archetype3d.com

I ran across this website, recently, for an unbelievable 3d model call the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg Germany. If you click on the video below,  it will shows many features of this impressive 3D model project.

I have also attached a few photos below. What is interesting to me is that this is not a museum diorama or an educational tool. They have combined elements of Germany, Scandinavia, Austria, Switzerland, America and pure fantasy. Obviously it was created for the fun of building architectural scale models and is sustained as a huge tourist attraction.

The quick shots they show of the computer controlled cars boats and planes moving along have me excited to create similar 3D  effects on my models. I also am impressed with the lighting details and the day to night environment. I have found very little history of this project except that it was started in 2000 by two brothers Frederick and Gerrit Braun. The layout is so large  that they have hired 160 staff members to show people around the model.

I would enjoy hearing any feedback from people who have seen this 3d model. Video and photos never do justice to a model so I will need to plan another trip to Europe with a Hamburg stopover.

Feel free to post a comment below or contact me directly, with your personal experiences of Miniatur Wunderland or other great places like this one.

Craig Martin

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.

“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.

Craig Martin - President

Now is the time to get a deal on a 3d model!

Is your project the one that can use this opportunity?

Banks are still reluctant to provide financing.  Developers are waiting out this current crisis. All over the country model making is slowing down, even for us. We have chosen to help our clients, by coming up with dramatically reduced pricing for their architectural scale model projects.

Once the market and money begin to flow again, there will be a backlog of projects ready for marketing 3d models.  Established model shops will be overwhelmed with projects that need good marketing materials. There may be fewer reliable shops available and with demand, prices for 3d models will invariably rise.

For the few people that have the money and commitment now, your marketing model could be in place before the rush at a much reduced cost to you. Your project could be placed in your office, enticing investors, bankers and the general public to join your vision right now.

I am working hard to accommodate tight budgets for the projects we have going on right now and I will continue to work with my clients in order to help you with your projects, as well as keep my talented craftsmen busy and keep Archetype 3D productive throughout these difficult times.

Are your plans ready?

Are you committed to your project?

Do you have some marketing capital?

Call and let us help you beat the development rush!  And, enjoy substantial price reductions, too.

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.

Who out there had a tree house as a child?  Raise your hands!  I know I sure did.  My dad built one for me that I am sure is still standing today, some 20 years later.  It was amazing: built- in ladder, trap door,  screened- in windows all the way around, vaulted ceiling, the list goes on.  It was just what a boy needed to feel like the master of his domain.  My friends and I even had camp-outs in it during the summer (although I remember running inside in the middle of the night more than once, scared someone was going to get me!).  I Just read this article on treehugger.com about tree houses and it brought back a flood of memories and desires to live like the Swiss Family Robinson for the rest of my life.  Treehugger has a slideshow titled 8 Tree Houses Fit for Treehuggers that you should check out.  These are amazing homes and getaways that, I’m sure, would do us all some good!

Archetype 3D did a 3D model for the Children’s Botanical Garden in Kansas recently, designed by EDAW, Inc. (www.edaw.com).  It was such a fun project that really turned out well!  It’s great to know that designers are still staying in touch with the child inside and are designing around the beautiful environment we live in!  – Howard Williams, Director Sales/Marketing

Check out some pictures of our model:

[View with PicLens]

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