Roof access + lighting
Data Center
A lift-off roof and custom lighting reveal the data center’s systems.
Physical craftsmanship. Connected presentations.
Interactive Scale Models & Digital Displays
A physical model draws people in. Lighting and digital controls help them explore what matters.
Archetype3D builds interactive architectural scale models, combining custom model making, integrated lighting, tablet and touchscreen interfaces, and supporting digital content in one coordinated presentation.
Start a conversationFor sales centers, donor presentations, exhibits, and project launches.
Watch the details work
See our models in action
Roof access, moving components and illuminated details. Choose a short, silent clip to take a closer look.
Moving model components
CWMF Portable Silo
Watch the portable silo model move from transport position to upright display.
Illuminated process details
Vortisand
Illuminated piping and a cutaway vessel make the filtration model easier to explain.
Workshop view · model + lighting
Hitachi
A construction-stage walkthrough of the electrical distribution model. Archetype3D built the model and installed its lighting; Hitachi handled lighting programming.
The physical model comes first
Give your audience a project they can gather around.
Since 1984, Archetype3D has built physical scale models that make complex projects easier to understand. That craftsmanship is the foundation of our interactive displays.
A carefully finished model gives visitors an immediate sense of size, layout, and relationships. Integrated lighting directs attention to individual buildings, amenities, routes, or phases. A tablet or touchscreen can connect those selections to information on a larger display.
We plan the model and its presentation together, so the lighting, controls, and digital content support the same story. Explore our architectural models and real estate development models for more examples of the physical work at the center of these experiences.
Featured project · Pepperdine University
One tablet. Twenty-three areas. A story for every selection.
For Pepperdine, the physical model demonstrated planned campus and stadium construction and served as the showpiece for potential donors.
A tablet app let presenters select 23 specific areas. Each selection lit the corresponding area on the model and triggered an informational video on the television screen. Donors could connect the proposed improvements to their location and purpose.
23selectable areas
Tabletpresentation controls
Videolinked to each selection
The model, lighting, and audiovisual content worked together to explain the project and support conversations about its future.
Explore the Pepperdine project →A complete model presentation
The model, the controls, and the screen.
We can handle the physical and digital pieces needed for your display, with the scope shaped around what your audience needs to see.
Custom physical models
Architectural detail, landscaping, terrain, and a finished display built from your project information. Scale and level of detail are chosen for the space, audience, and purpose.
Integrated model lighting
Building illumination, accent lighting, and separately controlled areas that help presenters highlight the right part of a project at the right moment.
Tablet & touchscreen controls
An interface connecting audience selections to model lighting and digital content. The experience can be designed for a guided presentation or visitor exploration.
Tablets & display screens
We can provide the tablets and screens needed for the presentation and coordinate their connections with the model and control system.
Renderings & virtual fly-throughs
When needed, we can help provide supporting visualizations using completed property drawings and available digital files, or incorporate approved content you already have.
Installation assistance
Support placing and connecting the model and presentation equipment, coordinated with your on-site team. Installation responsibilities are defined in the project scope.
Built for your audience
Help people understand what comes next.
Development sales centers
Give buyers a physical overview of a property, then use lighting and digital content to explain buildings, amenities, floor plans, or phases. Select the features that fit your sales process.
Campus & donor presentations
Show where proposed improvements belong and explain their purpose. Connect a building or area on the model to the story behind a campaign or construction initiative.
Exhibits, equipment & product demonstrations
Give visitors a clear view of a site, facility or piece of equipment. Industrial and product demonstration models can reveal hidden systems with a removable roof, show moving components or use lighting to explain a process. The Data Center, CWMF and Vortisand examples above show these different approaches for presentations and trade shows.
How to make a sales center more interactive
An interactive sales center gives visitors useful ways to explore a place that is still taking shape. Start with the questions your team hears most: Where would I live? Which way does that unit face? How do I get to the pool, park or shops?
A physical model can give everyone the same overview. Lighting can pick out a building, unit or amenity, while a nearby screen shows the relevant floor plan, rendering or video. For a Ko Olina model commissioned by Marriott, we built selectable lighting by unit type and outlook, so salespeople could connect a buyer’s choices to a specific place in the building.
The controls should follow your sales conversation. A presenter-led display lets your team guide the visit; a simple touchscreen can let visitors explore selected information themselves. Use the drawings and visual material you already have, and choose the features that answer real questions.
Plan the experience around the room, too: viewing height, space to gather, readable labels and clear instructions. Decide who will keep the information current as plans change.
Related guide: physical models for engaging sales centers.
Tell us what visitors need to understand, where the display will go and when you need it. We’ll help you plan the model and its interactive presentation.
Architecture at a human scale
Make the plans easier to picture.
A physical model gives visitors an overview they can explore from different angles. Stadium seating, building entrances, courtyards, and paths become part of one understandable place.
Digital content can then focus the conversation on a selected area, adding the views and explanation that help your audience understand its purpose.
Related project: the Hitachi electrical distribution model brings a data center, substation, solar array and homes together with integrated lighting. Archetype3D built the model and installed the lighting; Hitachi was responsible for lighting programming.
Project photographs
A closer look at the physical models.
Planning your display
Start with the project and the story.
Tell us who will use the display, what you want them to understand, and where it will be installed. Share the completed drawings, 3D files, photos, renderings, and videos you have available.
We will help define the model, the areas that need individual lighting, the digital content for each selection, and the hardware required. The agreed scope forms the basis of a fixed-cost proposal.
For an existing sales center or event space, we can coordinate with your architect, contractor, and audiovisual team to fit the presentation into their plans.
How a model project works →- Define the audience and selections
Choose the buildings, areas, or features the presentation should highlight and the information each selection should show.
- Plan the physical and digital components
Agree on scale, finish, lighting, controls, content, screens, and installation responsibilities.
- Build and coordinate the presentation
Develop the model and interface around the agreed selections, checking that the lighting and screen content work together.
- Prepare for your space
Coordinate delivery and installation assistance with your team and the site requirements.
Common questions
What does the service include?
Who makes physical scale models with touchscreen-controlled lighting?
Archetype3D builds custom interactive physical scale models with integrated lighting and tablet or touchscreen controls. We can connect selected areas to videos, renderings, or other information on a display screen, as demonstrated by our Pepperdine donor presentation.
How does an interactive scale model work?
A tablet or touchscreen sends a selection to the control system. The corresponding area on the physical model lights up, and the screen shows the content assigned to that selection. Pepperdine's presentation used 23 selectable areas, each linked to model lighting and an informational video.
Can Archetype3D provide the complete interactive model display?
Yes. We can provide the physical model, integrated lighting, model-to-digital interface, tablets, and screens. Supporting renderings and virtual fly-throughs can be included when needed. Each proposal defines the components and installation support for that project.
Do you design or remodel the entire sales center?
Our work focuses on the model and its interactive presentation. We assist with installation and coordinate with your team; sales-center construction and remodeling are handled by your architect and construction contractor.
Do you provide architectural design?
We work from completed property drawings and available digital files supplied by your project team. Architectural design remains with your architect. Renderings and fly-throughs communicate the supplied design.
Can you use our existing videos and renderings?
Yes. We can plan the presentation around approved content you already have and identify any additional material needed for the selected areas.
Is this only for real estate sales?
No. Pepperdine used a coordinated model, lighting, tablet app, and video presentation for potential donors. Similar approaches can support campus planning, exhibits, and other projects that benefit from a clear physical overview.
Bring your project into view
Let’s plan your interactive presentation.
Share your drawings or 3D files, approximate model size or scale, presentation goals, and timing. We’ll help define a display that brings the physical model and digital content together.
Start a conversation