Archetype 3D

SALE    SALE      SALE     SALE
for
ICSC 2011 Vegas Tradeshow Scale Model Special

Archetype 3D is offering a special for updating, repairing and cleaning existing models for this years ICSC show. This sale will also apply to new construction as well. I am currently offering 20% off* or our normal shop rate for models to be displayed in the 2011 ICSC trade show in Las Vegas. Let us know if we can help you wow your customers at this years booth.

*Special Requirement: All projects will have to be bid and approved before the end of April to qualify.

Economic Indicators are Pointing Up for 
Shopping Center Business & Model Makers

Retail is on the rise. I am grabbing any good economic information I can find these days. If you believe the news reports or articles from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), people are retuning to the stores for some retail therapy. As one reporter described it, there is a "burn out of frugality". 

What does this mean for us in the model making world. Surprisingly enough, shopping centers were at one point a good percentage of our business. Not much has been done with them in the last few years, and as of today I have yet to see a huge upswing in new shopping construction--but I do believe it is coming back even if it is slowly. 

With the giant ICSC show is opening in Las Vegas at the end of May, we are expecting to have new models represented on the shows floor as we have in the past. The Las Vegas ICSC show is the place were most major retail deals are made.  Attendees know, it is a great showcase for new construction. 

I would love to hear from the design and construction industry if you are seeing a change this year because personally, I am ready and looking forward to an economic boom any day now.

If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. 
Regional Airport Under the Public’s Eye for Review

The Pierre Regional Airport scale model was built to ask for the public’s opinion. Our client’s at Coover Clark Architects were very particular about details and how their design were represented. Archetype 3D's expert team of model makers led by our art director worked with their airport architect & project manager to match the materials and colors on the model essential to their design specifications and requirements. 

Edward Balkin, Coover Clark’s architect & project manager describes the effect the model had after it was delivered. "The Model was presented to the City of Pierre with great excitement.  I think it was the first instance when the public actually understood the reality of a new Terminal, as well as its design.  Overall it enlightened the community as to the architecture of the Terminal, as well as its importance to the overall growth of the capital city and the State of South Dakota.  All were pleased with the use of regional granite materials, (Dakota Mahogany) and the references made to the area in the interior were used throughout the project."

The airport may be small but it was a meaningful project and a long time coming for the City of Pierre even though this in not an international terminal with thousands of jetliners coming in and out during the year. The Pierre, South Dakota airport is a regional hub for commuter flights and hunting trips featuring some unique amenities. The model features a dog enclosure to keep pets and hunting dogs busy while waiting for flights. Plus it features a special security sections where hunters are required to allow security to screen their hunting rifles. These unique features are an integral part of the airport--specifically designed for the location and the public that it services.

 Study in Park City, UT

Showroom Scale Model of Park City at 

Slifer, Smith & Frampton Office

“The scale model Archetype 3D delivered is our office center piece—saving time and money to get to know what our clients want in  property.” 

–John Calhoun, Managing Partner                                                                                                        Slifer Smith & Frampton, Park City, UT

Today’s real estate offices are prepared for almost anything. 

Often realtors anticipate prospective clients are going to run before they step through their door and they have a chance to build rapport with them.  Strategies to overcome buyer resistance to engage are as different as  the real estate broker’s personalities. Here is one realtor's success story when it comes to winning people over as they walk into their showroom,  and getting them to open up to  talk about what they are looking for in a property. His name is John Calhoun at Slifer, Smith and Frampton in Park City, Utah. He prefers a scale model of the greater Park City area to any other tool to capture people’s attention and to start a sales conversation.

Calhoun has been in the business a long time and realized something about potential buyers above all else—they have very little time while on vacation to spend looking for property. John suggests, “You better know what they are looking for before you hit the MLS pages or  the big screen in the conference room or  venture out to drive around.”  Sound familiar to what you are exper

iencing in your office? 

 

 

Looking over model Opening Evening 

Slifer, Smith & Frampton Office

According to Calhoun, “It is much easier for a client to wrap their arms and minds round where they  are by standing over a model and looking at the landscape as if they were flying over it. Having a physical model as the centerpiece of our office reduces the amount of time needed to help a client understand the lay of the land and the properties they are interested in seeing. There is a lot of inventory on the market, and immediately, the model helps us identify exactly what area best suits the client. ”

 

 

Aerial View of Park City at 

Slifer, Smith & Frampton Office

Calhoun goes on to extol the advantages by pointing to two specific reasons, “physical models stand above anything else as a sales tool in their office.”  He went on to explain, “First, models give a place to help us get to know somebody. It opens conversation and is a safe place compared to a closed door meeting in a conference room or sitting in front of a computer browsing through available properties. Second, a scale model eliminates a lot of wasted travel time  needed  to define the exact neighborhoods or properties they are truly interested in previewing.” Models help identify where they want to buy, while  in the comfort of Calhoun’s office. Before venturing out the client knows the neighborhood and living style best sutited to them.

Archetype 3D delivers show room scale models that highlight the geography and development density in vivid 3-d detail.  Contact us today for an estimate for a scale model for your office.

Park City Model Under Construction

Archetype 3D's Model Shop

 

 

 

 

Information is the key to building a great architectural scale model. At Archetype 3D as architectural scale model builders, we do not work in a vacuum, and even though it appears as though we can, we can not perform miracles with out some help. Architectural scale model making is a partnership between us, the architect who is designing the project and the developer, (residential, commercial or institutional) who needs the model. The key ingredient for making an architectural scale model is having good information from all parties at the beginning of the project.

Advancements in Architectural Scale Model Making

Today, information for a campus and architectural scale model site, building or part has gotten much easier to source. Compared to the not so distant past, when all things were stored in archives on paper or film, the advancement of computers, the internet, and GPS mapping technology has brought about an extraordinary change in how we gather information for a project.  Files are stored and moved electronically to us. When design flaws are discovered, changes are made on-the-fly in AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch-Up and RHINO. Files are saved as a PDF then uploaded in cyberspace simply to be downloaded here to make adjustments to the model on the shop floor.

Campus Architectural Scale Model Case Study

Recently, we were asked to create a model for the King Edward VII hospital in Bermuda. I emphasize the word "create." Our client Heery International was competing to win the job for a new wing of the hospital. They had all the information that we needed on the new wing except for images of the grounds surrounding area that illustrated the vegetation, landscape and maps showing changes in elevation. In years past we would have had to hire a consultant in Bermuda to do the necessary research to cut through bureaucratic red-tape, by culling through piles of public records and making photographs of the site. Finally, sending them to us by mail from a foreign destination, in hopes, they were able to collect everything we requested. This approach was a big problem back then, but not any longer.

Google Earth An Essential Tool for Architectual Scale Model Making

Thanks to Google Earth, Bing maps, Yahoo maps and other services online, we can see what a site looks like online, fill in a building or landscaping without driving the architects crazy begging for information. Google Earth is a fantastic tool for model makers and the one I use extensively on all projects. I can send a file with scaled images to clients with proposed boundaries for the model. I can often see street views of the surrounding buildings and site that wasn't possible before. I can get general information on topography and landscaping. Just a few years ago, to get this kind of information required going to planning departments and wading through red-tape only to end up with some sad approximation of the info we needed to get the job done. I still take pride in driving architects crazy by asking for colors and hidden elevations--everyone understands, "I am just doing my job."

My final word to all my architecture and engineering clients out there—keep THINKING BIG when it comes to design. It is  a lot easier to fill in the blanks when everything is provided up front and a whole lot more fun to be able to work with accurate information.

Craig Martin

Craig Martin -President                                                               Many new things are afoot here at Archetype 3D. I have hired Bob Castellino as my marketing manager who immediately took it upon himself to change how we do things. The most apparent change to those who care about model making is the new look to our website. I was told that the home page of our old website did not pass the 10 year old test. That is, my web guru showed our home page to his 10-year old and asked him to explain what we do for a living. His answer might have been "they build condos?" but it sure wasn't "Cool, they build models!"

Now when you look at our website "Archetype 3D" We I am hoping that model making jumps immediately to your mind. Let me know if it doesn't because the other nice thing about our new website is that it is easily changeable. The site is not complete by any means. Hopefully we will be updating it constantly and we are currently reorganizing the portfolio pages so that samples from our vast collections of models will be easier to access. The purpose of these changes are two fold. We are making it easier for our existing clients to see samples of our work and progress on the projects that are in our shop. We also are raising our status with the search engines to broaden our appeal and introduce us to a whole new market of designers and developers. I welcome any feedback from our clients, send me any compliments that you have and feel free to forward any criticisms to Bob Castellino, bob@archetype3d.com or dial direct 303-449-0878 (he has thicker skin than I have). I hope you all are having a great summer.

Bob Castellino
                                                                                                                                                                           

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: