7/31/2019 Archetype 3D Ten Questions When Building a Scale Model
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10 QuestionsWhen considering a Scale Model
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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elcome to Archetype 3D, My
name is Craig Martin
I have been creating and
building models for over 30
years and have seen our
industry through severalrevolutions - from the advent of
AutoCAD to the latest 3D
printing craze. The aspect of
this work which never changes
and that I enjoy the most is the
problem solving. These days
although I make suggestions
and generally make a nuisance
of myself in the model shop. I
have to leave most of the model
building to the creative and
more experienced CAD jockeys
in the shop. My focus is now
about interfacing with you, the
client, to make sure I
understand your needs so we
can build the right model to sell
your development to the right
audience. As part of that
interface, my job is to establishopen communications with you
since no model can be built
successfully without good
information from our clients.
Over the years the same
questions arise on just about
every project. This booklet will go
over each of these essential
questions and why they are so
important. I will also provide
some information about the
model building process to help
answer many of your questions
as well. If you don't read all of
this - don't worry - I will still do
my job and ask you all of these
questions anyway. Every
successful model is created as
a partnership between theclient, designer and the model
maker. I hope to partner with
you soon.
10 key questions for a scale model project
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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Models are still the most
powerful sales tool available. They
interact with the human mind in
a way that no other medium can
replicate. Your project becomes
interesting and exciting just by
having an intriguing, smaller
version of it available. I am not
downplaying computer
renderings and animations.
These are important marketing
tools that can be sent far and
wide in an instant. The model
requires space and an audience
which must be in the same room
to get the full visceral effect. Your
model might be viewed in a
showroom or appropriately sized
to take to meetings and events.In this world of email and twitter,
the model becomes a more
personal and interactive sales
tool. It immediately demonstrates
a commitment to the project and
the professionalism of your
company. If you want to connect
personally with your clients there
is no better tool to clearlydemonstrate your project, than a
physical model.
This is the first question I ask
when I get a call about a new job.
Knowing the use of the modelhelps me visualize the final
product while we are discussing
the details. I wish that I could
build nothing but full detailed
models that show every element
of a project because we so enjoy
the look of these finished models.
The reality is that many projects
will get the needed points across
with much simpler forms, without
every detail realized, and at a
much lower cost. In order to
determine the amount of detail I
need to know who the audience is
and what they are looking for.
The Value of a Model
Question 1.
What is your
model going to be
used for?
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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Mass Models
One great example of the use
of a mass model is for a
design review board meeting.
Perhaps all they are
interested in the relative
heights of the surrounding
structures. This is something
that is very hard to
convincingly convey in an
animation or rendering. A
model showing nothing but
the building masses will
instantly demonstrate theissues and allow the right
questions to be asked. Mass
models are also used for internal
design reviews and study. Going
over a project with a client
during the design process can
be challenging if your client has
trouble visualizing based on
drawings. A quick and relativelyinexpensive model can save
valuable time and instantly
resolve any elements that are in
question.
It is a completely different story
when bringing a model before
the public. When you have a
audience that is looking buy it is
good to show every element that
can help sell your concept. At
that point a DETAILED MODEL is
what you may need.
Detailed Models
The public can be very literal.
When they see a model the
brain sometimes translates it
into a very small reality. Any
questionable elements become
issues. A great example was a
model we built of a church for
fundraising. The architect
who liked seeing (and
understood) graphic
features asked us to leave
the topography as stepped
elements rather than
sanding them smooth. The
comments they got back from
the parishioners included "Why
are they going to terrace our
lawn, we are not putting in rice
patties". A detailed or "realistic"
model shows every design
element and color in an accurate
fashion. When selling to the
public, you can never know what
elements will close the deal.
Perhaps it is the location of the
swimming pool or the view from
the balcony or access to retail
space. Including all of the
important marketing highlights
on the model is essential to
successful sales.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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There is room in-between these
two extremes. With careful
planning we can work with you to
create what we call a Semi-
Detailed model.
Semi-Detailed Models
Often the best sales tool in
desired but the budget just isn't
there to afford that kind of work. I
often bid a project as a full
detailed model only to find out
that we need to make
compromises in order to hit the
numbers. Your model maker can
guide you to areas that can be
simplified without completely
losing the character of themodel. Perhaps instead of clear
reflective windows we make
them from a grey opaque
material saving us a layer of
information. Perhaps the
textures of the brick or siding is
not as critical as the color,
eliminating another layer and
saving us more time in
construction. All of these choices
have to be carefully selected and
written out specifically in the bid
so that everyone is on the same
page and understands what thefinished product will look like.
Don't worry about the scale of
the model at this point, just think
about the size. Points to consider
when picking a size include:
Where is the model going to
live? Will it be in the same place
for the entire sales cycle or will it
be moved? Will your audience
come to the model or do you
have to bring the model to a
trade show or board room for
the presentations?
Answering these questions willhelp to put an overall size on the
physical model and also
determine the type of case
needed for shipping and
presentations.
Some models, like this one that
we did for the Presidio in San
Francisco, needed to be large for
a showroom but sections of the
development also needed to be
taken to individual meetings. The
solution was a four part model
with each section shipped in easy
Question 2.
What size will
your model be?
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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to handle, rolling cases that are
light enough to be taken to
meetings. After the meeting the
section could be reassembled
and locked together. If the
model is being displayed in a
showroom or trade show, a
heavy wooden case with pallet
skids is more appropriate for
safe travel. We have also built
models that fit in a small
suitcase sized case to be
carried onto an airplane for safe
travel around the country.
The next question I ask before I
come up with a scale is "How
much area is the model going to
represent?" Most developers
think in terms of acres of land,
but your model maker has to
think in terms of feet and
inches. Luckily there is now
an easy translator called
Google Earth that I use all
the time to calculate the
size of the model. Most
models are rectangular in
shape and there are good
reasons to build them that
way: The frames and stands are
simpler to build, dust covers are
cheaper to make, and they fit
into most rooms more
comfortably. Unfortunately mostproperties take on very unusual
shapes so figuring out
the size of the model
becomes more
difficult.
The first step is to set
the boundary of the
model including theproperty and some
portion of other sales
elements that
surround the property
such as open space,
golf course, recreation
area, etc. Your sales
people are the experts
on the property and
should be consulted so
that the model includes
any areas that they can
use for sales. It is unlikely
that the line you have just
drawn forms anything close to a
rectangle. Since your model will
most likely have square corners,
now is the time to draw a
rectangle that encompasses the
property line you just drew. This
rectangle now represents the
outside line of your model. I can
now measure the number of
feet side to side and top to
bottom of this rectangle and
since I know the size and detail
of the model that you want, I can
now come up with the perfectscale for this project.
Question 3.
What is the model
area?
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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We now know the area of your
model and size that you want it
to be. The scale is now easily
calculated. Below I have given
a guide of typical scales and
the types of sales models that
are best shown in each. If you
are selling interiors, you are
going to need a larger scaled
model to show the details.
Master plan models can be
built in smaller scales to show
more property in a smaller
size.
Different scales are use to sell
different aspects of your
development. A master plan
can be in a small scale like
1"=100' to sell properties and
community. An individual
building in 1"=8' scale is used
to sell the style of the projectand individual units. below are
examples of projects built in a
number of scales to give you a
reference guide to your
project.
Question 4.
What scale is
best for yourmodel?
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
1" = 4' scale or larger
(This model is about 4' x 2' in size)1" = 8' scale
( this model is about 4' x 5' in size)
1" = 16' scale
(This model is about 5' x 5' in size) 1" = 20'
(This model is about 4' x 4')
1" = 30'
(This model is about 5' x 6')
1" = 50'
(This model is about 6' x 7')
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Used to show individual units,
interior detail or detailed
sections of a building. We build
whole buildings in 1" = 4' scale
but the size is large and they
are usually built for a
showroom setting.
This is the most popular scale
for exterior detailed
architectural models. It is easy
to see most textures and
other subtle details in this
scale. Colorful people and cars
are available from the hobby
industry and most of the
models are a good size for
showroom display.
If you still want good detailed
exteriors but you have a largersite with multiple buildings. 1"
= 16' scale might work well for
your project. Another reason
this is a commonly used scale
is again the hobby industry has
ready made cars and people
that can populate the model.
If your focus is on the
immediate site surrounding
your larger development.
1"=20' may be the best scale.
We can still show textures on
the buildings but they are
getting smaller and less easy
to notice. This scale is still
good for colorful (though
small) people and cars.
Typically, the focus is more on
the site and a little less on the
buildings in this scale. 1" =
30' is too small to show
people so cars are the only
items used to give a sense of
activity. Landscaping and
water features are often asmuch of a focus as buildings in
this scale.
Building are often shown as
mass models when they get
this small but as you can see in
the image windows, doors and
colors still show up well. 3D
Landscaping is more limited,
mostly trees, grasses and
forests although we use a lot
of colors to represent different
ecological zones.
These scales are good for
showing a larger master plan
designs. Building again are
usually (but not always) shown
as mass models. This has
been a good scale to show
entire golf course layouts,complex highway interchanges,
and phases of master plan
developments.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
1" = 100'
(This model is about 6' x 7')
1' = 500' and smaller
(This model is about 4' x 5')
In this world of email and
twitter, the model becomes
a more personal and
interactive sales tool. It
immediately demonstrates acommitment to the project
and the professionalism of
your company.
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These scales are mostly used
to show detailed topography
over a large area of land.
Building can still be seen but
they are little more than
extruded footprints. We have
used much smaller scale on
models done for the National
Park Service of Yellowstone
and the Grand Tetons these
are done with some vertical
exaggeration.
I hope these samples give youa better understanding of the
many scales and their uses.
You see how important the
correct scale is to the success
of your marketing efforts.
The answer to a very common
question is NO, you do not have
to have completed drawings in
order for us to bid your
project. In fact it is always best
to get your model maker
involved as early as possible,
even in the initial drawing
phase of the design. With early
involvement you can get cost
estimates to put into you
budget and be able to schedule
the entire project with
completion dates for the plans
and the model. A model shop
can only take on a limited
number of projects at a time. It
is always helpful to secure a
timeframe for your work so
that there are no delays in
delivery. A shop with a lot of
experience has most likely
already built similar projects to
the one you are proposing.
Cost estimates are often
based on extensive past
experiences.
When plans are complete, it is
best to treat your model
maker as a machine. We take
plans very literally and try notto deviate at all from what we
see. The designer is the artist
and our job as craftsmen is to
fully realize the designers
vision. If we can see it in the
drawings we can build it.
Conversely, if the building has
an area that the drawings do
not show clearly and we guess,we are usually wrong. There
are always a few clarifications
needed between the designer
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
Question 5.
What plans are
available for thismodel?
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and Elmer's glue
because these materials
are easy to use at a desk
or work table. It is not
surprising then that
some clients think these
materials would be
easier to use in a
professional model shop.
In fact just the opposite
is true. Because we are
using laser cutters and
3D printers as part of
our tool box it is mucheaser, cleaner and
stronger for us to use
plastics to build our
models. Clients have
requested wood models which
is fine if that is the style that is
needed. Unfortunately, it will
probably be more expensive to
build a model from wood thanfrom plastic. There are many
different types of plastic that
we use and each has it's own
qualities and characteristics.
We chose the right
material depending
on the textures and
finish that your model
requires.
Topography
Again the studio materials for
creating topography are
typically cork or ragboard
sheets cut to size and layeredup to create the terrain. In the
professional world, we mill the
topography out of a solid block
of urethane foam. The end
result is a much cleaner,
easier to use and more
versatile topography. Urethane
is an easily sculpted material
that holds it shape very well.
Stepped topos are crisp and
accurate but they can also be
sanded smooth for a more
naturalistic finish. The material
is easily painted and roads and
parking can be set into the
urethane surface. In the lighter
weight foams, landscaping
trees can be set into the foamand glued without drilling.
3D Printing
3D printing is the answer to
some of our prayers (but not
all). There is no doubt that this
technology is great and speeds
up many aspects of model
building. Like all tools it has its
uses and its drawbacks. I am
not going to use this space to
go over the many types of
printers now on the market
and the pro's and cons of
each. In general terms, this is
what you should know. A
printer can only print from a
3D file that is created as asolid with all of its planes
connected and closed. The file
will ultimately be converted to
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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a .STL for printing. A lot of time
can be spent correcting and
cleaning up files. Occasionally it
is quicker and cheaper to build
the part using other methods
than spending the time to
correct the file. There are size
limitation to each 3D printer
and the costs go up with the
amount of volume used. This is
why 3D printing of entire
buildings is often reserved for
smaller scale models. Painting
is a challenge with complex 3D
prints. There are some
machines that actually print in
color but that technology is still
being developed. Right now I
am not a fan of the results
from color 3D printers.
Painting complex buildings by
hand is not the cleanest way to
get a good finish on your
model. Again, other methods
like cutting layers on the laser
for paint and then assembly
will produce a better final
product. Don't get me wrong,
we use our 3D printer all the
time. Any complex part or
unusual shape that would be
difficult to build by other
methods goes right to the 3D
printer. Each project should
be evaluated by your model
maker as to the best
approach. Do not assume
that 3D printing is alwaysthe best way to go.
Colors and Finishes
There is only one way to get
accurate colors onto your
model. We work from your
color chips and we
professionally mix each color
for your approval before
painting the whole model. How
your model is painted and
finished is critical to look that
you will be presenting to your
audience. We cannot accept
any electronic versions of
sample colors becausecomputer screens and
printers can change the look of
a color almost randomly. We
insist on physical color chips,
material samples, or color
numbers that we can get
physical samples for. In return
we will create a physical
sample board to mail to youroffice for final approvals. You
will see your models character
before it is built.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
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We add lighting to many of our
models but that is only one way
to enhance your clients
experience. We have alsocreated motorized
components and sound effects
along with interactive touch
screens. These special effects
add a completely new
dimension to your presentation
that your development may
well benefit from. When we
built the interior of a
McDonalds play area the
colors and shapes were
wonderful but the effect was
not complete until we made
the gears and fans spin, the
bubbler game actually work
and we created a working
pachinko machine which
dropped hundreds of balls to
clatter to the bottom. Another
great example of an interactive
model was done for the
visitors bureau at
Lake Tahoe. Two
touch screen
computers
activated dozens ofLED lights on the
model. The screens
gave specific
information on
hotels,
casinos,
golf
courses,
museums
and other
points of
interest.
The model showed the exact
locations and distances for
each. One of our coolest
lighting displays that we built,
was for a residential tower in
which the sales person could
shine a laser into a unit which
would then light up. At the
same time the big screen
behind the model showed the
floor plan, price point and the
precise view from out of the
windows. Programming
interactive features has gotteneasier recently and are now
only limited by the imagination.
The cost / benefit from
interactive features is also
easy to calculate. Do you need
a sales person to talk to every
visitor in your office? The
model can act as a self guidedtour freeing up your staff to
talk to the buyers with the
most potential for closing. Get
your important information
across in an entertaining way
and your model will pay for
itself more quickly.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
Question 7.
What special
effects will
enhance your
model?
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This is often the first question
I am asked even before I see
any plans. My psychic ability
being what it is, invariably
when I answer this question, I
am wrong. I am also asked if I
bid models by the square foot
-- NO.
Models are bid according to
the time it takes to build them.
A large but structurally simple
office building is a lot easerand cheaper to build than a
small but complex single
family home. Many of the
answers to the questions
above will also affect the cost.
I give out estimates over the
phone all the time but they
are not very accurate. Once
we see your sketches through
we can narrow down the
costs much more accurately
based on our many years of
experience building similar
models. Hopefully after
reading though this you will be
prepared to know what size,
scale and detail your model
will require. With this
information along with your
drawings I can get an
estimate to you right awayand a firm fixed price within a
short time. In the meantime,
here are some general prices
based on our years of
experience. Mass models of a
building or multiple buildings
with topography, roads and
landscaping can run about
three thousand to eight
thousand dollars. A single
building in 1/8" scale with full
detail, landscaping and site
work can run from fifteen
thousand to twenty five
thousand dollars. Understand
that our pricing is based on
the time it takes to build and
assemble all the layers of
detail that your project
requires. If you have a budgetestablished, I will tell you
exactly what we can and
cannot do for the money
available.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
Question 8.
What will your
model cost?
Archetype 3D is capable of
building a 3D architecturalscale model of any type and
size for architectural or
engineering projects.
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How is your spectacular
model going to be displayed?
The stand is an integral part
of the model presentation. It
can tie together the style ofthe model with the show room
design. There are several
consideration that go into
constructing a stand.
If you are building a showroom
and working with a designer
and carpenter to get it looking
great, feel free to have them
build the stand for the model.
They can match the wood and
finish exactly but I may need
special considerations from
this team. If I am not building
the stand I must work closely
with those that are. The
model has to fit comfortably
but not so tight that you can't
get it out. If we are doing any
lighting or electronics, easy
access is needed for
maintenance. Your stand
maker is now part of the
team and good
communication is
paramount.
I recommend dust covers
on ninety percent of the
models we build. Unless
planned for, most models
do not hold up well with
people constantly touching
them. Vandalism is also a
problem since cars and
trees look so cute on amodel some people can't
resist taking a small
souvenir. Under a cover, we
have models that have been
on continuous display for
over twenty years. Other
models are built to be
touched and they can hold
up well but have to be builtmore durably.
The crate your model goes
into can also be an important
element to your presentation.
If the model is for a showroom
or a trade show, the crate is
simple, strong and heavy.
Many models though have to
taken to their audience and
the crate needs to look more
elegant to reflect what is
inside. We have built custom
wood crates with a nice stain
finish, handles for easy
carrying, and casters if they
are a little heavy. I have also
made "roady" style cases and
"suitcase" models to be taken
on a airplane. Answering
question one "What is yourmodel going to be used for"
will go a long way to
determine the best crate for
project.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.
Question 9.
What other
display elementsare needed. Stand,
cover, case.
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Dear Clients,
I respect you all and I
understand how much you
mean to the success of my
business. If I had one tiny
request, a small favor just
between you and me, I would
ask that you stop deceiving
me about your due dates. I
understand your motivation as
I am sure that you have been
burned by other vendors who
have made promises and not
delivered. Please remember
that unlike many other
vendors, I am your partner in
this particular venture and
accurate information is
valuable to me and to the
success of our project
together. One thing that I can
promise in return is to giveyou good information on the
progress of your display. I will
post images when
appropriate for all your team
members to review. You will
always be welcome at the
shop for visits and
inspections. If there is a
problem that arises, I promise
that you will be the first to
know so that we can work
together toward a solution. I
promise all of these things in
return for an honest
assessment of when you need
your model.
Thank you.
Archetype 3D1020 Carbon Court | Erie CO 80516 | Phone: 303.449.0878 | Fax: 303.449.7646
Question 10.
When is yourmodel neded?