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:

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:

I enjoy seeing residences that take sustainable design and combine it with good architecture.  Especially when the sustainable residence serves a purpose, like helping to sustain the surrounding environment.  Check out this posting by Inhabitat.  It’s a beautiful home in the middle of New Mexico’s ranch land.  This development helps protect over 10,000 acres of previously used ranch land  from becoming another suburbia wasteland.  Preserving the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape for all to enjoy.  Howard Williams – Director Sales/Marketing

A few years ago Archetype 3D built an architectural model of a residence in Arizona.  Similar style architecture and another great example of building with the environment in mind.  Check out some pictures:

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Craig Matin – President – Archetype 3D

Does anyone still make kit models? I built so many as a child but I was always wondering who made these cool parts that fit together so nicely. So now I am a 3D model maker which I describe as “Building the kit – and then assembling it”. So here are some of the kit elements of our current project the Vail Ritz Carlton Resort Model. Realize of course that I personally had little to do with making this model. Mike Johnson and Lydia Brown are my key managers / model makers  and Micheal Steinkoenig and Austin Hein did much of the construction. I just take the credit.

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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

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