Museum & exhibit models
Archetype3D builds custom physical museum and exhibit models for institutions around the world, including fully detailed dioramas. We have our shop in Denver and are engaged with the customer every step of the way. We ship models worldwide. They help visitors explore subjects too large, remote or fragile to see directly. Our work includes terrain models of Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier for the Yakima Valley Museum, a lit ice core for the Ontario Science Centre and a historical river model for the St. Charles Heritage Museum.
A museum model can bring a landscape, an object or a system into the gallery at a size visitors can explore. We plan each piece around the exhibit’s subject and the people who will use it, from a terrain overview to an illuminated display or a fully detailed diorama.
See the workOur work
Mount St. Helens Terrain
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Northern Strike Terrain
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Petit Jean State Park
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USCG Training Model
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Ice Core Exhibit
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XTI Aircraft
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City Park Golf Course
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Mount Rainier Terrain
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St. Charles Heritage Museum
See the projectMake the subject easier to explore
For the Yakima Valley Museum, we cut the terrain around Mount St. Helens from elevation data and laser-etched satellite imagery into its surface. For the Ontario Science Centre, we made an ice core from layered resin and lit it from below so its layers glow. For the St. Charles Heritage Museum, elevation data and historic imagery put the Missouri River back where it once ran. The subject and the gallery shaped each build.
Planning a museum model
An exhibit plan helps us understand how the model fits the visitor experience. We'll talk about viewing height, lighting, labels and how close people can get. If the piece will be handled or moved, or needs a protective case, those details belong in the plan from the beginning. Related guide: planning a museum or exhibit model.
What it costs
We price every model by shop time, at about $5,000 per week, with a fixed-cost proposal before work begins. Models range from about $5,000 for a simple study model to $150,000 for the largest, most detailed projects. For museum and exhibit models, the main cost drivers are interpretive detail, lighting and visitor interaction. Installation is billed at $1,000 per day on site, plus travel. See what a custom scale model costs.
Common questions
What are museum exhibit models?
Physical models that give visitors a closer look at subjects too large, remote or fragile to see directly, such as a landscape, an object or a system.
What should we settle before building a museum model?
The story you want to tell and where the model will be displayed. We'll help you work through viewing height, lighting, labels and protection.
Can a museum model be protected and repaired later?
Yes. A protective case can be planned from the start, and we repair and refurbish models, including on site.
Do you install museum models?
Yes. We ship worldwide and can install on site.
How much does a museum or exhibit model cost?
We price by shop time, at about $5,000 per week, with a fixed-cost proposal. Lighting, interpretive detail and interactive features add shop time.
Working on a museum exhibit?
Tell us about the subject, the gallery and your opening date. We'll help you plan the scale, details and budget.
Museum projects with different visual needs
The Mount St. Helens model measures 36 × 42 inches and uses a scale of 1 inch to 1,500 feet. Its laser-etched grayscale satellite imagery lets landforms lead the presentation. The companion Mount Rainier model uses the same scale and finish, giving the Yakima Valley Museum two landscapes visitors can compare.
The Ontario Science Centre ice core called for a different approach: layered resin and illumination from below make the material itself the focus. The St. Charles Heritage Museum model combines elevation data with historic imagery to show an earlier Missouri River position. Its threefold vertical exaggeration makes low relief more visible; the horizontal scale remains 1 inch to 600 feet.
Choose the information visitors need to see
A terrain exhibit may need a regional overview, while an object model may depend on revealing layers or internal parts. Viewing distance, the exhibit’s interpretation and the available source material should guide the scale and finish. Share the exhibit plan, reference images and any drawings or elevation data so we can discuss what belongs in the model and what supporting labels can explain.
Working on a museum exhibit?
Share what the model needs to show and who it’s for, and we’ll help you think through scale, details and next steps.
Contact usA physical landscape helps visitors understand places they cannot explore directly. Our topography model makers build finished terrain displays for museum exhibits and interpretation.