archetype3d.com

A client recently commented that maybe physical models are being replaced by virtual worlds. The truth is that 3D model making is enhanced by computer graphics (CG) and physical models provide a completely different and unique experience from computer images.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS: Film shown on a screen that can be sent over the Internet and great for showing details and specific information, if it is done well.

PHYSICAL MODELS: An architectural display, showing scale and depth, offering the opportunity to have people come to see it.  A great tool for the real estate developer’s sales office, to aid with client questions about what the finished project will be, by showing a vast amount of useful information to scale and at once.

Bachelor Gultch Colorado

The physical model experience is more museum-like, in its grandness, and yet personal, offering a sense of closeness, while showing features and the complete picture, in one view.

A sales office can put up TV screens and show animations, but it is hard to gather 10 people around it, talk to them, and show everyone what they want to see simultaneously. No matter how cool the animation, it is still 2D pictures showing one view at a time.

In a sales office the physical model will generate the most amount of attention and can answer 10 people’s most immediate questions. If someone is trying to see the relationship between their unit and the pool, (or the garden, or the golf course) you might be able to find it on the 3D graphic, but it is always right there on the model so that the question is often answered before it is asked.

Landmark Tower - Interactive with CG

The ideal sales center uses a dramatic 3d model as a center piece and enhances the experience with just the right amount of computer illustrations and fly-through images to give a full understanding of the project. Any complete sales office will also use printed brochures, illustrations, material samples, and a welcoming environment. It takes a lot of tools to make a client comfortable enough to buy something that will not be developed for months.

Archetype 3D enjoys presenting our architectural scale models along side CG and other marketing materials.  The combination of computer graphics and 3D models enhance the experience, while offering a level of comfort, to the buyers.

I would love to hear from sales people about how they use models and graphics differently to create the sale. Feel free to post a comment below or contact me directly.

Wow, my Hawthorne tree out front has a few yellow leaves on it. It is getting close to the time to watch the Elk bugling and rutting in Rocky Mountain National Park. The local stores have isles of costumes and scary decorations. It must be fall and time to start marketing to the passionate skiing community. I am amazed at the fervor and dedication some people express about skiing.

The first year I came to Colorado I hiked up to St Mary’s Glacier in the middle of July. I was shocked to see hikers, carrying skis, coming down the trail. When I got to the glacier in 80 degree weather, I watched people herringbone up the snow for half an hour in order to experience about 30 seconds of heart jumping skiing.

Passionate skiers going to winter resorts are still going to want to see marketing models this year. I recommend that 3D model requests get sent in as early as possible. I look forward to hearing from our stalwart clients and I am excited about the possibility of attracting some new resort communities to our architectural scale models.

Any resort developers and sales people please comment and let me know how the season is shaping up. There is good news in some sectors and it would be great to hear if you are seeing some heated up activity on the horizon.

Also, if you have any fun ski related stories to share, either contact us or use the comment section at the bottom of this post!  We’d love to trade stories with you.

Below are just a few samples of 3D models we have created for ski resort developers:

It is sad to realize your limitations. Recently I’ve been seeing my limitation in tennis when I can’t get past the semi-finals in a tournament. In model making my limitation is time. My clients are under a deadline and I am working within their framework to get a project out. Most of our complex architectural scale models take four to six weeks to complete. I have never had the client or the passion to take thirty years to build a model. Here is a 3D model worth mentioning:

Alec Garrard’s masterpiece – the model of Herod’s Temple.

To see more images and read the story about how this retired farmer built this magnificent project, click here to the slide show about Alec Garrard’s model of Herod’s Temple.

Alec hand-baked every tile and stone before adding them to his diorama. My 3D models might look like stone construction but they certainly aren’t built stone by stone. We created a representative three dimensional Mayan temple once for Disney’s Coronado Springs resort but we cheated on the individual stones and we completed the model in five weeks.

The passion for creating unique things is what brought me to model making in the first place. I love to see others who are willing to spend their lives working towards their passions. If you find unique characters like Alec Garrard please let me know (you can comment below or contact me directly). These are the people who make this world an interesting place to live.

Sell the sizzle not the steak. Our 3d modeling work is realistic in its presentation, because we have talked to the developer’s sales staff to find out what attracts their audience. When looking for a property a family will first key in on value and location. After that the amenities kick in. Pools, hot tubs, landscaping, paver patterns, it all matters to a perspective client.

But if you are selling a lot of real estate without a building, one of  the big draws is golf. I suspect the best place to live is near the water hazard. You have the pleasure of watching migratory birds, seeing fish jump and laughing at your neighbors who shank their drives when you hear that satisfying plop. Many of the master plan 3D models we build include a golf course with very precise locations of fairways, greens and traps.

Even after the sale, these 3D models are used to help tell the clubhouse stories and describe the best days on the links.

Below are some of Archetype 3D’s architectural scale models of golf courses we have created for our clients.  If you’d like to see others, just let us know:

Chicago just finished building a model of the city and I have to say I am disappointed.  Why build a white 3d model of Chicago. Surprisingly, Chicago is a colorful place but you wouldn’t know it from this display. Modern technology is again allowing us to take short cuts that are not actually improvements. This model was made using 3D printing technology which I use myself and I heartily agree with this choice. 3D printing is great as it builds complicated shapes quickly and cheaply. With this model, cheaply seems to be the dominant theme. I understand that cost is always a factor but this is a central show piece for the entire city, why make it a ghost town? To me white models do look clean and are great for architecture meetings or design review boards but not for the general public. Color is what gives a model life and creates a miniature reality that the people living there, and who love the city, can relate to.

This model was in fact painted. The 3D printer that was used, grew the buildings from a clear material. Someone made the choice to paint everything white! Where are the parks? Where is the cool reflective light from the windows? The only way this mimics the Chicago skyline is in silhouette.

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From what I have read, this model is getting good reviews from the press which I think is a testament to how effective models are in general and how inexperienced the press is when it comes to these types of displays.

I admit that I am a model snob but when we created a model of downtown Denver we captured the character and the life of the city with lighting and color. We don’t live in a white, white world, and there is no good reason it should be modeled that way.

Tell us what you think of the comparison between the white Chicago 3d model and the images below of our downtown Denver model.

“Man, wouldn’t it be nice to upgrade the airport terminal, but what a mess it will cause…”

You know the site of any remodel will be chaos and the general public will have no idea what is happening. Angry calls and letters will surly follow.

Some of this public relations disaster is unavoidable, but most of it simply disappears after the public is allowed to see what the construction will bring. This was the case in Midland, Texas when the already small airport terminal building underwent a major renovation. The solution was placing a 3d model in the entrance where everyone using the airport would pass by and see what they were getting for their inconvenience.

This three dimensional model mitigated fears while providing good will. The model answered many questions before they were asked.   Take a look at some of the images below and let us know some of your ideas of how a 3d model might help with a renovation project like this one.

There is a bridge in need of replacement. This happens a lot when a bridge gets old or in this case, sick, with concrete that is slowly rotting away. But how to replace a bridge in Los Angeles that is old, sick and totally famous?

The 6^th street viaduct over the Los Angeles River has a reputation to keep since she has been featured in over 70 major motion pictures such as “Mask” and “S.W.A.T.”. Convincing a public to change a look that has an international distribution is not going to be easy.

Archetype 3D was asked to help by creating 3D models of five different designs to be shown in public meetings and discussions. After creating a base in three sections showing buildings roads and railroad tracks, we built multiple bridges to fit within the base pieces. This is a complex model with many parts and will be used for planning and public review. Here are a few images of the completed model with a few of the designs shown. If anyone in interested in seeing all of the options being proposed, send me a note and I will forward images on to you.

Computer graphics are often the instrument of choice for explaining events to a jury. Graphics are a great choice because they can show events over time by animating a situation to help clarify it. Models have their advantages as well, and will often complement the computer graphics that need to be done. One of the biggest advantages of a physical model is that it will often sit in front of a jury long after the CG has stopped playing. Depending on the size, a model can sometimes be put into a jury’s hands, which has the effect of reinforcing a point with tactile clarity. One more subtle quality of a physical model is that jury’s can see what they are looking for from different vantage points, views that the authors of the computer graphic may have missed. Computer graphics are always going to be a big part of complex court cases but models are making a resurgence as a necessary tool to help explain a scene or a medical condition to a jury. Most jury’s can instantly relate to a model on a very visceral level.  I have been called to act as an expert witness but I usually don’t know anything about the case. I get deposed on the quality of the information I used to build the models and on the accuracy of the model itself. I have also  sat in front of a jury to explain some of the model making processes. I figure if the legal experts can explain the case to me, I can find a way to show it to a jury. The images below show a medical model of the structure of a foot, a rollover accident model, a patent infringement model of a soda can top which is 4 feet in diameter and a model used in a mining case showing a waste cell and its component materials.

Craig Martin

Build a highway and they will come? Usually the problem is that they are already here and there isn’t enough room for all of them. How do you tell people that you have to disrupt their commute while you make the Highway better then ever? Milwaukee has faced this problem for years and hired us to help solve it. When bad news has to be delivered, good communication is the answer. As our client Jeff Bauer with CH2M Hill says “The models will be taken to many public informational meetings over the next several years. The models are excellent tools to help everyone better understand what the proposed roadways will look like when the projects are complete.”

Models of highways and roads are the best way to show the inevitable and to give the public the information they crave. Milwaukee is updating several sections of their highway system and we are currently working on the fourth model showing the improvement being made. Now with the economic stimulus, many roads are being built or improved. Because changes are happening so fast it is critical that planning and communication keep up with the pace of change.

So we just finished this project.  It is a model of the Sun, showing the interior layers (or what we believe them to look like).  We built this model for the Space Science Institute and it will be displayed in a traveling exhibit, shown in Libraries around the state of Colorado, and possibly the country.  It was a fun, quick project that turned out really well.  Just thought you might like to see what we have been up to.  Of course we had to add a couple of pics with our model in space!!  Enjoy!!

Howard Williams – Director Sales/Marketing

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