archetype3d.com

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:

“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.

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

I recently posted photos of a 3D scoreboard model we created. Well, my client James Keppel of 33 Thousand Feet has just provided me with photos of the real thing. It’s an impressive structure and the dominant feature of the arena. It is also a reminder that model making isn’t just for fun. We help designers, engineers and developers create and sell actual projects.

The real scoreboard is located at the HP Pavillion at San Jose – home of the San Jose Sharks.

One fascinating part of model making is never knowing what we are going to build next. James Keppel of 33 Thousand Feet Inc. has a cool company that designs environments and creates branding. He hired us to make a 3D model of a scoreboard for a hockey arena. The exterior panels had to be removable to show the interior structure, catwalks, and maintenance areas. Our model was about a 2′ diameter and could be hung from a single point. To accomplish this, the model structure had to actually be structurally sound, something we are not concerned with when building most architectural models. I had no idea of what went on inside one of these giant signs, but I found out how complicated they are.

Craig Martin – President – Archetype 3D

Most detailed architectural projects take four to six weeks to construct. More complicated model can take a bit longer. Then came the day that I got a call from a very good client requesting we build a model of their lodge for the opening of their sales office in two weeks. The timing worked out very well as the other projects we had been working in the shop did not have immediate deadlines. The client also had their act together with a full set of plans. Experience has taught me that no matter how complete the plans, there are always surprises on these complicated buildings. So I requested a charrette (a collaborative session in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a problem) for the next day. We had the architects, landscape architects, color designer, and developers all come to our shop for a one day decision making session. The rule was that all choices must be made that day with no changes allowed later. It was an intense meeting with some great collaboration. We created color and material samples on the spot and had them approved. All the plans were gone over and accepted. Only because we all had the same goal and were willing to support each other, exactly two weeks later we delivered the “Cirque” to the sales office at Copper Mountain Colorado. Now that was intense.

Model making is an easy job. We get a set of plans from an architect or designer and we decide on a strategy and we start building until it exists. Assuming you have the skills to build, the knowledge of materials, the ability to visualize the final product and the willingness to experiment to solve problems, anyone can do this. The only real wild card is the designer. Your deadline and his are usually about the same time. You are not going to get your model done before your deadline, why should he? You’re going to find better ways to build the model as you progress and he is going to figure out better design features while you’re building it. Stay on your toes and expect the unexpected and everything will be fine. Here are a couple of fun model examples which experienced some crazy changes along the way

Now when someone asks you to build a 3D model of a wind turbine, you would think that they would want it motorized. No such luck on this project although a small fan in front of the model gets the turbine blades rotating very effectively. I am thinking of building another one for our display room here at the shop. Of course I would hook it up to a solar cell and let the sun rotate the blades in an absurdest attempt to be green.

Craig Martin – President – Archetype 3D

Model making is what we do. In fact we belong to the Association of Professional Model Makers (APMM) www.modelmakers.org . There was a time not too long ago when people would hear that term “model maker” and know exactly what it is we do. Those days are no longer. For awhile my shop also did computer graphic work and the word “model” became a much different thing. A model – all of a sudden – was a 3D form built in computer space. I had to distinguish between virtual models and physical models. I closed the department that built virtual models a few years ago. We now build only physical models yet many conversations with clients must still start with a definition of terms.

“I am building a development and would like a model” says a client. I say “Great, I am sure we can help you with that”. Then he says  “I need to be able to fly over the site and then swoop down through a window to pan the interior”. “Ah, I guess you are looking for a virtual model, We build physical models”. “Physical models?”  Yes” I say, “Scale models that you put in your showroom to allow people to see your project in miniature”. “Oh, you mean like a diorama?”

Diorama? Now we have a problem. I refuse to substitute the word diorama for the word model. The actual history of the word diorama is interesting as it started as an elaborate theatrical experience invented by Daguerre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diorama. but the modern version of the word conjures up, in my mind, shoe boxes with dirt inside and a few army men to represent a civil war battle done in elementary school. (No offense to all the elaborate dioramas built for fun and competition by exceptional model makers – it’s just, the ones I built were done with Nuns watching over my work). A diorama often recreates a scene, usually it’s the model makers interpretation of a historical event, or an imaginative snapshot from the model builders imagination. I mainly build models that represent the future, a development that has not been built yet or an industrial design that is only a dream. I have built historical models for museums including the historical water drainages in Yellowstone National park and the Historical Camino Real Trail. But even these models cannot be defined as Dioramas.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

The Yellowstone model being built and details of Yellowstone park and the Tetons

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

The Camino Real trail model as a topo and painted with labeling (this model also had an interactive LED system.)

I am a model maker. My company is listed under “Model Maker” in the phone book. There was a time when most people would be able to read that and understand what I do for a living. Of course then as now I still get the occasional young, sweet voice on the phone asking “Can you make me into a model?”  Sure, honey, come on by and I’ll see what I can do.

Craig Martin

East West Partners Denver model. Built by Archetype 3D

In 2006 the Denver Business Journal wrote an article titled “Image Makers – small models fuel big real estate dreams.” The article talks about how important 3D architectural physical models have become to developers and architects as a way to get their ideas across to the general public.

I believer that now more than ever models are a great, and necessary, sales tool for these developments. As the public becomes more and more concerned with investing and putting up their hard earned money it is important to show those potential investors what they can expect. A well built 3d model that really showcases what the public will be buying can ease some of the initial concerns regarding style, quality and location.

In this environment a sales professional needs all the tools he can get to connect with his customer. Are the upfront costs worth the effort?  Ask the developers who use our models consistently to understand the remarkable value that 3D models bring to a project. Please visit the Denver Business Journal article written by Michael Perrault at: http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2006/05/08/story5.html.

-Howard Williams, Director Sales/Marketing