Archetype 3D

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.

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.

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.

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.

Model building advice can come from some strange corners. I was watching one of my favorite TV shows “Burn Notice” the other night. The show is basically a spy handbook with really cute acting. Jeffrey Donovan plays Michael the hard nosed killer one moment, then switching to the inept dufus with seamless style. The same is true of his love interest Gabrelle Anwar as Fiona. I have learned so much from this show. In fact, when I retire from model making I feel quite qualified to join the CIA. I know how to evade a pursuer depending on the car I’ve stolen and the terrain ahead. I know how to identify and defeat any system of bugs as well as how to compel an asset to give me the information I need without him realizing it.

One of the shows used a product I work with every day. Micheal and Fiona sealed the bad guys into a room using Crazy Glue. They did this very quickly using huge gobs of glue in the door seam. Two things I know about using large amounts of Cynoacrolite adhesive. 1. keep your eyes out of the way because the fumes will sting like hell and 2. It is going to take a long time for the glue to set up unless you kick it off with an accelerator. There are many products available to kick off the glue but they can cause foaming if there is a lot of glue and they can spoil a nice paint job if they drip in the wrong place. What Micheal and Fiona did was use CANNED AIR to set up the glue quickly.

I haven’t proven that this will seal a door against a determined opponent but I have no reason to doubt it since I believe everything I see on TV or the internet.

Craig Martin