested in from above.

• Surrounding Amenities: Get a comprehensive overview of nearby POIs such as stations, commercial facilities, and parks.

• Compare Areas: Add multiple locations to your favorites to compare them easily.

2-5. Game Development & 3DCG Reference Material

• Urban Modeling Reference: Observe 3D cities as reference material for urban modeling.

• Urban Layouts: Gain a bird's-eye view of building density, road patterns, and green space distribution.

• Lighting Reference: Utilize the dynamic light source shifts of the day/night and weather systems as lighting references.

Disclaimer: Users are personally responsible for the usage fees and operation of external APIs. The developer cannot guarantee these services, but please refer to the information below:

• Google Maps API: Credit card registration is required to use the Google Maps API, but with normal usage frequencies, it is highly likely to remain within the free tier.

• Other APIs: Some APIs other than Google Maps require account registration or have usage limits, but they are currently completely free (no payment method registration required).

• Developer Setup: By utilizing the Google Maps API for 3D tiles/searches and YOLP for marker displays, the developer remained entirely within the free tiers—including all debug usage (no API usage fees were incurred).

• Monitoring Feature: As an auxiliary feature, a system to count, monitor, and control the number of requests is included for your reference. (Please note that this does not guarantee accurate counting or usage within the free tier.)

• Terms of Service: Users are requested to personally check and understand the latest pricing models and terms of service for each API.