Sweet Onion Creations

Mmmm…Pancakes and 3D Printing

Well, we probably won’t be starring in any Hollywood movies but we do have a movie up and loaded on our website and at YouTube that walks you through the basics of taking CAD files and making architecture models. The example used is from the recent model we built for the Yellowstone Club.

In the 4 minutes and 14 seconds you too can see:

1. The computer work and the model as it exists on the screen

2. How 3D printing technology “slices” up a model

3. The raw materials used in production

4. Recycling process

5. A few examples of the final products

Thanks in advance for watching and please call if you’re an agent living in LA!

Here’s a few takeaway points for the next time you’ve got to communicate in writing with a client.  All you have to do is be a “SAP” and the client will thank you for it!

Although writers and architects don’t share a lot in common as far as their profession goes, there are several interesting lessons to be learned, or reminded of, in the book On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

Simple
The second chapter in the book is aptly titled “Simplicity.” If you can say it in one word, why use three? If it can be said in short, solid words, why use verbose language? These questions are the basis for eliminating the clutter that clouds meaning. How can this be applied to architecture?

Amuse Yourself
If you think its funny, chances are others will too. The main person you are accountable to is you. Enjoy that fact and amuse yourself.

Personality
Somewhere in history people decided that in business there should never be an “I,” apparently business people don’t have opinions. Your personality can’t fully be expressed if your always writing as an organization or a we. How can more of your personality be expressed through design?

We have a case study up on our website about the recent Yellowstone Club architecture model we built for Jonathan L. Foote & Associates for their design review board meeting this summer up in Big Sky, Montana. The document is available as a free download in PDF format and goes through the details of how the model was built from scratch off of blueprints. If you’re curious how the model that is pictured on our home page was constructed, we hope this document will do a good job of explaining the process:

Specifically:
1. The translation from 2D drawings to a 3D representation
2. The approval process for different building materials
3. Online tools used for managing communication
4. Representing topography and the building envelope at 1/8″ = 1′ scale

Note: A big thank you to JLF & Associates for giving us the chance to build a model like this. It was a challenging project but seeing what the technology and the CAD programs could do together was pretty fun.