In 2005, the city of Stockholm commissioned Mitekgruppen, a Swedish design firm, to construct a scaled model of Stockholm to be used for exhibit. The firm used aerial photos and drawings to create the city’s buildings in a computer aided design (CAD) program.
Where aerial photos and drawings weren’t available, designers relied on Google Earth to prepare these CAD files for the 3D printer. The CAD files were then sent to the 3D printer to produce models of Stockholm’s buildings. The finished building replicas where then positioned, secured and hand painted along with other landscape features including bridges, cars, boats, trains and trees.
Combining the information from the photos, drawings and Google Earth with the 3D building models, the exhibit was completed in less than six months and unveiled on April 26, 2006. As of early 2007, the Stockholm city model exhibit was the second most popular exhibit in Sweden, drawing over 150,000 visitors since its introduction.
The Dimension Solution
Mitekgruppen (Mitek-group), a Swedish design firm, hired to create a 3D model of the city of Stockholm, Sweden, completed the project in a fraction of the normal time by using a Dimension 3D printer and Google Earth.
One of Sweden’s largest daily newspapers recently reported that the 157 square-foot replica was the second most visited exhibit in the country last year. Until recently, the exhibit was displayed at Stockholm’s Kulturhuset (The Culture House) in Stockholm’s city center. It is currently being stored and readied for shipment to another, yet-to-be determined, location within Sweden.
“The Dimension 3D printer offers a significant advantage to organizations looking to model architectural projects and cityscapes in a short amount of time,” said Jon Cobb, vice president and general manager of 3D printing for Stratasys. “We are excited to see how design and architectural firms use the Dimension 3D printer to produce these complex replicas so efficiently. The use of Google Earth for these projects is exciting, especially where aerial maps and drawings are unavailable or fall short of giving designers the information they need to create accurate replicas.”
For more information about Mitekgruppen, visit www.mitekgruppen.se.