Architecture has come a long way and survived massive transformations over decades. The world of architecture has existed for decades. Since the time we started civilisation, we have tried to shape the world according to our needs and wants. We wanted to build the world in a way which can help us live comfortably. This is how architecture came into existence in this 3D world. When you wish for a specific structure for your abode, the architects prototype it.
Schematics and drawings have been part of the architecture process: lines in stone, wood, or sand. After that, the architects started improving on their skills and tried to elaborate on the architecture. They began to scale models and create diagrams to showcase the features of buildings.
This was a tedious process when done manually and will be time-consuming. Sculpting the building from the clay or the tiny wood by covering all the details or creating scale models of the whole city takes lots of effort, time and knowledge. Hence, to the need of the hour, architecture has adopted technological advancements in phenomenal ways. In this article, we will talk about 3D technology, and discuss how 3D printing is related to architecture in detail. Let’s explore together.
Connection of 3D printing and 3D rendering in architecture
With the help of 3D technology, constructing a scale model of a structure has been simplified. This also includes 3D modelling and letting the printer handle the remaining process. After printing, the only thing left is to provide the final coat of paint and polish to the miniatures which is even before the project materialises in the real world. Now, 3D technology cannot be possible without rendering.
- Both are unique technologies.
The first thing that comes to mind while thinking about 3D printing and 3D rendering is that both are very flexible. Both are the best-in-class technologies that people might not have dreamt of. Both of these technological advancements are in trend. You can use them for architecture for both commercial and residential use.
As the world of technology advances and shows signs of progress, both processes strengthen bonds between 3D rendering, printing, and architecture.
The 3D rendering was officially brought into light in 1972 when Frederic Parke and Edwin Catmull invented it. Technology was very inaccessible and expensive for the first time. Over time, 3D rendering has advanced.
- Reusable designs
The most fantastic prospect of the technology of both 3d printing and 3d rendering is to provide some unique elements that can be used repeatedly. If you create a prototype once, you can use it repeatedly whenever you want, as it can be considered an asset.
It is an essential element for your project if you are working on an architectural project. If you are savvy in the architectural field, there is a chance of overlapping between the projects. With the wall framer and windows, the job becomes more accessible. It becomes way effortless if you already have something in hand and keep on reusing that for different projects.
You will only require spicing up the items in time as you cannot make the same designs for every building; they will lose value.
- Both can save effort and time
By using 3d rendering and 3d printing, an individual working in the graphic Designing field can quickly speed up his work. When you are working on an interesting hacking game Or working on an exciting project of building the most beautiful structure, all you need is quality at a lesser time. So, here is the situation where you can use CAD software to complete those upcoming projects with ease.
Using the CAD software lets you make the 3d design faster than it can ever be. Hence, rendering and creating a 3d model becomes easy and quick.
- It can help you to replicate materials
If you are willing to create something unique in the architecture world, you will have to make it realistic. For instance, specific walls contain specific textures and the practicality matters a lot here. The materials which will be used become the first need of the construction site, and this is the primary thing which needs to be conceptualised and determined by an architect.
The job becomes more accessible if the architect gets access to 3D printing and 3D rendering solutions. With the help of 3D rendering, the architect can easily mirror the existing material and element and implement it as a building block of the model.
It is beneficial if you look to replicate things that exist in the real world, create the materials, and uniquely implement the designs. Nowadays, 3D scanners have become common as 3D printers, which means that you can quickly scan actual materials and bring them to the digital world through 3D scans. It comes in the form of a 3D render.
After scanning something, it only takes a polishing coat before you churn it through the 3D printer and use it to contract the artwork.
- Improved experience of the clients
When it comes to the architecture firms or studios, everyone present in the industry is not an architect. To run a successful business, you will have to focus on the customer experience. Good customer feedback is dependent upon managing expectations and effective communication.
The average partner will not know everything about the drawings, blueprints and schematics. They can only connect with the models and understand the vision, and these can quickly be produced by 3D printing and 3D rendering. With these technological innovations, you can easily envision the interior or exterior of a structure, even if it is scaled down. You can get a complete feel of the space, shapes, angles and every other detail.
- Give better control
If you are a chief architect, you have made it to the competitive industry, but it also means that you have a lot to work upon. Money might be great, but it comes with added responsibility, and if you are managing more extensive projects and teams, your work might get doubled up.
Are you planning to do a big project? If yes, then you will have to keep your focus on the entire asset itself. You will have to ensure that everything goes smoothly by maintaining the standard. The best way to do this is by using 3D printing and 3D rendering.
A combination of the two will remain on the top. It also allows for good control over the entire project and makes management of it quite straightforward.
- Gives an extra chance to improve
Nobody is perfect! So, every work remains unfinished when it comes to the expert artists. There are always some bobs and bits which need to be improved. You will have to iron out the kinks before the final design. While working on the traditional structure, the minor adjustment of the blueprint or schematic might be a nightmare. But when you are working with 3D printing and 3D rendering, you can easily make last-minute changes and improvisations.
Ways of using 3D printing by Architects
Architects and other professionals are now using 3D printers to produce highly detailed, physical and beautiful architectural models. Experts now have a chance to showcase their ideas and can impress some clients with these tangible models. It can also account for a construction site or precise building information. They save money and time and win business by utilising 3D printing to create durable and intricate designs from the CAD data.
- Pitching
In the competitive architecture industry, the designers must express the architectural ideas in detail to get projects. The clients wish to visualise the proposed building parts or components to make their final decisions. That’s why the architects pitch 3D models to the clients, as they are high in detail, and it also helps you offer a clear picture of the final project. The physical building models also make it more accessible for the designers to engage the client in a meaningful way.
- Reduces the development time of model designing
With the help of 3D printers, architects can produce complex and straightforward structural models in a few hours instead of months or weeks. Traditionally, the architects also use paper or cardboard to create the physical designs, but the manual process takes more time.
In today’s construction industry, the designers need to use the shortest possible time to develop the 3D models. This shows the connection between the structural features of various configurations. The architects must be quick to produce the architectural models for better visualisation. This is because it plays a vital role in taking on the project.
By using 3D printing, the architects can show the work of structural elements like overlapping and interlocking features. It even needs visualisation for developing the perfect site plan.
- Development of landscape prototypes
The 3D printers produce architectural prototypes for clarifying details of entertainment spaces and exterior living, including swimming pools. Such structures might use various types of materials, for instance, polyamide, metal, transparent resin, and ABS, for delivering colour and complex objects.
With the help of advanced technology, the architects are at liberty to produce high-quality artefacts and giant prints for conveying the structural elements accurately. 3D models are durable and robust, unlike the handmade and cardboard equivalent.
- Saving modelling costs
Architectural companies might acquire 3D printers to deploy on premises because it is cheaper than outsourcing to providers. This equipment will help them enhance productivity and lower production costs. An increase in prototype production and machine speed can help the designers avoid overheads with a project delay.
But, did you think about what happens to the artefacts if you don’t use them in the project? It’s simple; you can keep those in the library for your future use. Many companies don’t discard unused models, and instead of dumping them, they tend to preserve those pieces for future projects. Reusing the physical sketches means avoiding the costs of printing similar projects from scratch.
- Prefabrication Collaboration
The printed models are available for validation, testing and evaluation by the multidisciplinary teams involved in the construction of architectural projects. For example, the architects might require sharing the designs with planners and builders. The designers can collaborate and communicate the models without any confusion as 3D models allow everyone to get involved and review the conveyed ideas perfectly.
In the architectural world, there are many possibilities to innovate with the help of 3D printing. This technology allows the architects to create detailed and precise physical models for communicating the proposals cost-effectively, clearly and quickly. In the universe of 3D, the cutting edge printers can be beneficial for the architects to produce quality sketches of buildings.
How 3D printers can help to transform 3D projects?
This technology of 3D printing allows the designers and architects to detect the power of 3D modelling. The 3D printers can overcome every limitation related to conventional intensive procedures. Here is some help that 3D printers can give architects and designers for the projects.
- Concept Modelling
It is an essential element for architectural modelling, allowing architects and clients to deal efficiently with the project’s construction. The industry needs an alternative process to the old traditional method as this process is a lot time-consuming. To save a significant amount of time and money, you can use 3d printers to develop your product ideas and convert the ideas into prototypes.
- Custom design
If a client wants to add a suggestion to your model, the 3d printer will allow you to do so. By using a 3d printer, architects can offer different types of unusual models which can be personalised according to the customer’s needs and intentions.
- Urban Infrastructure
3D printing is also known for customising urban planning. In the current era, architects can 3d print a plan of an entire town, city, or any area quickly by using the correct equipment. There are various examples of projects which are done by using 3d printing architectural methods like 3d printed flyovers and transportation disruption to beautiful facades.
- 3D printing helps with Interior Design
3D Printing has enormous importance in the projects of interior design. With the help of this technology, architects can create decorative objects, lamps, and sculptures that can be printed or re-modelled. 3D Printing makes prototyping easier and makes fabrication and engineering of interiors more accessible and architecturally detailed. An example of the 3D printing of interior design is the printed houses.
- 3D Printed Houses
Most of the 3D printed construction has been raised in a few years. With the help of the prototypes, it is possible to build a 3D printed house using sustainable materials in a few weeks and, most importantly, at an affordable price. This also suggests that 3D printing can be the solution for the architect to build with more efficacy.
Can 3D Printing become the future of design and architecture?
3D Printing can contribute to revolutionising the process, design and planning. Besides the design flexibility and increased efficiency, the technology offers various opportunities for high growth worldwide.
It will not be false to mention that the benefits of 3D printing technology are very diverse. The designers and architects have criticised the technology of 3D printing for various purposes, but it is only the beginning. Shortly, it can be a possibility for people to live in 3D printed houses, cities or colonies. It’s all we can be optimistic about.
Benefits of using this technology in the architecture world
- Affordable construction costs
3D Printing will offer you a cheaper way to construct than other traditional techniques. The reasons are less energy consumption, efficient materials, and few labourers. It is even possible to accurately calculate the amount of the material used. This results in low construction costs and lesser waste.
Various companies create 3D printing homes at low costs and high speed. Offering houses to the people who need and look for affordable options is becoming a reality. All credit goes to the 3D printing evolution.
- Sustainable construction
It is another benefit of 3D printing, and it is highly sustainable and environmentally friendly. Concrete is often considered the go-to material for building in the standard construction. The companies of 3D printing are already experimenting with sustainable options like recyclable thermoplastics, biodegradable bamboo and raw earth.
Various companies have completed the eco-sustainable habitat, built with recyclable and reusable materials.
- Builds in a faster way
One of the best things about 3D printing is its construction speed. Your new home will be printed in a few days compared to conventional techniques. Various companies can print the unit within 24 hours by printing the manufacturing facility. This is done leveraging the particular light material stone, which can quickly get curved if exposed to UV light. They can easily construct the building in a faster way in comparison with traditional construction.
Wrapping up
Architecture is more than an industry. It is known as one of the best artistic environments where the technology and ideas blend and thrive together to create new entities and elements. By combining 3D rendering and printing and keeping architecture in mind, the architects can complete the craft and do their job best in a faster and efficient way.
